Battle of Bologna The Battle of Bologna was fought in Bologna , Italy from 9 – 21 April 1945 during the Second World War , as part of the Spring 1945 offensive in Italy . The Allied forces were victorious , with the Polish 2nd Corps and supporting Allied units capturing the city on 21 April . Background . In March 1945 the Allies were preparing a new offensive , codenamed Buckland , in Northern Italy . The capture of Bologna , an important regional communication hub , was set as a part of that offensive . The Allied forces tasked with this were composed of the US 5th Army and the British 8th Army ( which for that part of the theatre , was composed of the British 5th Corps and the Polish 2nd Corps ) . The German units defending the area were composed of the German 26th Panzer Division of the German XIV Panzer Corps , and the German 1st Parachute Division and the German 4th Parachute Division , forming the German I Parachute Corps . The morale of the Polish forces was weakened by the outcome of the Yalta Conference which ended on 11 February , where the British , Americans , without consultation from the Poles , had decided to give a major part of the Polish territories to the Soviet Union . One of the three Polish divisions , the Polish 5th Kresowa Infantry Division , was named after the Kresy region , which was now given to the Soviets in its entirety . When the Polish commander of the 2nd Corps , General Władysław Anders , asked for his unit to be withdrawn from the frontlines , Winston Churchill told him " you [ the Poles ] are no longer needed " , but the American and British frontline commanders — Generals Richard McCreery and Mark Wayne Clark , and Marshal Harold Alexander — requested Anders that the Polish units remain in their positions , as they had no troops to replace them . Anders eventually decided to keep the Polish units engaged . Order of battle . Polish II Corps . Major - General Zygmunt Bohusz - Szyszko ( acting commander ) Battle . The offensive on Bologna started on 9 April at 4am local time , with a major air and artillery bombardment of 400 guns firing on German positions , followed by an advance of ground forces the same evening . The American and British units engaged the German flanks , while the Polish units broke through to the city . On 10 April , Polish forces pushed the Germans away from the Senio River . Between 12 – 14 April Polish forces fought the Germans at the Santerno River , and captured Imola . From 15 – 16 April , the Polish units fought at the Sillaro River and the Medicina Canal . On 17 April , the command of the British 8th Army ordered the Polish forces to continue their push towards Bologna from the east . The town was to be taken initially by the American troops of the 5th Army advancing from the south . On 21 April the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Brigade of the Polish 3rd Carpathian Infantry Division entered the city , where only isolated German units were still fighting . By 06 : 15 the Poles had secured the city , displaying Polish flags from the town hall and the Torre Asinelli tower — the highest tower in the city . The local Italian population welcomed the Poles as their liberators . At 08 : 00 , American tanks arrived in the city , followed by Italian partisans . Aftermath . The Battle of Bologna was the last battle of the Polish 2nd Corps , which was taken out of the front line on 22 April . The American and British troops completed their encirclement of the Germans forces north of the Reno River , and Indian units ( 8th Division ) crossed the Po River . The German forces in Italy capitulated on 29 April . In this conflict , Polish II Corps , commanded by General Zygmunt Bohusz - Szyszko , suffered 234 dead and 1 , 228 wounded out of 55 , 780 frontline personnel .