Chapter 198 Volume Six, Chapter Eight, Alexander's Summer Offensive

August 24th I return to Alexander's headquarters in Siena I inspect the New Zealand division Meet with General Devers Visit General Leith August 26th My telegram to Smuts August 26th Attack Started a magnificent view a thrilling drive August 28th I called the President of the United States President's reply further communication The President's hopes fell through August 28th I flew back to England I wrote to the Italian people. Early on the morning of August 24, after a brief visit to Rome, I flew back to Alexander's headquarters in Siena, where I was lodging in a villa a few miles away.The attack was scheduled to begin on the twenty-sixth.I took this opportunity to inspect the New Zealand division.The last time I visited this unit was in Tripoli in February 1943.I didn't want to give it a formal review, so the soldiers gave me an informal warm welcome instead.It was my pleasure to see General Freiberg and his officers again.I telegraphed Fraser:

Prime Minister to Prime Minister of New Zealand August 25, 1944 It gives me great pleasure to see your really good New Zealand division of about 15,000 men in high spirits.This division will be indispensable in the coming operations.Yesterday I had lunch with General Freiberg and his officers.I told them many things that they hadn't heard and could not normally hear.Greetings and greetings from Freberg and I. On the afternoon of the 25th we intended to fly to the field headquarters of General Lies' Eighth Army on the Adriatic Sea.I spent a few hours with Alexander in his headquarters camp before departure.While I was there, General Devers and another senior American general arrived unexpectedly.The much-debated Operation Anvil, now renamed Dragoons, was now in command of General Patch, but Devers, as General Wilson's second-in-command, had for weeks been desperately trying to get back from Fifteenth Army Group, In particular, troops and key personnel were drawn from the Fifth Army under the command of Mark Clark.It is said that the Dragoons are likely to expand into an army group, and Devers will be appointed as the commander of the army group.For this great cause that is about to be entrusted to him, of course he must do everything possible to gather a team and expand his strength.Although we did not discuss any major issues, I soon found that his relationship with Alexander was cold.After a few minutes, Alexander walked away with a cheerful apology and a smile, leaving me and the two American guests in the cluttered tent.As General Devers did not seem to have any particular subject to discuss with me, and as I did not wish to touch upon difficult subjects, I also limited my subject to matters of courtesy and generality.I waited for Alexander's return, but it didn't.After about twenty minutes Devers said goodbye.Since I have no business to attend to, I wish him success in the battle.Thus ended his courtesy call.I noticed that these senior generals treated each other with courtesy and blamelessness on the surface, but there was a tense atmosphere behind it.

Soon after, Alexander came and said we should go to the airport immediately.Our plane flew northeast for half an hour to Loreto, and from there we drove to General Leith's camp behind Montemaggiore.Looking north from our tent here is a magnificent panorama.The Adriatic Sea, though only twenty miles away, is hidden from view by the Montemaggiore mountains.General Leith informed us that the covering barrage covering the advance of his troops would begin at midnight.We were placed in a good position to watch a long flare of gunfire in the distance.The rapid and continuous roar of shelling reminded me of the scene of the First World War.Artillery troops undoubtedly entered the war on a large scale.An hour later I happily went to sleep, for Alexander had planned to start early in the morning and to be at the front all day.He also promised to take me wherever I wanted to go.

Before going to bed, I dictated the following telegram to Smuts, with whom I have been in constant correspondence. Prime Minister to Field Marshal Smuts: August 26, 1944 The large-scale attack started this morning and afternoon and will reach its peak tomorrow.So I will stay here for two days.I will then have to return to the UK, visit France and then go to Canada for the conference which starts in mid-September.It was originally planned to inspect the South African troops yesterday, but unfortunately they were marching. So far, Anvil has backfired on its planners. First, the operation did not in any way draw General Eisenhower's enemies away; on the contrary, two and a half to three divisions of the German rearguard would surely reach the main front before the Allied landing forces.Secondly, as a result of the rapid weakening of the two mighty armies, the 5th and 8th, and as a result of the withdrawal of their main personnel, stagnation has inadvertently arisen here.As a result, three German divisions, including a powerful armored division with 12,500 combatants, were withdrawn from the Italian front.These forces are moving towards the Chalon region.As a result, about five divisions had been deployed against Eisenhower.This would not have happened if we had continued from here to the Po and reached at last the great city (Vienna).I still hope to be able to achieve this goal.Even if the war were to end abruptly, I see no reason why our armored forces should not be able to reach their targets at full speed, since we are able to do so.

I set off with Alexander about nine o'clock.His adjutant followed in the second car with Tommy.We are small and therefore easy to move around.I've been driving for six hours, and I heard that I have to keep going, but I really can't remember how long I've been driving.Our car first climbed a high, prominent rocky hill with a church and village on top of it.Village men and women came out to welcome us from some of the cellars that had been used as shelters.We knew it right away: the place had just been bombed.On the only street, stones and debris of buildings abound.When did the bombing stop?Alexander asked with a wry smile to the small crowd that surrounded us.about a quarter of an hour ago.they replied.It is indeed a magnificent view from the old city walls of past centuries.The entire offensive front of the Eighth Army is vividly visible.Yet there was nothing to be seen but the smoke of shells exploding here and there seven or eight thousand yards away.After a while, Alexander said that we had better not stay here any longer. The enemy must continue to bombard an observation post like this, and the bombardment may start again.So we drove westward for two or three miles, and had a picnic lunch on a wide slope halfway up the mountain.It's almost like being on that hilltop here, the views are fantastic and it doesn't draw attention to itself.

By this time word was received that our troops had advanced a mile or two on the other side of the Metro.Hazdruber's defeat here sealed the fate of Carthage, and I propose that we also cross the river.We got into the car and crossed the river half an hour later.The road leads out among jagged olive groves whose leaves glisten in the sun.Guided by an officer from one of the battalions we were fighting, we drove through clearings until we knew we were close to the front line when we heard rifle fire and saw machine gun fire.After a while, someone waved a warning, and we stopped the car.It turned out that the front was a minefield, and it was necessary to drive along the place where other vehicles had passed safely, so that nothing happened.Alexander and his aide-de-camp dismounted, and went to inspect the situation at a gray stone house, which was guarded by our troops and was said to be a good place for close observation.I clearly felt that only sporadic fighting was going on.In a few minutes the adjutant returned, and brought me before his superior, Alexander, who had found a good place in this stone house, which was in fact an old villa standing on a rather steep hill.From here people can completely see the distance.German rifles and machine guns were firing from the depths of the jungle on the other side of the valley about five hundred yards away.Our battle lines are under our feet.The gunfire was sparse and intermittent.Yet this was the closest I've ever been to the enemy and heard the most gunshots in World War II.After about half an hour, we got back in the car and carefully followed the tire tracks of our own or other vehicles to the side of the river.On the river we encountered reinforcement columns of infantry, which were coming to reinforce our weak skirmish line.It was not until five o'clock that we returned to General Leith's headquarters, where the victories of the entire army front were punctually marked on some maps.The general situation is that the Eighth Army has advanced about seven thousand yards since dawn on a front of ten to twelve miles long, with few casualties at all.

What an inspiring start! [1] Hazdruber, a famous general of ancient Carthage, led his army across the Alps in 207 BC, and participated in his brother Hannibal's campaign in Italy. The battle of the Metoro River was defeated by Nero of Rome ( Nero and Li Wei's army were defeated, and after his death, his head was chopped off by the Romans and thrown into Hannibal's camp.translator The next morning telegrams and letters brought us a great deal of work.It appeared that General Eisenhower was concerned by the approach of the German divisions which I had mentioned to Smuts about being withdrawn from Italy.I'm glad that the attack we had prepared under depressing conditions finally started.I drew up a telegram to the President of the United States, giving him what I had learned from the generals who were there, and explaining our situation to him from what I knew personally.I wanted to convey to him our frustrations in an indisputable way, while also expressing my hopes and ideas for the future.As long as I can restore the President's interest in this direction, our plans for the final march to Vienna will continue.

prime minister to president roosevelt August 28, 1944 General Alexander received a call from the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Force to try to prevent the withdrawal of more and more (German) divisions from the Italian front.This was, of course, a consequence of the great weakening of our troops in Italy, which had taken place in general since the attack on the Riviera.A total of four German divisions, including a strong armored division, were on their way to Chalons.However, despite their weakening strength, about three weeks ago Alexander and Clark began planning a detour or a breakthrough into the Apennines.For this purpose, four divisions of the British Thirteenth Corps were assigned to General Clarke's command.Given that Clark had been deprived of the artillery, we were able to support it with the necessary artillery.A force of eight divisions, four American and four British, is currently massed on a northward axis around Florence.

2. Alexander only deployed a very thin line of troops on the front of the entire front; some large sections were handed over to infantry artillery converted from air defense units (plus the support of several armored brigades) for defense.It was thus again possible for him to concentrate on the Adriatic flank ten divisions of British troops, or the forces of the British Empire under British command.The vanguard of these divisions launched an attack before midnight on the 25th, and the shelling and attack across the board also began at dawn on the 26th.We advanced about nine miles over a large area, but had not yet encountered the enemy on the main Gothic line.I was fortunate enough to travel with the army on this march, and thus gained a much more definite impression of the modern battlefield than I had in the past.Before this, I had been limited to getting this impression from a high and remote location or a safe position.

3. The plan is this: ten divisions of the highly concentrated Eighth Army will try to break through the Gothic Line and thus bypass the entire enemy position, entering the Po River Valley from the Rimini Plain area; At that time, General Mark Clark will attack the enemy with his eight divisions according to the enemy's reaction. These two forces must meet at Bologna.If all goes well, I hope that the advance will henceforth be even more rapid, and that continued heavy fighting will save Eisenhower from further attacks by German divisions withdrawn from Italy. 4. I have never forgotten what you told me about Istria in Tehran.I believe that the arrival of a strong army in Trieste and Istria in four or five weeks will have an effect far beyond pure military value.Tito's people will be waiting for us in Istria.I can't imagine the situation in Hungary at that time, but we can make the most of any great new situation anyway.

I sent this telegram after I flew to Naples on the 28th, and I did not receive a reply until three days after I returned home. President Roosevelt to Prime Minister August 31, 1944 The call was received and it was a relief to learn that General Wilson had concentrated his forces in Italy and resumed the offensive.My chiefs of staff considered that a violent attack with all available forces would force the enemy into the valley of the Po. At that time, the enemy may choose to withdraw from northern Italy completely.In view of the fact that the enemy's actions may enable the enemy to transfer its forces to other fronts, we must do our best to annihilate the enemy under our control.I am convinced that this was General Wilson's purpose. Now that the offensive has begun and is now in full swing in Italy, I believe General Eisenhower will be satisfied that we are doing everything possible in the Mediterranean to strike the Germans who might otherwise be called upon to fight him in the near future force.I know that all British power in the Mediterranean is being diverted to Italy.We are doing our best to get all reinforcements and supplies to France to ensure that General Eisenhower can maintain the spirit of the common victory our troops have won.With the success of our advance from the south of France, and the fact that the Russians are now crushing the enemy's flanks in the Balkan countries, I have high hopes that the final and complete victory will not be long delayed. I think that we should push the Germans in Italy as hard as we can, and suspend the decision to continue the deployment of General Wilson's troops until the campaign conducted by General Wilson becomes clearer and German movements are better known. We can resume the discussions we had in Tehran about Trieste and Istria in the Octagon (Quebec). This telegram surprised me by emphasizing General Wilson. prime minister to president roosevelt August 31, 1944 All operations in Italy were planned and carried out by General Alexander in accordance with the orders of the Supreme Commander.You will see that his Adriatic flank is now in contact with the Gothic line for twenty miles, and the Eighth Army will fight hard.General Clark's Fifth Army had also advanced in the direction of Florence.I have made General Alexander fully aware of the importance of pressing the enemy with all his strength in order to destroy his armed forces and to turn his lines.It will not be easy for the Germans to retreat across the Alps from the Gothic line, especially if we can reach the vicinity of Bologna.The western passes and tunnels into France have been blocked by your advance into the Rhône valley.Only one road opened to Germany.We will do our best to fight the enemy, attack him, and destroy him.However, the decisive battle has yet to be fought. 2. Since the enemy on the Italian front has been weakened by the removal of four elite divisions, we do not ask the United States to send reinforcements other than the 92nd Division which I know is about to arrive.Also, I think of course there will be no further withdrawal of troops from Italy, that is, the four divisions of Army Group Clark and the troops fighting with them will remain where they are, and General Alexander will draw up his plan of operations on the basis of this.That's all for now. 3. As for the future, once the German army is annihilated in Italy or unfortunately flees by it, the task of the Eighth and Fifth Armies will continue to strike the enemy.This task can only be done by advancing first to Istria and Trieste, and finally to Vienna.If the war had ended within a few months (which is quite possible), none of these problems would have arisen.In short, we can discuss at length in Quebec. 4. I congratulate you on the glorious victory of the American landing in the south of France. I fervently hope that the retreating German army will be pinned down and surrounded by us at Valence or Lyons.Another horde of about 90,000 Germans was apparently swarming back from the south via Poitiers. Roosevelt sent me another telegram on September 4th. President Roosevelt to Prime Minister September 4, 1944 I believe as much as you do that our allied forces in Italy are sufficient to accomplish their mission, and that the Field Commander will relentlessly attack the enemy to destroy his strength.After the defeat of the German army by the Gothic Line, we must continue to use our troops in the most effective way possible to support General Eisenhower's decisive attack on the enemy's nest. The proper future deployment of our forces in Italy can be discussed in Quebec.It seems to me that American troops should be employed on the Western Front, but I have no prejudice on the matter, since it depends in any case on the progress of the present fighting in Italy, as well as on the progress of the French field.I feel strongly that we should under no circumstances limit the forces on the French side required to quickly break through the German western defenses. The great Allied victory in the south of France must be attributed entirely to the combined action of the Allied forces; the successful execution of the operation from the beginning to the present is due to General Wilson and his Allied staff, General Patch and the commanders to which he belongs.In view of the present state of disarray in the south of France, I hope that the Allied armies of the North and the South will join forces much earlier than originally expected. We are about to see both hopes dashed.The force which we landed on the Riviera and caused painful losses to our operations in Italy, did not arrive in time to support Eisenhower's first major campaign in the north, and Alexander's attack was due only to a lack of Forces instead of the victory we deserve, which we desperately need.The liberation of all of Italy is still eight months away, and the turn to the right and the march on Vienna is beyond our reach.And, with the exception of Greece, our military power to influence the liberation of Southeastern Europe no longer exists. On August 28, I flew back to China from Naples.Before leaving Italy, I wrote a letter to the Italian people, expressing my encouragement and hope to them.I have always had great respect for the people of Italy, except when we were really at war.I was deeply touched by the friendly welcome I received from every village and town I drove along the entire battle line.When I returned home, I offered some advice. August 28, 1944 As the saying goes, the price of freedom is perpetual vigilance.Thus, the question arises: what is freedom?Here are a couple of very simple, very practical tests by which freedom is known in the modern world, in a peaceful environment.This test is: Is there a right to express opinions freely and to oppose and criticize the current government? Do the people have the right to remove the government when they are dissatisfied with it?Are there legislative avenues through which the people can express their will? Is the judiciary independent of administrative violence and not succumbing to mob threats? Is it breaking away from certain political parties? Will the courts apply open and recognized laws, which are associated in the minds of men with the maxims of reason and justice? Does it treat poor and rich, civilians and government officials equally? Are the rights of individuals guaranteed, upheld and respected in addition to their obligations to the state? Does the ordinary worker or farmer who toils day and night to make a living and feed his family have the right to be free from terror?That is, is there no fear of a ruthless police organization under one-party control, such as the secret police founded by the Nazis and Fascists, giving an ordinary worker or peasant a pat on the shoulder without a fair or public trial? Arrest him, throw him in jail or torture him? These are simple and practical tests on the basis of which a new Italy can only be built Today, this view does not seem to need to be changed.