Volturno line

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the German defense lines in central - southern Italy

The Volturno Line (also known as the Viktor Line) was a German defensive position in Italy during the Italian campaign in World War II .

Following the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943, the Wehrmacht built a number of lines of defense throughout Italy in order to delay the Allied advance. The Volturno Line was the southernmost, it ran from the city of Termoli in the east along the river Biferno through the Apennines to the river Volturno in the west.

Eastern breakthrough by the British 8th Army on the Biferno River (Battle of Termoli)

The German Commander in Chief in Italy - Field Marshal General Albert Kesselring (1940).

On October 3, 1943, the British 11th Infantry Brigade, led by Headquarters Southeast, made an amphibious landing on the Biferno River at 2:15 am . At dawn of the same day, parts of the British 78th Infantry Division landed on the Adriatic coast near Termoli with the aim of building a heavy-duty bridge over the river. The two troops joined forces on the same morning and the following night the British 36th Brigade of the 78th Division landed in the port of Termoli, but a logistical problem and rain prevented the construction of the bridge, so that Allied tanks advanced the infantry could not support.

As a reaction to the increasing pressure from the Allies on the Adriatic Front, the German Commander-in-Chief in Italy ordered General Field Marshal and German Commander-in-Chief on the Adriatic Albert Kesselring of the 16th Infantry Division to move to the Adriatic Front. This relocation of troops created a major and unforeseen threat to the Allied infantry, as no heavy equipment could intervene in the fighting. When the news of the arrival of German troops arrived on October 4th, the 78th Division Commander Major General Vyvyan Evelegh demanded priority over the British Eighth Army under General Bernard Montgomery to obtain resources for the relocation of heavy equipment. Due to the strong German troops, the Allied infantry came on the defensive and had to retreat within 5 km of Termoli on October 5th.

However, the completion of the heavy Bailey Bridge made it possible to carry Canadian and British tanks and heavy equipment across the River Biferno. In the evening the 78th Division of the 38th Irish Brigade also arrived by sea in Termoli and was able to narrowly repel the German attack together with the other Allied units the next morning. In the late morning of October 6th, the Allies were able to ignore the attack, and in the late afternoon the Germans began to retreat to the next prepared defensive position called the Barbara Line on the Trigno River.

Advance of the 5th U.S. Army into Italy from October 12 to November 15, 1943

Western breakthrough of the 5th US Army on the Volturno River

Located on the Mediterranean coast at the river Volturno , the was the 5th US Army , commanded by Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark , who over the Volturno attacked the army on the night of October 12, which deals with various Nachhuttaktiken favorable sent on for the defense Terrain retreated until they were in the defense line further north (the western Barbara line). The Allies reached the Barbara Line on November 2nd.

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