Volturno Line
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| Italian Campaign |
|---|
| Invasion of Sicily – Invasion of Italy – Armistice with Italy – Winter Line – San Pietro – Anzio – Monte Cassino – Gothic Line |
The Volturno Line (also known as the Viktor Line) was a German defensive position in Italy during World War II.
The line ran from Termoli in the east, along the Biferno River through the Apennine Mountains to the Volturno River in the west.
Following the Allied invasion of Italy the German forces set up a series of defensive lines across Italy, intended to delay the Allied advance. The Volturno Line was the southernmost of these.
On the Adriatic coast the British 8th Army crossed the Bifurno on October 3 1943 and forced a German withdrawal soon after whilst on the other coast the U.S. 5th Army attacked on the night of October 12[1]. The Germans retreated to the next line north (the Barbara Line).
[edit] Bibliography
- Col. Kenneth V. Smith (1944). CMH Online bookshelves: WWII Campaigns, Naples-Foggia 9 September 1943-21 January 1944. Washington: US Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 72-17.
- Unknown (1944). CMH Online bookshelves: From the Volturno to the Winter Line 6 October-15 November 1943. Washington: US Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 100-8.
- LLoyd Clark (2006). Anzio: The Friction of War. Italy and the Battle for Rome 1944. Headline Publishing Group, London. ISBN 978 0 7553 1420 1.
[edit] References
- ^ Lloyd Clark, p37
