Operation Grapeshot order of battle

Italian Campaign

Invasion of Sicily Invasion of Italy Avalanche Baytown Slapstick Armistice with Italy Achse Naples Vatican bombing Volturno Line Barbara Line Bari raid Winter Line (Bernhardt Line / Cassino / Anzio Nettuno) Trasimene Line Ancona Elba Gothic Line 1945 Spring offensive

Operation Grapeshot order of battle is a listing of the significant formations that were involved in the Spring 1945 offensive in the Apennine Mountains and the Po valley in northern Italy, April 1945 – May 1945.

Allied Forces Headquarters Mediterranean

Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theatre: Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander
Deputy Supreme Allied Commander-in-Chief:: Lieutenant General Joseph T. McNarney
Chief of Staff: Lieutenant-General William Morgan^[1]
Air Commander-in Chief Mediterranean Allied Air Forces: Lieutenant General John K. Cannon

Allied 15th Army Group

Commander: General Mark Wayne Clark

Chief of Staff: Major General Alfred M. Gruenther

U.S. Fifth Army

Commander:

Lieutenant General Lucian K. Truscott

Army Troops

U.S. 85th Infantry Division (Major General John B. Coulter)
- 337th Regimental Combat Team
- 338th Regimental Combat Team
- 339th Regimental Combat Team
U.S. 92nd Infantry Division (Major General Edward M. Almond)
- 370th Regimental Combat Team
- 442nd (Japanese-American) Regimental Combat Team (attached)
- 473rd Regimental Combat Team (attached)
758th Light Tank Battalion
760th Tank Battalion (less two companies)
679th Tank Destroyer Battalion
894th Tank Destroyer Battalion (less two companies)

U.S. II Corps

Major General Geoffrey Keyes

Corps Troops
- Italian Legnano Combat Group
  - 68th Italian Infantry Regiment
  - 69th Italian Infantry Regiment
- 752nd Tank Battalion
- 757th Tank Battalion
- 804th Tank Destroyer Battalion
- 805th Tank Destroyer Battalion
U.S. 34th Infantry Division (Major General Charles Bolté)
- 133rd Regimental Combat Team
- 135th Regimental Combat Team
- 168th Regimental Combat Team
U.S. 88th Infantry Division (Major General Paul W. Kendall)
- 349th Regimental Combat Team
- 350th Regimental Combat Team
- 351st Regimental Combat Team
U.S. 91st Infantry Division (Major General William G. Livesay)
- 361st Regimental Combat Team
- 362nd Regimental Combat Team
- 363rd Regimental Combat Team
6th South African Armoured Division (Major-General Evered Poole)
- 11th South African Armoured Brigade
- 12th South African Motorised Brigade
- 13th South African Motorised Brigade

U.S. IV Corps

Lieutenant General Willis D. Crittenberger

Corps Troops
- 365th Infantry Regiment (detached from 92nd Infantry Division)
- 371st Infantry Regiment (detached from 92nd Infantry Division)
- 751st Tank Battalion (plus one company 760th Tank Battalion)
- 701st Tank Destroyer Battalion (plus elements 894th Tank Destroyer Battalion)
U.S. 1st Armored Division (Major General Vernon Prichard)
- 6th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 11th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 14th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 1st Tank Battalion
- 4th Tank Battalion
- 13th Tank Battalion
U.S. 10th Mountain Division (Major General George Price Hays
1st Brazilian Division (General Mascarenhas de Morais)
- 1st Brazilian Infantry Regiment
- 6th Brazilian Infantry Regiment
- 11th Brazilian Infantry Regiment

British 8th Army

Commander:

Lieutenant-General Sir Richard McCreery

Army Troops

7th Hussars (amphibious tanks)
12th Lancers (armoured cars)
16th Army Group Royal Engineers
20th Army Group Royal Engineers
22nd Army Group Royal Engineers

British V Corps

Lieutenant-General Charles Keightley

Corps Troops
- 1st Army Group Royal Artillery (Five medium regiments)
- 2nd Army Group Royal Artillery (Five medium regiments)
- 6th Armoured Division Artillery
- 54th Super Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery (less two batteries)
Special Forces
- Two squadrons Special Boat Service
- Two troops Raiding Support Regiment
- Italian 28th Garibaldi Brigade (Partisans)

British 56th Infantry Division (Major-General John Yeldham Whitfield)
- 24th Guards Brigade
- 167th Infantry Brigade
- 169th Infantry Brigade
- 2nd Commando Brigade (under command)
- 9th Armoured Brigade (under command)
- 27th Lancers (armoured cars) (under command)
- 4th Hussars (Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers)
British 78th Infantry Division (Major-General Keith Arbuthnott)
- 11th Infantry Brigade
- 36th Infantry Brigade
- 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade
- 2nd Armoured Brigade (under command)
Indian 8th Infantry Division (Major-General Dudley Russell)
- 17th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 19th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 21st Indian Infantry Brigade
- 21st Army Tank Brigade (under command)
New Zealand 2nd Division (Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg VC)
- 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade
- 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 9th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
Italian Cremona Combat Group (Italian Co-Belligerent Army)
- 21st Italian Infantry Regiment
- 22nd Italian Infantry Regiment

British X Corps

Lieutenant-General John Hawkesworth

Jewish Brigade (from March 1945)
- Palestine Regiment
Italian Fruili Combat Group
- 87th Italian Infantry Regiment
- 88th Italian Infantry Regiment

British XIII Corps

Lieutenant-General Sir John Harding

6th Army Group Royal Artillery (under command)
Indian 10th Infantry Division (Major-General Denys Reid)
- 10th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 20th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 25th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 2nd Battalion, Lovat Scouts (under command)
- 2nd Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (under command)
Italian Folgore Combat Group (Italian Co-Belligerent Army)
- Nembo Regiment
- San Marco Regiment

Polish II Corps

Major-General Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko (acting commander)

Corps Troops
- Army Group Polish Artillery
- 54th Super Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery (one battery)
- British 7th Armoured Brigade (under command)
- 43rd Gurkha Lorried Infantry Brigade (under command)
- 14th/20th Hussars (Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers) (under command)

Polish 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division (Major-General Bolesław Bronisław Duch)
- 1st Carpathian Rifle Brigade
- 2nd Carpathian Rifle Brigade
- 3rd Carpathian Rifle Brigade
Polish 5th Kresowa Infantry Division (Major-General Nikodem Sulik)
- 5th Wilenska Infantry Brigade
- 6th Lwowska Infantry Brigade
- 4th Wolwyn Infantry Brigade
Polish 2nd Armoured Brigade (Brigadier-General Bronislaw Rakowski)

Army Reserve

6th British Armoured Division (Major-General Horatius Murray)
25th British Armoured Engineer Brigade (less detachments with assault divisions)
2nd British Parachute Brigade

German Army Group C

Commander:

General Heinrich von Vietinghoff (to 29 April)

Lieutenant-General Friedrich Schulz (from 29 April to 2 May)

General Heinrich von Vietinghoff (from 2 May)

German Tenth Army

Commander:

Lieutenant-General Traugott Herr

German LXXVI Panzer Corps

Lieutenant-General Graff Gerhard von Schwerin (to 25 April 1945)

Major-General Karl von Graffen (from 25 April 1945)

German 162nd (Turkestan) Infantry Division (Major-General Ralph von Heygendorff)
42nd Jäger Division (Major-General Walter Jost)
German 362nd Infantry Division (Brigadier-General Alois Weber)
98th Volksgrenadier Division (Major-General Alfred-Hermann Reinhardt to 11 April 1945 then Brigadier-General Otto Schiel)

German I Parachute Corps

Lieutenant-General Richard Heidrich

German 26th Panzer Division (Brigadier-General Alfred Kuhnert to 19 April 1945 then Major-General Viktor Linnarz)
German 1st Parachute Division (Brigadier-General Karl-Lothar Schulz)
German 4th Parachute Division (Major-General Heinrich Trettner)
German 278th Infantry Division (Major-General Harry Hoppe)
- 1st Italian Assault Company "Forlì"(Pier Vittorio Riccardi)
German 305th Infantry Division (Brigadier-General Friedrich von Schellwitz)

German LXXIII Corps

Lieutenant-General Anton Dostler

Minor units coast watching between the Po and Venice.

German LXXXXVII Corps (transferred to Army Group E on 10 April)

General of the Mountain Troops Ludwig Kübler

German 237th Infantry Division (Major-General Hans von Grävenitz until late April then Colonel Karl Falkner)
German 188th Mountain Division (Major-General Hans von Hößlin)

Army Reserve

German 29th Panzergrenadier Division (Major-General Fritz Polack)
German 155th Infantry Division (Brigadier-General Georg Zwade)

German Fourteenth Army

Commander:

Lieutenant-General Joachim Lemelsen

German XIV Panzer Corps

Lieutenant-General Frido von Senger und Etterlin

German 65th Infantry Division (Major-General Hellmuth Pfeifer)
German 8th Mountain Division (Major-General Paul Schricker)
German 94th Infantry Division (Major-General Bernhard Steinmetz)

German LI Mountain Corps

Lieutenant-General Valentin Feurstein until March 1945 and then Lieutenant-General Friedrich-Wilhelm Hauck

German 114th Jäger Division (Brigadier-General Hans-Joachim Ehlert to 15 April 1945 then Brigadier-General Martin Strahammer)
German 334th Volksgrenadier Division (Major-General Hellmuth Böhlke)
German 232nd Infantry Division (Major-General Eccard Freiherr von Gablenz)
German 148th Infantry Division (Major-General Otto Fretter-Pico)
1st Bersaglieri "Italia" Division (Major-General Mario Carloni)

Army Group Liguria

Commander: Marshal Alfredo Guzzoni

Corps Lombardia

Lieutenant-General Kurt Jahn

3rd Italian "San Marco" Marine Infantry Division (Major-General Amilcare Farina)
- 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment
- 5th Marine Infantry Regiment
Battle Group Meinhold
- Fortress Brigade 135
- 4th Italian "Monte Rosa" Alpine Division (elements)

German LXXV Corps

Lieutenant-General Hans Schlemmer

2nd Italian "Littorio" Infantry Division (Major-General Tito Agosti)
- 3rd Infantry Regiment
- 4th Alpine Regiment
German 5th Mountain Division (Brigadier-General Hans Steets)
German 34th Infantry Division (Major-General Theobald Lieb)
4th Italian "Monterosa" Alpine Division (bulk of) (Colonel Giorgio Milazzo)
- 7th Alpine Regiment
- 8th Alpine Regiment

Army Group Reserve

German 90th Panzergrenadier Division (Brigadier-General Heinrich Baron von Behr)

Notes

↑ Jackson (1988), p. 196.

References

Blaxland, Gregory (1979). Alexander's Generals (the Italian Campaign 1944-1945). London: William Kimber & Co. ISBN 0-7183-0386-5.
Carver, Field Marshal Lord (2001). The Imperial War Museum Book of the War in Italy 1943-1945. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 0-330-48230-0.
Houterman, Hans; Koppes, Jeroen. "World War II unit histories and officers". Retrieved 2007-07-23.
Jackson, General Sir William & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO:1987]. Butler, Sir James, ed. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume VI: Victory in the Mediterranean, Part 2 - June to October 1944. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-071-8.
Jackson, General Sir William & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO:1988]. Butler, Sir James, ed. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume VI: Victory in the Mediterranean, Part 3 - November 1944 to May 1945. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-072-6.
Kay, Robin (1967). "Appendix VII — Fifteenth Army Group — Order of Battle as at 9 April 1945". Italy Volume II : From Cassino to Trieste. The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945. Wellington, New Zealand: Historical Publications Branch.
"Orders of Battle.com". Retrieved 2007-07-23.
Wendell, Marcus. "Axis History Factbook: German army order of battle". Retrieved 2007-07-23.