No Reasonable Standards

After 14 days of sporadic streetfighting and one-way shelling (by the Germans), all Florence was occupied by Eighth Army troops.

Field Marshal Albert Kesselring had been pushed back to the Arno virtually throughout its length. But at many points he had not been pushed beyond the river --an important distinction. Eighth Army positions were open to harassing mortar and artillery fire from isolated German pockets on the south bank and from the high ground of the Prato Magno in the great bend of the Arno, southeast of Florence. If the situation was bad for Kesselring, it was also uncomfortable for General Sir Harold Alexander.

Wherever it could, the Eighth Army pushed patrols out to test the forward positions of the Gothic Line. By all reasonable standards the Nazis should have been ready to pull out: the landings on the Riviera to their rear were cutting off one of their escape routes; they were reduced to twelve battered divisions.

But the Nazis with good, prepared positions in hand showed no knowledge of reasonable standards. Their lines held firm, beat off Allied patrols. Apparently there were no signs of withdrawal from Italy.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.