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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Battle of Bologna
| image= Bitwa o Bolonie 1945.PNG
| image_size = 300
|caption=Map of the battle
|partof= the [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy]] during [[World War II]]
|date=9–21 April 1945
|place=[[Bologna]], Italy
| coordinates = {{BharatdataCoord|display=it}}
| map_type =Italy#Europe
| map_relief = yes
| map_size =
| map_marksize =
| map_caption =
| map_label =
| territory =
|result=Allied victory
|combatant1={{flagicon|Poland|1928}} [[Polish forces in the West|Poland]] {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{flag|United States|1912}} {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Italy}} {{flagcountry|Vargas Era|1930}}
|combatant2={{flag|Nazi Germany|name=Germany}}
|commander1={{flagicon|Poland|1928}} [[Władysław Anders]] {{flagicon|Poland|1928}} [[Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko]]
|commander2={{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Richard Heidrich]]
|units1={{flagicon|Poland|1928}} [[Polish II Corps|II Corps]] {{flagicon|UK}} [[V Corps (United Kingdom)|V Corps]] (Elements) {{flagicon|US}} [[II Corps (United States)|II Corps]] (Elements) {{flagicon|Vargas Era|1930}} [[Brazilian Expeditionary Force]]
|units2={{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[I Parachute Corps (Germany)|I Parachute Corps]] {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[XIV Panzer Corps (Germany)|XIV Panzer Corps]] (Elements)
|casualties1={{flagicon|Poland|1928}} 234 dead & 1,228 wounded {{flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} 84 killed, 159 wounded, 15 missing<ref>[https://www.esercito.difesa.it/storia/pagine/friuli.aspx "Friuli"]</ref>
|casualties2=Unknown, but heavy
|notes=
|campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Spring 1945 offensive in Italy}}
{{Campaignbox Italy}}
}}

The '''Battle of Bologna''' was fought in [[Bologna]], [[Italy]] from 9–21 April 1945 during the [[Second World War]], as part of the [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy]]. The [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] forces were victorious, with the [[Polish 2nd Corps|Polish II Corps]] and supporting Allied units capturing the city on 21 April.

==Background==
{{See also|Western betrayal}}
[[File:SpringOffensiveItaly1945.jpg|thumb|Allied Spring Offensive: Italy 1945, 9 April – 2 May. This map shows the advance of the Polish II Corps on Bologna]]
[[File:IVCorpsApr45.jpg|thumb|Map of US IV and II Corps breakthrough into the [[Po valley]], April 1945 (this map shows operations in the Bologna region, 14–21 April 1945, but does not seem to show any operations of non-US troops in the region)]]
In March 1945 the Allies were preparing a new offensive, [[Operation Buckland]], in [[Northern Italy]].<ref name=Wawer9>Zbigniew Wawer, ''Zdobycie Bolonii'', p.9</ref> The capture of Bologna, an important regional communication hub, was set as a part of that offensive. The Allied forces tasked with this were composed of the [[US 5th Army]] ([[II Corps (United States)|II Corps]], [[6th Armoured Division (South Africa)|South African 6th Armoured Division]]<ref name="recordsCave2012">{{cite book|author1=Compiled from official records|author2=Terry Cave|title=The Battle Honours of the Second World War 1939-1945 and Korea 1950-1953: British and Colonial Regiments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-3y-BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA135|date=29 March 2012|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=978-1-78151-379-8|page=135}}</ref>) and the [[British 8th Army]] (which for that part of the theatre, was composed of the [[V Corps (United Kingdom)|V Corps]] and the [[Polish 2nd Corps|Polish II Corps]]).<ref name=Wawer9/> The German units defending the area were composed of the [[German 26th Panzer Division]] of the [[XIV Panzer Corps]], the [[1st Parachute Division (Germany)|1st Parachute Division]] and the [[4th Parachute Division (Germany)|4th Parachute Division]] of the [[I Parachute Corps (Germany)|I Parachute Corps]].<ref name=Wawer9/> German defenses in that region were part of the [[Army Group C]],<ref name="Gooch2012">{{cite book|author=John Gooch|title=Decisive Campaigns of the Second World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qpwrBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA157|date=12 November 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-28881-4|page=157}}</ref><ref name="HinsleyThomas1988">{{cite book|author1=Francis Harry Hinsley|author2=Edward Eastaway Thomas|title=British Intelligence in the Second World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OMsOIZeMPW8C&pg=PA705|year=1988|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-35196-6|pages=705}}</ref> defending the [[Paula Line]].<ref name="Chant2013">{{cite book|author=Christopher Chant|title=The Encyclopedia of Codenames of World War II (Routledge Revivals)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eTaMAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA180|date=18 October 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-64787-3|page=180}}</ref>

The morale of the Polish forces was weakened by the outcome of the [[Yalta Conference]] which ended on 11 February, where the British and Americans, without consultation with the Poles, had decided to give a major part of the 1921–1939 [[territorial changes of Poland after World War II|Polish territories to the Soviet Union]].<ref name=Wawer8>Zbigniew Wawer, ''Zdobycie Bolonii'', p.8</ref><ref>Steven J. Zaloga, Richard Hook, ''The Polish army 1939–45'', Osprey Publishing, 1982, {{ISBN|0-85045-417-4}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=AAdYFeW2fnoC&pg=PA20&dq=battle+of+Ancona+1944&lr=&as_brr=3 Google Print, p.20]</ref><ref name=ajj>Anthony James Joes, ''Urban guerrilla warfare'', University Press of Kentucky, 2007, {{ISBN|9780813124377}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=LPDb89mJXUYC&pg=PA37&dq=Churchill+Anders+Yalta+blood&lr= Google Print, p.37]</ref> One of the three Polish divisions, the [[Polish 5th Kresowa Infantry Division]], was named after the [[Kresy]] region, which was now given to the Soviets in its entirety.<ref name=Wawer8/> When the Polish commander of II Corps, General [[Władysław Anders]], asked for his unit to be withdrawn from the front line, [[Winston Churchill]] told him "you [the Poles] are no longer needed" but the American and British front line commanders—Generals [[Richard McCreery]], [[Mark Wayne Clark]] and Field Marshal [[Harold Alexander]]—requested Anders that the Polish units remain in their positions, as they had no troops to replace them. Anders eventually decided to keep the Polish units engaged.<ref name=Wawer8/><ref name=ajj/>

==Order of battle==
===Allies===

:[[US 5th Army]]
::[[II Corps (United States)|II Corps]]
:::[[6th Armoured Division (South Africa)|South African 6th Armoured Division]]
:[[United States Army Air Forces]]
::[[62d Fighter Wing]]
:::[[350th Fighter Group|Brazilian 1st Fighter Squadron]]
:[[British 8th Army]]
::[[V Corps (United Kingdom)|V Corps]]
::[[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 (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured Brigade]] (under command)
** [[43rd Independent Gurkha Infantry Brigade|43rd Gurkha Lorried Infantry Brigade]] (under command)
** [[14th/20th Hussars]] ([[Kangaroo (armoured personnel carrier)|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
* [[2nd Armoured Brigade (Poland)|Polish 2nd Armoured Brigade]] (Brigadier-General [[Bronislaw Rakowski]])

===Germans===
:[[XIV Panzer Corps]]
::[[German 26th Panzer Division]]
::[[65th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|German 65th Infantry Division]]
:[[I Parachute Corps (Germany)|I Parachute Corps]] ([[Richard Heidrich]] commanding<ref name="Matanle1994">{{cite book|author=Ivor Matanle|title=History of World War II, 1939-1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3I48FoWp-ukC|year=1994|publisher=Tiger Books International|isbn=978-1-85501-603-3}}</ref>)
::[[1st Parachute Division (Germany)|1st Parachute Division]]
::[[4th Parachute Division (Germany)|4th Parachute Division]]

==Battle==
The offensive on Bologna started on 9 April at 4:00 am local time, with a major air and artillery bombardment of 400 guns firing on German positions, followed by an advance of ground forces the same evening.<ref name=Wawer9/><ref>Eyewitness account, G.Z. Tabona, Royal Malta Artillery, 1999</ref> Friendly fire caused casualties as American bombers killed 38 advancing Polish troops on that day.<ref name="Koskodan2009"/><ref name="Kochanski2012">{{cite book|author=Halik Kochanski|title=The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EJ5vIyDBpLcC&pg=PA479|date=13 November 2012|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-06816-2|page=479}}</ref> The American and British units engaged the German flanks, while the Polish units broke through to the city.<ref name=Wawer9/> On 10 April, Polish forces pushed the Germans away from the [[Senio River]].<ref name=Wawer9/> From 12–14 April Polish forces fought the Germans at the [[Santerno River]] and captured [[Imola]].<ref name=Wawer9/> From 15–16 April, the Poles fought at the [[Sillaro River]] and the [[Medicina]] Canal.<ref name=Wawer9/> On 17 April, the commander of the Eighth Army ordered the Polish forces to continue their push towards Bologna from the east. The town was to be taken initially by the American troops of the Fifth Army advancing from the south.<ref name=Wawer9/><ref name=Wawer13>Zbigniew Wawer, ''Zdobycie Bolonii'', p.13</ref>

On 21 April the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Brigade of the [[Polish 3rd Carpathian Infantry Division]] entered the city, where only isolated German units were still fighting.<ref name=Wawer9/> (Another source attributes the entrance to the Polish 5th Kresowa Division).<ref name="Koskodan2009">{{cite book|author=Kenneth K. Koskodan|title=No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland's Forces in World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YdtDaQ4DNTMC&pg=PA135|year=2009|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84603-365-0|page=135}}</ref> By 6:15 am the Poles had secured the city, displaying Polish flags from the town hall and the [[Torre Asinelli]] tower, the highest tower in the city.<ref name=Wawer13/> The local Italian population welcomed the Poles as their liberators.<ref name=Wawer9/><ref name=Wawer13/> At 8:00 am, American (South African<ref name="Kidd2013">{{cite book|author=R Spencer Kidd|title=MILITARY UNIFORMS IN EUROPE 1900 - 2000 Volume Two|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SGIwBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA7|date=1 October 2013|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-291-18746-5|page=7}}</ref>) tanks arrived in the city, followed by [[Italian partisans]] and the "Friuli" division of the [[Italian Co-Belligerent Army]].<ref name=Wawer13/>

==Aftermath==
The Battle of Bologna was the last battle of the Polish II Corps, which was taken out of the front line on 22 April.<ref name=Wawer9/><ref name=Wawer13/> American and British troops completed their encirclement of the Germans forces north of the [[Reno River]], the [[8th Infantry Division (India)|8th Indian Division]] crossed the [[Po River]] and the German forces in Italy capitulated on 29 April.<ref name=Wawer9/><ref name=Wawer13/> The Polish II Corps, commanded by General Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko, suffered 234 dead and 1,228 wounded out of 55,780 front line personnel.<ref name=Wawer8/><ref name=Wawer13/>

German divisions were left in disarray, and as the end of the war neared, many splintered into small groups in order to retreat across the Po and try to reach the passes into Germany. The 65th Infantry Division lost its commander, Generalmajor [[Hellmuth Pfeifer]] in the last days of the war as he tried to make his way north with the remnants of divisional headquarters. <ref>Velten, Wilhelm ''Vom Kugelbaum zur Hangranate: Die Gesichte der 65. Infanterie Division''</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{in lang|pl}} Zbigniew Wawer, ''Zdobycie Bolonii'' [Capture of Bologna], Chwała Oręża Polskiego 32 (53), Rzeczpospolita, 3 March 2007 (publication contains a map of the battle).

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1945 in Italy]]
[[Category:1945 in military history]]
[[Category:20th century in Bologna]]
[[Category:April 1945 events]]
[[Category:Battles in Emilia-Romagna|Bologna]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Brazil]]
[[Category:World War II operations and battles of the Italian Campaign|Bologna]]

Battle of Bologna - Revision history

Bot at 14:23, 1 December 2022