Allied Liberation of Rome

The Allied liberation of Rome took place on June 4, 1944, during WW2, when the units of the US 5th Army, under Mark W. Clark made their way into the capital of Italy. The 5th Army included Polish and British elements. They had fought fiercely against the German 10th Army, which included Fallschirmjäger units, at the Gustav Line, especially at Battle of Monte Cassino, from January to May, 1944. However, the German did not put up any resistance within the city of Rome as they had fallen back a defensive line that lay north of the city.

The main objecting of the Allied VI Corps landing at Anzio was to break the stalemate at the Gustav Line. However, Operation Shingle, as it was called, would soon get bogged down due to ferocious German counteroffensives. Nevertheless, by the spring, the Allies had launched Operation Diadem, which opened a breach in the German lines, allowing the Anglo-American forces to advance north, towards Rome, in late may. Bent on capturing Rome, General Clark decided to send the bulk of his army to the Italian capital, instead of using them to maneuver around Rome to encircle the German 10th Army divisions retreating northwards.

Following the liberation of Rome, Allied forces advanced northwards, facing a series of German delaying actions so that the Wehrmacht's 10th Army engineers could finish their work on the Gothic Line, which stretched across northern Italy. However, in August, General Harold Alexander, commander of the 15th Army Group, executed a pair of faint maneuvers, which was followed a real strong attack that was carried out by the British 8th Army. This allowed the Allies to tear out a gap in the Gothic Line and move north. However, by November 1944, the Germans were able to slow down the Allied advance to a crawl in the mountains and narrow valleys of northern Italy.

Below, full of arrogance, General Mark W. Clark driving through Rome with his troops in an effort to embarrass the commander of the British 8th Army, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.

American troops from the US 5th Army marching into Rome.