Battle of San Marino
Encyclopedia
The Battle of San Marino was an engagement on 17–20 September 1944 during the Italian Campaign
of the Second World War
, in which German Army
forces occupied the neutral Republic of San Marino, and were then attacked by Allied forces. It is sometimes known as the Battle of Monte Pulito.
San Marino had declared its neutrality early in the war, and had remained broadly unaffected by events in Europe until 1944, when Allied forces had advanced a sizable distance up the Italian Peninsula
. A major German defensive position, the Gothic Line
, ran across the peninsula a short distance south of the Sanmarinese border, and in late June, the country was bombed by the Royal Air Force
, killing 35 people, in the belief that the German army had taken up positions on its territory. In Operation Olive, launched in late August, a strong Allied force attacked at the very eastern end of the line, aiming to pass through Rimini—just east of San Marino—and break out onto the plains north of the city. Whilst San Marino was southwest of Rimini, the plan was for it to be bypassed entirely. In response to the Allied movements, the Germans sent a small force into San Marino to guard their lines of communication and act as artillery observers.
After a few days, the main thrust of the offensive was halted south of Rimini by strong resistance and severe weather, and the British and Indian flanking forces began to push westwards, taking the frontline towards San Marino. On 17 September the 4th Indian Division attacked forces of the 278. Infanterie-Division holding two hills just across the Sanmarinese border; after heavy fighting to gain control of the hills, the situation stabilised on the 19th, and Allied forces began to push into the city of San Marino itself. The city was captured by the afternoon of 20 September, and the 4th Indian Division left the country on the 21st, leaving it under the control of the local defence forces.
of San Marino—in the northern Italian peninsula and fully surrounded by Italy, had played little role throughout the Second World War. It had a fascist government, closely aligned with Benito Mussolini
's regime, but remained neutral. It was reported to have declared war against the United Kingdom in September 1940, though the Sanmarinese government later transmitted a message to the British government stating that it had not. In early 1942, the Sanmarinese government reiterated it was not at war with the United States, a position that was confirmed by the US State Department. The British Foreign Office noted more equivocally in 1944 that Britain had never declared war, but also had never formally recognised San Marino's neutrality, and that it felt that military action on Sanmarinese territory would be justified if it were being used by Axis forces.
The country was bombed by the Allies on 27 June 1944, killing at least 35. The Sanmarinese government declared the same day that no military installations or equipment were located on its territory, and that no belligerent forces had been allowed to enter. In early July, it announced that prominent signs had been put up at the border crossings by the German command, to instruct German units not to enter the territory, and again reiterated its complete neutrality.
, a chain of defended positions stretching across the Italian peninsula. The Allies formulated a plan to break through the defences, pushing north toward Rimini
and the plains of Northern Italy. This would involve a strong thrust up the eastern seaboard by the British Eighth Army
, codenamed Operation Olive; 11 divisions would attack along a narrow front, converging on the "Rimini Gap", an 8 mi (12.9 km) stretch of plain along the coast around the city, and then moving northward. Once through the Gap, the force would deploy outward onto the Romagna Plain, and move westward toward Bologna
. Meanwhile, the American Fifth Army would push north along the centre of the peninsula, hopefully converging on Bologna and trapping a large German force in a pincer movement
.
The main Allied assault began on 25 August, reaching the Foglia valley—the Gothic Line proper—on 29 August. It was quickly breached, and the German command attempted to assemble a second defensive line on the Coriano ridge, a hilly spur to the north of the Conca river
, and the last major geographic obstacle south of Rimini. The Allied offensive reached the river on 3 September, but ground to a halt due to mechanical difficulties with its tanks, strengthening German resistance, and heavy rain. The Allied forces halted, and brought up reinforcements whilst waiting for a chance to resume the offensive along the coast. On the left flank of the assault, the attack had been halted in the Battle of Gemmano
, to the south of the Conca river.
At this point, the forces on the Allied left wing were strung out in a line running due south from the Coriano ridge, facing westward toward San Marino, a few miles distant. The 56th Division was opposite Croce, with the 46th Division opposite the heavily defended position at Gemmano. The 4th Indian Division was to the south of the 46th, forming the very left wing of the offensive. When the assault on Coriano was resumed on the 12th, led by two armoured divisions with heavy artillery support, these forces pushed westwards; their goal was to pass through towards the town of Montescudo
, about two miles from the Sanmarinese border. The main assault successfully pushed onto the ridge, and the 56th Division advanced about 1 mi (1.6 km) past Croce, before digging in on the evening of the 13th; that night, the 4th Indian Division gained a foothold south of Gemmano. It was finally captured by the 46th and 4th Indian Divisions on the morning of the 15th, and the British forces prepared to move toward Montescudo and exploit the German confusion.
In early September, the German Army had sent a strong force into San Marino to "defend" it against the Allies; this would also give them control of one of the major roads in the area, and allow artillery observers to occupy the mountain peaks. The defending force was drawn from the 278. Infanterie-Division, whilst the 4th Indian Division was assigned to attack it on the 17th.
The leading elements of the division—the 3rd/10th Baluchi Regiment—crossed the Marano River
on the eastern border on the night of the 17th, with the 1st/9th Gurkha Rifles moving through them to attack Points 343 and 366 near Faetano
. These small hills—just behind the river—were held by two battalions of the 993rd Grenadier Regiment. The first—Point 343—was taken at 05:00, but the force occupying Point 366 had to fall back after running low on ammunition. Rifleman Sher Bahadur Thapa
was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross
for holding the crest of the hill single-handed for two hours, allowing two companies to withdraw in safety, before being killed whilst trying to rescue another wounded Gurkha.
Point 343 was held through the 18th, however, though with the loss of 63 men; by the evening, a force of tanks had managed to come up and stabilise the position with the aid of artillery support. The 4th/11th Sikh Regiment
moved around the Gurkhas to the north, covering the northern flank of the San Marino heights, and the division's 11th Brigade passed through them to help encircle the city. On the evening of the 19th, the 2nd/Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
of 11th Brigade began to push into the outskirts of the city from the north, but early on the morning of the 20th were held back by defensive positions in the north-west of the city, where the road to the upper part of the city, situated higher on the mountain, began. Tanks moved into the suburbs, whilst a company of the Camerons moved uphill toward the summit in heavy rain. The city was secured by the early afternoon, with only 24 casualties among the attackers, and 54 prisoners taken.
On the 21st, the local defence forces were enlisted to help mop up straggling German troops, and the 4th Indian Division pressed onward through a heavy gale and passed out of the country.
to the British government for wartime compensation, of which 500 million lira were given as the related costs of the fighting in September and 20 million lira as the costs of the occupation. The British government rejected this claim, arguing that as Germany had breached the Sanmarinese neutrality before Allied troops had entered the country, it was not liable; it did, however, offer an ex gratia payment of £26,000 in regard to the June bombing, later increased to £80,000.
The battle honour
"San Marino" was awarded to three British Army units—the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment, the York and Lancaster Regiment
, and the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
—and two Indian Army
units, the 1st/9th Gurkha Rifles and the 4th/11th Sikh Regiment
. The latter three of these had fought as part of 4th Indian Division in the main attack, whilst the first two had had battalions in a brigade of 46th Division.
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in which German Army
Heer
Heer is German for "army". Generally, its use as "army" is not restricted to any particular country, so "das britische Heer" would mean "the British army".However, more specifically it can refer to:*An army of Germany:...
forces occupied the neutral Republic of San Marino, and were then attacked by Allied forces. It is sometimes known as the Battle of Monte Pulito.
San Marino had declared its neutrality early in the war, and had remained broadly unaffected by events in Europe until 1944, when Allied forces had advanced a sizable distance up the Italian Peninsula
Italian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
. A major German defensive position, the Gothic Line
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
, ran across the peninsula a short distance south of the Sanmarinese border, and in late June, the country was bombed by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, killing 35 people, in the belief that the German army had taken up positions on its territory. In Operation Olive, launched in late August, a strong Allied force attacked at the very eastern end of the line, aiming to pass through Rimini—just east of San Marino—and break out onto the plains north of the city. Whilst San Marino was southwest of Rimini, the plan was for it to be bypassed entirely. In response to the Allied movements, the Germans sent a small force into San Marino to guard their lines of communication and act as artillery observers.
After a few days, the main thrust of the offensive was halted south of Rimini by strong resistance and severe weather, and the British and Indian flanking forces began to push westwards, taking the frontline towards San Marino. On 17 September the 4th Indian Division attacked forces of the 278. Infanterie-Division holding two hills just across the Sanmarinese border; after heavy fighting to gain control of the hills, the situation stabilised on the 19th, and Allied forces began to push into the city of San Marino itself. The city was captured by the afternoon of 20 September, and the 4th Indian Division left the country on the 21st, leaving it under the control of the local defence forces.
Background
The small microstateMicrostate
A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area, but usually both. Some examples include Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Nauru, Singapore, and Vatican City....
of San Marino—in the northern Italian peninsula and fully surrounded by Italy, had played little role throughout the Second World War. It had a fascist government, closely aligned with Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's regime, but remained neutral. It was reported to have declared war against the United Kingdom in September 1940, though the Sanmarinese government later transmitted a message to the British government stating that it had not. In early 1942, the Sanmarinese government reiterated it was not at war with the United States, a position that was confirmed by the US State Department. The British Foreign Office noted more equivocally in 1944 that Britain had never declared war, but also had never formally recognised San Marino's neutrality, and that it felt that military action on Sanmarinese territory would be justified if it were being used by Axis forces.
The country was bombed by the Allies on 27 June 1944, killing at least 35. The Sanmarinese government declared the same day that no military installations or equipment were located on its territory, and that no belligerent forces had been allowed to enter. In early July, it announced that prominent signs had been put up at the border crossings by the German command, to instruct German units not to enter the territory, and again reiterated its complete neutrality.
Assault on the Gothic Line
By the late summer of 1944, German forces in Italy had withdrawn toward the Gothic LineGothic Line
The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
, a chain of defended positions stretching across the Italian peninsula. The Allies formulated a plan to break through the defences, pushing north toward Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
and the plains of Northern Italy. This would involve a strong thrust up the eastern seaboard by the British Eighth Army
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
, codenamed Operation Olive; 11 divisions would attack along a narrow front, converging on the "Rimini Gap", an 8 mi (12.9 km) stretch of plain along the coast around the city, and then moving northward. Once through the Gap, the force would deploy outward onto the Romagna Plain, and move westward toward Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
. Meanwhile, the American Fifth Army would push north along the centre of the peninsula, hopefully converging on Bologna and trapping a large German force in a pincer movement
Pincer movement
The pincer movement or double envelopment is a military maneuver. The flanks of the opponent are attacked simultaneously in a pinching motion after the opponent has advanced towards the center of an army which is responding by moving its outside forces to the enemy's flanks, in order to surround it...
.
The main Allied assault began on 25 August, reaching the Foglia valley—the Gothic Line proper—on 29 August. It was quickly breached, and the German command attempted to assemble a second defensive line on the Coriano ridge, a hilly spur to the north of the Conca river
Conca (river)
The Conca is an Italian river whose source is north of Carpegna in the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche. The river flows northeast past Mercatino Conca before crossing into the province of Rimini in Emilia–Romagna...
, and the last major geographic obstacle south of Rimini. The Allied offensive reached the river on 3 September, but ground to a halt due to mechanical difficulties with its tanks, strengthening German resistance, and heavy rain. The Allied forces halted, and brought up reinforcements whilst waiting for a chance to resume the offensive along the coast. On the left flank of the assault, the attack had been halted in the Battle of Gemmano
Battle of Gemmano
The Battle of Gemmano was fought between the German and Allied forces in World War II. It was part of the Allies' Operation Olive, the offensive in August 1944 on the Gothic Line, the German line of defence in the Apennines in northern Italy...
, to the south of the Conca river.
At this point, the forces on the Allied left wing were strung out in a line running due south from the Coriano ridge, facing westward toward San Marino, a few miles distant. The 56th Division was opposite Croce, with the 46th Division opposite the heavily defended position at Gemmano. The 4th Indian Division was to the south of the 46th, forming the very left wing of the offensive. When the assault on Coriano was resumed on the 12th, led by two armoured divisions with heavy artillery support, these forces pushed westwards; their goal was to pass through towards the town of Montescudo
Montescudo
Montescudo is a comune in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 120 km southeast of Bologna and about 15 km south of Rimini....
, about two miles from the Sanmarinese border. The main assault successfully pushed onto the ridge, and the 56th Division advanced about 1 mi (1.6 km) past Croce, before digging in on the evening of the 13th; that night, the 4th Indian Division gained a foothold south of Gemmano. It was finally captured by the 46th and 4th Indian Divisions on the morning of the 15th, and the British forces prepared to move toward Montescudo and exploit the German confusion.
Entry into San Marino
The 46th Division took Montescudo on the 15th, and on the next day the 56th Division entered the town of Mulazzano, directly north of Montescudo and equally close to the border. The fighting pressed westward from here, with the 56th Division on the northern flank and the 46th on the south; both were held back by strong German resistance.In early September, the German Army had sent a strong force into San Marino to "defend" it against the Allies; this would also give them control of one of the major roads in the area, and allow artillery observers to occupy the mountain peaks. The defending force was drawn from the 278. Infanterie-Division, whilst the 4th Indian Division was assigned to attack it on the 17th.
The leading elements of the division—the 3rd/10th Baluchi Regiment—crossed the Marano River
Marano River
The Marano is a river in San Marino and Emilia–Romagna in Italy. The source of the river is southeast of Domagnano in San Marino. The river flows east and it forms part of the eastern border between the province of Rimini in Italy and San Marino. The river joins with the Fiumicello close to the...
on the eastern border on the night of the 17th, with the 1st/9th Gurkha Rifles moving through them to attack Points 343 and 366 near Faetano
Faetano
Faetano is one of the 9 communes or "castelli" of San Marino. It has 1.132 inhabitants in an area of 7,75 km².-Geography:...
. These small hills—just behind the river—were held by two battalions of the 993rd Grenadier Regiment. The first—Point 343—was taken at 05:00, but the force occupying Point 366 had to fall back after running low on ammunition. Rifleman Sher Bahadur Thapa
Sher Bahadur Thapa
Sher Bahadur Thapa VC was a Nepalese recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for holding the crest of the hill single-handed for two hours, allowing two companies to withdraw in safety, before being killed whilst trying to rescue another wounded Gurkha.
Point 343 was held through the 18th, however, though with the loss of 63 men; by the evening, a force of tanks had managed to come up and stabilise the position with the aid of artillery support. The 4th/11th Sikh Regiment
11th Sikh Regiment
The 11th Sikh Regiment were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments....
moved around the Gurkhas to the north, covering the northern flank of the San Marino heights, and the division's 11th Brigade passed through them to help encircle the city. On the evening of the 19th, the 2nd/Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders...
of 11th Brigade began to push into the outskirts of the city from the north, but early on the morning of the 20th were held back by defensive positions in the north-west of the city, where the road to the upper part of the city, situated higher on the mountain, began. Tanks moved into the suburbs, whilst a company of the Camerons moved uphill toward the summit in heavy rain. The city was secured by the early afternoon, with only 24 casualties among the attackers, and 54 prisoners taken.
On the 21st, the local defence forces were enlisted to help mop up straggling German troops, and the 4th Indian Division pressed onward through a heavy gale and passed out of the country.
Aftermath
Allied forces remained in occupation of San Marino for a short period following the German surrender. In October 1945, after the end of the war, the Sanmarinese government submitted a claim for 732 million liraLira
Lira is the name of the monetary unit of a number of countries, as well as the former currency of Italy, Malta, San Marino and the Vatican City and Israel. The term originates from the value of a Troy pound of high purity silver. The libra was the basis of the monetary system of the Roman Empire...
to the British government for wartime compensation, of which 500 million lira were given as the related costs of the fighting in September and 20 million lira as the costs of the occupation. The British government rejected this claim, arguing that as Germany had breached the Sanmarinese neutrality before Allied troops had entered the country, it was not liable; it did, however, offer an ex gratia payment of £26,000 in regard to the June bombing, later increased to £80,000.
The battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
"San Marino" was awarded to three British Army units—the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment, the York and Lancaster Regiment
York and Lancaster Regiment
-History:It was formed in 1881 through the amalgamation of two other regiments:*65th Regiment*84th RegimentThe title of the regiment was derived not from the cities of York and Lancaster, or from the counties...
, and the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders...
—and two Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
units, the 1st/9th Gurkha Rifles and the 4th/11th Sikh Regiment
11th Sikh Regiment
The 11th Sikh Regiment were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments....
. The latter three of these had fought as part of 4th Indian Division in the main attack, whilst the first two had had battalions in a brigade of 46th Division.