Operation Fourth Term

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Operation Fourth Term
Part of Italian Campaign of World War II

Mortars of the U.S. 92nd Infantry Division during a lull, August 30, 1944.
Date4–11 February 1945
Location
Versilia, Garfagnana, Italy
Result Italian victory
Belligerents
 United States
Air Support:
 Brazil		 Italian Social Republic Italian Social Republic
Commanders and leaders
United States Edward Almond
United States Mark W. Clark
United States John Shirley Wood		 Italian Social Republic Mario Carloni
Italian Social Republic Rodolfo Graziani
Italian Social Republic J.V. Borghese
Units involved

Operation Fourth Term , was an offensive launched by the United States in World War II between 4 and 11 February 1945, aimed at the capture of Massa , in the wider Gothic Line front.[1][2][3].After several days of costly and unproductive fighting, the commander of the 92nd Infantry Division called off the attack and the operation failed to achieve its objective.[4][5][6]

Prelude

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The Allied front in northwestern Tuscany, as of December 1944, consisted of a line that extended from Forte dei Marmi to the Barga Valley. During this time, the U.S. 92nd Infantry Division, an all–African American unit with little combat experience, occupied the region. The German Wehrmacht and the National Republican Army (an Italian nationalist militia) attempted to exploit the perceived weakness of the 92nd through a coordinated final offensive on the Italian front known as "Operation Wintergewitter" between December 26–28, 1944. Their initial success allowed them to break into the Barga Valley and defeat elements of the 92nd Infantry Division. However, before long, they were halted by the entry of the 8th Indian Infantry Division. Shortly afterwards, Italo-German troops were forced to retreat from territory they had occupied for only a short time, although they captured over 200 prisoners of war and took possession of various weapons and equipment while doing so.[7]

Planning the Offensive

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After the Axis offensive , Willis D. Crittenberger was appointed commander of the U.S. Fifth Army to plan an attack to capture Garfagnana , a central position in the Upper Serchio Valley , and the naval base at La Spezia . The offensive would be the major offensive of the U.S. Army 's 92nd Infantry Division and was planned in two phases. In the first, two infantry regiments launched diversionary attacks in the Serchio Valley. Their objective was to draw enemy reserves from the coastal areas and clear defenses overlooking a major German supply and communications center, then cross the coast and the town of Seravezza , attempting to capture the hills overlooking the coastal corridor and the approaches to the town of Massa. If the 92nd Infantry Division succeeded in capturing those hills, it would control the coastal roads to Massa, bringing the division's artillery within range of La Spezia.[7]

Operation

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Battle of Garfagnana

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Battle of Garfagnana (1945)
Part of Italian campaign (World War II)
Date4–8 February
Location
Garfagnana, Italy
Result German–Italian victory
Territorial
changes		 Lama and Monte Della Stella captured by U.S recaptured by Axis.
Belligerents
 United States Italian Social Republic Italian So. Republic
 Germany
Commanders and leaders
United States Mark W. Clark Italian Social Republic Mario Carloni
Units involved

The offensive in the upper Serchio Valley began on February 4: the 366th Infantry, with the exception of the Third Battalion, struck from the west side of the river, while the 365th Infantry struck from the opposite side. Units from both regiments advanced. While the 366th managed to occupy Gallicano , the 365th reached the foot of the Lama di Sotto ridge.[8]

However, the main attack began the next day. The 366th advanced toward Calomini and Vergemoli . Certain units of the 365th launched attacks toward Lama di Sotto: they managed to occupy Lama, Colle Gob , and Monte Della Stella , subsequently resisting German counterattacks. Although the advance continued the next day, on the night of February 7–8, the 2nd Battalion of the 286th Grenadiers of the German Division launched two counterattacks. The first, launched before dawn, was repelled; the second, after sunset, pushed the troops of the 365th back 500 meters, managing to retake Lama and Monte Della Stella.[9]

On the 10th, American units, after repelling every Italian and German counterattack, moved to recapture the ridge northeast of Lama. Two battalions of the 365th Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the 366th Infantry Regiment participated in the attack. Despite repeated artillery fire, troops from the 365th's battalions managed to reoccupy Lama and its ridge, capturing fifty-five prisoners. However, the Germans returned to the offensive and penetrated Lama before sunset. On the 11th, the last day of the operation, the Germans launched four counterattacks, with little success.[10]

Battle of Versilia

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Battle of Versilia (1945)
Part of Italian Campaign (World War II)
Date8–11 February
Location
Versilia, Italy
Result Italian victory
Belligerents
 United States Italian Social Republic Italian So. Republic
Commanders and leaders
United States Mark W. Clark Italian Social Republic Mario Carloni
Units involved

The attacks near the Cinquale Canal , Seravezza and Strettoia began between 6.00 and 7.30 on 8 February 1945, and were launched by the 370th, 371st and 3rd Battalions of the 366th Infantry Regiment, with the support of the 760th Tank Battalion, a platoon of tank destroyers from the 701st Tank Destroyer Battalion and the 27th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, placed under the command of Task Force 1 which, during the operation, advanced along the beach passing through Forte dei Marmi towards the canal, which it entered from the mouth in the direction of Highway 1. The 370th Infantry Regiment, whose left flank was facing the highway and its right flank the mountains, attacked in column of three battalions, which had to occupy three hills. The idea was to establish solid outposts, with more troops available in the event of a hypothetical enemy counteroffensive, learning from the mistakes made in the regiment's previous experiences, as the ground gained was often later retaken by the defenders. Along the left side of Highway 1 was a force composed of two companies of light and medium armor, a platoon of tank destroyers and engineers, whose task was to clear mines and neutralize obstacles and, in cooperation with the volunteers of the 370th unit (sixty men and three officers), was to carry out a diversionary action. To the right of the 370th, the 371st attacked in the area, maintaining contact with the 370th on its left. The frontal assault was to cover the more than twenty miles of the Buffalo 's action zone .[11]

The main offensive soon ran into problems. After advancing only 800 yards (about 730 meters ) , the 371st Infantry ran into an enemy minefield and was forced to halt, exposing the 370th Infantry's right flank. Supported by aircraft from the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron , the 370th Infantry's leading battalion nevertheless continued to advance and by late afternoon had reached its initial objective. Around 5:30 p.m., the men, as they dug in, came under a devastating barrage of mortar and artillery fire, signaling a sharp counterattack. The mortar and artillery fire quickly overwhelmed the forward company and forced the 2nd to retreat down the eastern slopes of the Colli di Strettoia . Units from another U.S. battalion, proceeding according to plan to reach the next peak, encountered men falling under enemy fire. In the ensuing confusion, the attack failed completely. On the narrow coastal plain to the left of the Strettoia Hills, things were no different. During the night, only one of the three hills remained under American control.[12]

Task Force 1, which successfully crossed the Cinquale Canal, advanced approximately 450 meters north of the canal and then headed toward a coastal road parallel to Highway 1. Mines immediately disabled two armored vehicles, hampering the passage of the tanks in column. Artillery fire from the coastal batteries at Punta Bianca prevented engineers from building a bridge over the canal and defusing the anti-tank mines. Armored vehicles attempting to break through the field toward the road again encountered mines, which destroyed four more vehicles. Machine gun and mortar fire further slowed the advance, but by evening the Task Force was fully deployed along the north side of the canal. During the advance, the 366th's 3rd Battalion suffered heavy casualties, including the battalion commander, Major William Clark .[13][14][15]

The operation resumed the next day, but with little success from the 370th and 371st Regiments, which managed to withstand enemy counterattacks throughout the day. Meanwhile, the 370th Regiment sent the remainder of its 1st Battalion to Task Force 1; while crossing the canal, three light tanks from the 758th Battalion, tasked with transporting the battalion's units, sank into deep artillery trenches in the canal bed. Due to minefields, the tanks were forced to emplace themselves close to the beach. U.S. fighter-bombers were unable to operate due to weather conditions, leaving Italian coastal artillery to operate undisturbed, repeatedly striking the Allied beachhead, which extended approximately 900 meters to the north and approximately 550 meters inland from the canal. The first two counterattacks launched by the Germans at dawn and midday were repulsed but a third, launched late in the evening, succeeded in repelling the task force.[16]

On the 10th, the attacks resumed: the 3rd Battalion of the 371st was assigned to the 370th Regiment, creating great confusion. Units of the 371st managed to seize a hill; around 3:00 PM, a detachment of two companies climbed the first and second hills, capturing seven prisoners and two machine guns, and also managing to occupy a strategic position to cover the 371st. The latter had to withstand counterattacks from the 285th Regiment, the 148th Grenadier Division, and detached units from the Kesselring Machine Gun Battalion . That same day, as Task Force I was attempting to break through Highway 1, the tanks, which were moving toward the German defensive positions, came under heavy fire from automatic machine guns. However, a team attack managed to neutralize the enemy machine gun nests.[17]

Supplies, previously limited to small-caliber ammunition and small quantities of food, now arrived in greater quantities, even though the supply route was still unsafe due to artillery and automatic weapons fire. Indeed, given the lack of a bridge over the canal, supplies had to be carried by hand, across the waterway.[18]

The units stationed in the stronghold, which were by now exhausted and had been standing for two days, were hit by an assault by the defenders and pushed back to a new defensive line.[19]

End of Operation

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During the night of February 10–11, Italian artillery, laid down a heavy artillery barrage aimed at the new defense line across the canal, while Italian-German troops launched a new assault against units of the 371st and the 370th Regiment.[20] Meanwhile, on the Garfagnana front, the 365th Regiment requested the removal of the 2nd Battalion from the 366th from its front, where its own troops were holding off German counterattacks. Furthermore, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 370th were in complete organizational disarray. After three days of costly but inconclusive fighting, partly because of the chaos that was looming over his troops, General Almond ordered the attack to be stopped.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Operation Fourth Therm, 8-11 February 1945".
  2. ^ https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/11-4/chapter19.htm (di queste le perdite dei reggimenti di fanteria furono 609)
  3. ^ https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/11-4/chapter19.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ "Chapter XIX: Mountain and Plain".
  5. ^ "Giovanni Cipollini La Linea Gotica in territorio apuoversiliese*" (PDF).
  6. ^ "92nd infantry division".
  7. ^ a b c "Operation Fourth Term".
  8. ^ "Operation Fourth Term, 8-11 February 1945". www.historyofwar.org. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  9. ^ THE ARMY AS A PROFESSION OF CHOICE FOR BLACK AMERICANS IN WORLD WAR II: ASSESSING THE IMPACT ON FUTURE FORCE STRUCTURE - COLONEL JOHNNIE J. ATKINS, JR. United States Army National Guard (PDF).
  10. ^ "Fourth Term | Operations & Codenames of WWII". codenames.info. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  11. ^ "800 YARDE IN METRI".
  12. ^ "92nd Buffalo Division/Fourth Therm Operation".
  13. ^ "Military Times". 16 February 2018.
  14. ^ Black Panters - The U.S. Army 761st tank battalion - Mike Bennighof.
  15. ^ "The first black tank battalion - Mike Bennighof".
  16. ^ Bersaglieri Sulla Linea Gotica - Davide Del Giudice pag 195.
  17. ^ Lynch, Michael E. (2019-10-15). Edward M. Almond and the US Army: From the 92nd Infantry Division to the X Corps. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-7801-1.
  18. ^ Clark, Lt Col Major (2025-01-16). Derricks' Bridgehead: The History of the 92nd Division, 597th Field Artillery Battalion, and the Leadership Legacy of Col. Wendell T. Derricks. Casemate. ISBN 978-1-63624-272-9.
  19. ^ Fisher, Ernest F. (1977). Cassino to the Alps. Center of Military History, United States Army.
  20. ^ Booker, Bryan D. (2008). African Americans in the United States Army in World War II. McFarland. pp. 223–247. ISBN 978-0-7864-3195-3.