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John B. Woodruff - 85th Mountain Infantry Regimental History

This is a collection of reports from Capt. Woodruff to the Commanding Officer, presumedly of the 85th regiment. I've skimmed the reports to identify sections that may be useful for future reference.

4 Jan 1945 - 28 Feb 1945

Arrival in Italy, patrols, skirmishes, raids, leading up to the attacks on Mounts Belvedere, Gorgolesco, and della Torraccia (38 pp).

1 Mar 1945 - 31 Mar 1945

Second offensive, early in the month, to capture Mt della Castellana, Mt della Spe and hills between them. The later part of the month saw many patrols to capture POWs for intelligence (34 pp).

1 Apr 1945 - 30 Apr 1945

Preparation and launch of the spring offensive, beginning on April 14. Breakout into Po Valley on April 20, dash to Po River, reached April 23, to Lake Garda, reached April 27, capture of Mussolini's villa and advance up the lake. Describing the drive across the Po Valley, the author writes (p. 39): "It was imperative that the enemy be pushed back relentlessly without time to reorganize or reinforce until eventually organized resistance would become an impossibility." (62 pp)

1 May 1945 - 30 May 1945

The 10th Mountain Division's drive from the Apennines to the Alps cut the major escape route from northern Italy to the Brenner Pass, thereby trapping a large portion of the German Army in northern Italy. This report describes the end of the drive along Lake Garda and the German surrender (21 pp).

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