Battle of The Argenta Gap - The Battle

The Battle

On the night of 10/11 April, British V Corps launched Operation Impact Plain to widen and deepen its bridgehead in the Wedge: 40th (Royal Marine) Commando advanced along the raised causeway bordering the lake while, from 56th Infantry Division, 169th Infantry Brigade advanced on the commando's left across the flooded margins of the lake with two battalions in LVTs. 56th Infantry Division's 167th Infantry Brigade advanced from the Wedge along the Reno flood banks. The commando column met stiff resistance at the bridge north east of Menate and took heavy casualties but were able to take the objective with the assistance of air support. 42nd Jaeger Division seems to have been taken by surprise by their opponents' amphibious capacity and seemed and somewhat unnerved by the LVTs emerging from the water so that by daylight on 12 April all three columns had made some 4 miles (6.4 km) headway, linking up in the Menate-Longastrino area. 169th Brigade then pushed forward on the road towards Filo and 167th Brigade continued up the Reno, rolling up the German defences as far as the confluence with the Santerno river to link with the Italian Cremona Combat Group which had advanced from the south.

Reacting to the Allied attack, von Vietinghof ordered 29th Panzergrenadier Division south to reinforce the Argenta gap. Its 15th Panzergrenadier Regiment arrived to reinforce 42nd Jaeger Division on 12 April but the rest of the division had been north of the Po and, delayed by air damage and fuel shortages was not in position until 14 April.

Early on 13 April 78th Infantry Division's 38th Infantry Brigade attacked northward from Indian 8th Infantry Division's bridgehead across the Santerno river with the objective of seizing a bridgehead across the Reno at Bastia, in the mouth of the Argenta gap. Meanwhile, to their right, 56th Infantry Division launched the second phase of its operation, Impact Royal. This involved 9th Commando and 24th Guards Brigade advancing up the flooded margins of Lake Comancho in LVTs to concentrate near Chiesa del Bando, 6 miles (9.7 km) north west of Menate and develop a threat to Argenta which lay some 3 miles (4.8 km) to the south west opf this objective. A foothold was established on the Fossa Marina, a canal running roughly east to west from Argenta to the lake and a 1 mile (1.6 km) short of their objective but then the newly arrived 15th Panzer Grenadier Regiment blocked further progress. An attempt to take the bridge across the Fossa on 14 April was beaten back.

In the morning of 14 April forward elements of 38th Brigade had crossed the bridge over the Reno at Bastia but had been forced back by an armoured counterattack. It was decided to confine immediate activity to mopping up south of the Reno and await the approach of 167th Brigade which, advancing on both banks of the Reno, would shortly threaten the flank of the defenders north of the river in Bastia and oblige them to retire. Rather than wait for the bridge at Bastia to be cleared, V Corps commander, Lieutenant-General Charles Keightley ordered 78th Division's 11th Infantry Brigade to use 56th Division's bridges over the Reno in order to get forward towards Argenta without delay.

On 15/16 April 56th Division renewed their attack on the Fossa Marina but failed again. However, the cumulative effect of heavy air attacks since 13 April took their toll and on the night of 16 April the Guards Brigade were able to cross the canal with relatively little trouble although their advance was once again halted by resistance about 0.5 miles (800 m) north of the canal. On the west side of the Argenta gap 11th Brigade was able to get across the Fossa Marina east of Argenta. 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers were able to hold on to a small bridgehead under heavy fire and counterattack while engineers positioned ARK armoured mobile bridges to allow supporting tanks to cross the canal.

On 17 April 38th Infantry Brigade arrived from newly-cleared Bastia and passed through 11th Brigade's bridgehead, tasked with widening the bridgehead to provide space to allow an armoured breakout. By dark the brigade had advanced 1,000 yards (910 m) against determined resistance, working around the rear of Argenta. Meanwhile 11th Brigade advanced into the town to clear it with the support of Crocodile armoured flame-throwers. An armoured counterattack early on 18 April was forced back towards 38th Brigade. Meanwhile on the west outskirts of the town the bridges over the Reno had been attacked and captured by 2nd Commando Brigade which had been advancing up the line of the river from Bastia. Attempted counterattacks on the bridges were broken up by supporting artillery. Also on 17 April 56th Division's 169th Brigade was passed through 11th Brigade's bridgehead across the Fossa Marina in order to drive eastwards to clear the north bank of the canal and link with the Guards Brigade.

On 18 April 78th Division brought forward 36th Infantry Brigade from reserve to pass through 38th Brigade and conduct a series of right hooks north of Argenta. By dawn the brigade had reached Consandolo some 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Argenta, where German resistance stubbornly held until well into the afternoon. Meanwhile a mobile force under the command of 2nd Armoured Brigade HQ comprising one infantry battalion, a tank regiment, a regiment of armoured personnel carriers and supporting self-propelled guns and assault engineers (the "Kangaroo Army") was brought forward and, bypassing Consonaldo, secured a bridgehead over the Fossa Benvignante 1 mile (1.6 km)north of the town. Advanced elements then pushed forward and before dark overran the artillery gun lines of 42nd Jaeger Division.

78th Division's advance created flank pressure on the German units facing 56th Division so that at midday on 18 April 169th Brigade detected a lessening resistance in front of them. Pushing forward, the brigade advanced to the Fossa Benvignante and captured a bridge intact. To their right the Guards Brigade were finally able to clear Chiesa del Bando and advance towards the Fossa Benvignante as well.