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Operation Winter Storm (Gothic Line) (view source)
Revision as of 01:25, September 8, 2016
, 01:25, September 8, 2016→Operation Wintergewitter
The US field artillery at Barga provided fire support for the Somocolonia defenders, with Lieutenant Fox radioing the co-ordinates. With Austrian and Italian infantry reinforcing the attack, several men at Barga heard Fox’s last call for smokescreen to cover the escape of the surviving American soldiers and Italian Partisans. Heavy artillery fire then rained down on Fox's position. The US artillery commander hesitated at first in firing directly on his position, but Lieutenant Fox had his way and was killed soon after. Of the Somocolonia defenders, only 18 Americans made it back to the lines of the US 5th Army.
The US field artillery at Barga provided fire support for the Somocolonia defenders, with Lieutenant Fox radioing the co-ordinates. With Austrian and Italian infantry reinforcing the attack, several men at Barga heard Fox’s last call for smokescreen to cover the escape of the surviving American soldiers and Italian Partisans. Heavy artillery fire then rained down on Fox's position. The US artillery commander hesitated at first in firing directly on his position, but Lieutenant Fox had his way and was killed soon after. Of the Somocolonia defenders, only 18 Americans made it back to the lines of the US 5th Army.
In the fighting on 26 December, Austrian troops had also captured Fornaci from the Americans, and the Italians captured the village of Molazzano but failed to take Brucciano.
On the night of 26/27 December, the surviving civilians from Sommocolonia were rounded up by the Austrians and Italians and suspected Communist Partisans and sympathizers detained. The local Italian priest later told of seeing Lieutenant Fox’s body in the rubble, along with the bodies of about 100 Axis soldiers. About 50 American soldiers and 30 Communist Partisans were killed in the defence of Sommocolonia.