The Ending
Even though the Italian capital had been captured by the Allies, there was still the problem of dealing with the German threat. They had recently taken defense in the Apennine mountain range, establishing what became known as the "Gothic Line." We had experienced many casualties and attacks, but we knew that we had to break that defense if we were going to get the Germans to surrender. We launched a campaign on that area, beginning in September 1944. It took us nearly three whole months, but we were successful in the end.
The Germans were still not willing to simply give up, however. Neither were we. We knew that their regime in Italy was falling apart, so we jumped at the chance to end this once and for all. It was Spring of 1944, and we attacked plenty of German groups across the Po Valley. This was so overwhelming to them that on May 2, 1945, all German forces that were stationed in Italy surrendered. We had won!
This was just the beginning of the end for the Axis Powers. Six days later, all of Germany surrendered. Several months later, Japan surrendered. Italy had surrendered two years before. The second World War was finally over. It was truly a hard time for everyone involved, including myself, but it was an amazing feeling to know that I had done my part to serve the free world.
The Germans were still not willing to simply give up, however. Neither were we. We knew that their regime in Italy was falling apart, so we jumped at the chance to end this once and for all. It was Spring of 1944, and we attacked plenty of German groups across the Po Valley. This was so overwhelming to them that on May 2, 1945, all German forces that were stationed in Italy surrendered. We had won!
This was just the beginning of the end for the Axis Powers. Six days later, all of Germany surrendered. Several months later, Japan surrendered. Italy had surrendered two years before. The second World War was finally over. It was truly a hard time for everyone involved, including myself, but it was an amazing feeling to know that I had done my part to serve the free world.