Spoleto, Bastardo, Foligno, Assissi and Deruta June/July 44

Discussion in 'Italy' started by Andreas, May 8, 2022.

  1. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Does anyone have the identity of British and German units who were active in this area during June and July 44, on the approach to Perugia and Lago Trasimeno?

    Many thanks in advance.

    All the best

    Andreas
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Okay, seems it was 8 Indian Division.

    Does anyone have the war diary or any reports for June 1944?

    All the best

    Andreas
     
  3. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    What exactly are you looking for, Andreas?

    8 Indian Division moved up from Spoleto to Foligno and Assisi before being taken out of the line at the end of June.

    6 British Armoured Division moved up from Terni to Todi and liberated Deruta on the way to Perugia.

    See my website assisiwarcemetery.weebly.com

    Regards,

    Vitellino
     
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  4. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Found this map in Gli Alleati in Umbria (1944-1945) pub. Uguccione Ranieri di Sorbello Foundation Perugia 2000
    truppe tedesche a Perugia nel giugno 1944.jpg
     
  5. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Grazie! So I am particularly interested on who cleared the area between Bevagna and Deruta, in particular the road running from Collepeppe to Bastardo. I cannot make out who that battalion size unit west of Bevagna is?

    All the best

    Andreas
     

    Attached Files:

  6. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Andreas,

    see below
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2022
  7. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    I have just read an article by Prof. Ruggero Ranieri in which he states that the troops opposing 8 Indian Divison belonged to the 15A Panzergrenadier Division and the 94a Infantry Division.

    The same volume as the map has an article by him in which he indicates that the advance troops of 8 Indian Division approached Foligno via the Monti Martani, passing through Massa Martana and Osteria di Bastardo to Foligno where they arrived on 16 June.

    I interpret this as meaning that 6 British Armoured Division were operating on their right flank and cleared the road between Bastardo and Deruta. I think their German opponents were the same as those already quoted.

    Will try to find out more,

    Vitellino
     
  8. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    This is from my summary history of the 3/8th Punjab Regiment of 19th Indian Brigade of 8th Indian Division:

    "The 21st Indian Brigade took over 8th Indian Division’s advance on June 1st and captured Guarcino on the 4th. The 19th Brigade took over the advance on June 6th. The 3/8th Punjab Regiment led the brigade on June 7th from Subiaco and marched to Agosta taking the town the following morning. By June 9th, the 19th Indian Brigade has reached Tivoli outside of Rome, clearing Route from Roviano to Tivoli.


    On June 14th, 1944, the 19th Indian Brigade arrived at Terni on the River Nera, which had just been bridged, and took up the pursuit of the Germans. First the Argylls and then the 6th Frontier Force Rifles led the advance. The 3/8th Punjab Regiment with a troop of ‘A’ Squadron 6th Lancers and the 142nd Armoured Regiment move up from Bevagna in the early morning of June 17th and took up the advance and captured Bastia, advancing the next day to within two miles of the Perugia airport. At the same time, the 1st Argylls took the town of Assisi. After the towns were taken, the two battalions were engaged in clearing the hill area between Assisi and Pianello.


    On June 27th, the 8th Indian Division was notified that it would be pulled out of the line for a week of rest and refitting. The 19th Brigade was pulled out and moved to a rest area near Assisi between June 30th and July 1st. The rest camp was moved to a more suitable arean at Spoleto on July 4th. The 8th Indian Division returned to operations on July 22nd and took over the left sector of the French Expedionary Corps. The 19th Brigade took over the area around Certaldo and would be the left brigade of the division’s advance on Florence."
     
  9. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Thanks David

    The Bevagna-Bastia-Perugia Airport advance is just east of where I am looking. So whoever was to the left of them would be who I am after. It sounds as if 1st Argylls were to the right coming up Trevi - Foligno - Spello - Assisi. I suspect another unit of 19 Indian Brigade, so probably 6 Frontier Force.

    Thanks for the help!

    All the best

    Andreas
     
  10. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is my summary for the 6/13th Frontier Force Rifles:

    "The 19th Indian Brigade took over the advance on June 5th from the 21st Indian Brigade, which had taken Guarcino on June 4th. The advance began on June 6th led by a column consisting of one company of the 6/13th Frontier Force Rifles, ‘C’ Squadron 6th Lancers and tanks from the 12th Canadian Armoured Regiment. Subiaco was taken by surprise on the evening of June 7th by the Battalion. In order to capture Arsoli, a company of the Battalion climbed the hill from Agosta to Cervara, turned north to Rocca di Botte, and killed or captured a party of Germans. The Germans abandoned Rocca di Botte the next day. The rest of the Battalion captured Roviano on the 8th and the brigade entered Tivoli on the 9th, opening up Route 5. The brigade had a brief rest during June 9th and 10th.


    With Rome having fallen and the breakout from Anzio, the pursuit of German forces began in earnest. On June 10th, the 8th Indian Division moved from Arsoli and took over the 4th British Division’s sector in the area of Passo Corese. The 19th Brigade moved off on the 11th through Tivoli then up the Palombara-Sabina road and followed up on the 21st Indian Brigade’s advance. The 19th Brigade passed through the 21st Brigade on June 14th and began its advance at 0545 hours on June 16th with ‘A’ Squadron 6th Lancers and the 6/13th Frontier Force Rifles in the lead. After dealing with destroyed bridges and passing through Bevagna, the Battalion converged on Foligno, taking it without opposition the same day. ‘A’ Squadron 6th Lancers and ‘B’ Company of the 6/13th FFR were then sent toward Spello and, although slowed down by a German anti-tank gun, captured Spello by evening. On the 17th, the rest of the brigade moved northwest from Foligno along the valley below Assisi and toward the Tiber while the 6/13th Frontier Force Rifles and the 12th Lancers dealt with a group of Germans northeast of Foligno.


    On June 20th, the 6th Battalion moved in MT to Ripa and took over from the 1st Royal Fusiliers five hundred yards northwest of Ripa, protecting the right flank of the 17th Brigade. The Battalion’s companies were spread out with one in Pianello, on Point 437 (Monte Palazzone), on at the road junction north of Ripa, and one in Ripa with Battalion HQ. On the 22nd, due to heavy shelling, the platoon of ‘D’ Company on the crest of Point 437 was forced to fall back. Between June 28th and 30th, the 8th Indian Division was relieved by the 10th Indian Division with the baton passed at midnight on June 29th/30th. The HQ 8th Indian Division moved to Carpello, east of Foligno, and was freed of all operational commitments to begin a period of rest. The 19th Brigade was pulled out and moved to a rest area near Assisi between June 30th and July 1st. The rest camp was moved to a more suitable area at Spoleto on July 4th. The 8th Indian Division returned to operations on July 22nd and took over the left sector of the French Expeditionary Corps. The 19th Brigade took over the area around Certaldo and would be the left brigade of the division’s advance on Florence."
     
  11. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    As I hinted above, 6 British Armoured Division were to the left (Source: Gli Alleati in Umbria (1944-1945) pub. Uguccione Ranieri di Sorbello Foundation Perugia 2000)
    l'avanzata alleata verso Perugia.jpg [
     

    Attached Files:

  12. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Just a note to say that the Uguccione Ranieri di Sorbello Foundation Perugia has a copy of the 6 British Armoured Division War Diary - I will ask the archivist to send us the relevant page.
     
  13. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is the period from the regimental history of the 1st Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders:
    Argyll01.jpg Argyll02.jpg Argyll03.jpg Argyll04.jpg
     
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  14. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Thanks for this.
     
  15. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Thanks both for the materials.

    It is the road movement from Massa Martana to Gualda Cattaneo to Bevagna that is of greatest interest to me.

    All the best

    Andreas
     
  16. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Putting together all this information we have:

    Private Gilfillan, killed on 16 June ' in a village'.
    Private Gilfillan's concentration form tells us he was taken into Assisi War Cememtery from 820750
    Sheet 131 Foligno Scale 100.000 shows that the above map reference is for Osteria del Bastardo.

    I hope the action described in the text is what you are looking for, Andreas. Argyll02.jpg Gilfillan 820750 Osteria del Bastardo.JPG Osteria del  Bastardo sheet 1 000k.png foligno sheet 131 scale  1 to 100.000.png
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2022
    dryan67 and Andreas like this.
  17. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Thank you so much! This makes a lot of sense. I know the area quite well. "Osteria del Bastardo" today is just called "Bastardo" (long story there).


    "Working down the road" would indicate to me that they came down the Strade Provinciale 316 from Massa Martana, entered the village from the south-west. That road then meets the road leading straight west to Todi, which runs at the bottom of the valley for a while. The picture shows the approach to the village with a set of modern houses that wouldn't have been there then.

    The second picture shows the approach to the modern bridge from the west. It's not a big thing, that bridge, but the banks of that stream are quite steep so it would have required bridging had it been blown.

    Do you know what happened to Lt. Holden, who would have been killed while they advanced on or at Bevagna?

    All the best

    Andreas


    Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 10.11.16 AM.jpg Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 10.10.04 AM.jpg
     
  18. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    I lived in Umbria for 27 years and know the area well, hence my interest in Assisi War Cemetery. I'm in Tuscany now.

    As far as Lt. Holden is concerned, his unit, 6 Lancers (Watson's Horse), was the Reconnaissance Regiment of 8 Indian Division. He was concentrated from 925890, just to the east of Spello. I don't have access to the war diary but would suspect a mine.
     

    Attached Files:

  19. Gary Tankard

    Gary Tankard Well-Known Member

    I’ll be down in Kew next weekend. I’ll get the 6 Lancers WD and see if it has any more info.
     
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  20. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    Thanks Gary. Much appreciated.
     

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