The last ground battle of the war was launched by the Fifteenth Air Force from the air. An offensive performance described by Field Marshal Alexander as the "Last Battle to End the War" was held April 9th-18th 1945. A bombardment by 1233 heavy bombers of the Fifteenth Air Force saturated the German defenses by dropping nearly 25,000 bombs within five miles of Allied Forces. This bombing allowed the U.S. Fifth Army and the British Eighth Army to penetrate into Northern Italy. (I was on this mission and it was a sight to see ! B17 aircraft wing tip to wing tip as far as you could see either to the right or left from my pilots seat.) A bombardier on each plane. Many precautions were taken to alleviate any errors such as variations in altitude, time etc. No bombs were to be released after 3:20 the British Eight's H-hour. The map below shows the line of combat. The British and American forces and the German troops.

End of 15th Air Force Section

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