Battle of Rimini (1944): Difference between revisions

Battle of Rimini
	Part of the Gothic Line Offensive during the Italian campaign of World War II
	; German trucks driving through muddy, flooded and unpaved roads near Rimini; typical terrain encountered during the offensive.
Date	13–21 September 1944
Location	Rimini, Italy44°03′34″N 12°34′06″E / 44.05944°N 12.56833°E
Result	Allied victory
Belligerents
Canada; Template:Country data Kingdom of Greece; Template:Country data Dominion of New Zealand	Germany
Commanders and leaders
E. L. M. Burns; Template:Country data Kingdom of GreeceTemplate:Preview warning Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos	Traugott Herr
Units involved
1st Infantry Division; Template:Country data Dominion of New ZealandTemplate:Preview warning 2nd Infantry Division; Template:Country data Kingdom of GreeceTemplate:Preview warning 3rd Mountain Brigade	1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment; Turkestan Legion

VisualWikitext

Latest revision as of 03:44, 29 January 2026

Template:Campaignbox Gothic Line Template:Campaignbox Italy

The Battle of Rimini took place between 13 and 21 September 1944 during Operation Olive, the main Allied offensive on the Gothic Line in August and September 1944, part of the Italian Campaign in the Second World War. Rimini, a city on Italy's Adriatic coast, anchored the Rimini Line, a German defensive line which was the third such line of the Gothic Line defences.

Rimini, which had been hit previously by 373 air raids, had 1,470,000 rounds fired against it by Allied land forces; by the end of the battle, only 2% of all buildings in the city escaped damage.^[1]

Background[edit | edit source]

Rimini during the Second World War[edit | edit source]

Rimini is located in a militarily strategic position, at the southern tip of the Po Valley, at a narrow passage along the Adriatic coast where the plains of northern Italy meet the mountainous terrain of central Italy.^[2]

Before the Battle of Rimini, Rimini had suffered sustained Allied aerial bombardment since November 1943. Many refugees from northern Italy had fled to Rimini between November 1942 and February 1943, only to flee again with the bombings.^[3] Of 40,000 inhabitants, only 3,000 remained, and the city centre was deserted.^[2]^[3] Around 55,000 refugees fled to the north, to the hinterland, and to the independent Republic of San Marino,^[2]^[3] where they sheltered in the country's railway tunnels.^[4]^[5] As the Allied frontline approached the city, naval bombardment followed,^[3] and remaining citizens hid in makeshift shelters or in the caves by the Covignano hill.^[3]^[6] Partisan resistance was also notable in Rimini, with official reports of 400 young people involved in resistance cells. On 16 August 1944, three partisans were hanged in Rimini's central square, which would later be renamed in their honour.^[2]

Between November 1943 and September 1944, the total number of air, naval, and land bombings in the city numbered 396,^[7] destroying 82% of all buildings, the highest figure among Italian cities with over 50,000 inhabitants.^[2]^[7]

The Gothic Line[edit | edit source]

On 25 August 1944 the Eighth Army launched Operation Olive, attacking on a three Corps front up the eastern flank of Italy into the Gothic Line defences. By the first week in September, the offensive had broken through the forward defences of the Gothic Line and the defensive positions of the Green I line and United States Fifth Army entered the offensive in central Italy attacking towards Bologna.^[8]

In the Eighth Army's centre, the 1st Canadian Division had broken through Green II on the right of its front advancing to pinch out the Polish Corps on the very right of the army (and allowing the latter to be withdrawn to army reserve) but inland in the hills, the Corps' advance had been held up by stubborn defence at Coriano and V Corps on the army's left flank had been halted at Croce and Gemmano. A new attack to clear the Green II positions in the hills and destroy the Rimini Line running from the port of Rimini inland to San Marino was scheduled to start on 12 September.^[8]

Prelude[edit | edit source]

Arrival of the front in Riccione[edit | edit source]

In Riccione, a sizeable town southeast of Rimini, from the evening of 2 September, the Germans retreated to a defensive line at the Rio Melo, defended by a single tank, allowing forces of the 1st Canadian Division to enter the town. The area between Viale Ceccarini, Riccione's principal high street, and the Rio Melo, a river lined with a port, became a no man's land until the Battle of Rimini had finished.^[9] The Hotel Adria, no longer extant, was requisitioned for soldiers engaged in the Battle of Rimini to take four days' leave on the beach.^[10]

Behind the Canadian Division was the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.). On 8 and 10 September, near the village of Cattolica, the Greeks pushed back two German attacks.

3–12 September: Battle of San Lorenzo in Strada[edit | edit source]

The Church of San Lorenzo in Strada in Riccione after the battle, c. 1944

To Riccione's northwest, the ancient town of San Lorenzo in Strada was heavily fortified by General Richard Heidrich's 1st Parachute Division, who barricaded themselves in the church with instructions to fight until the end.^[11]^[12] San Lorenzo sat on a hilltop along a curve in the Via Flaminia before Rimini airfield, and was therefore strategically important.^[12]

On 3 September, the 1st Parachute Division engaged the Canadians, who had reached Riccione's southern outskirt of Abyssinia. The battle in San Lorenzo, which included sword-fighting in the church, claimed 31 soldiers and 124 wounded or missing, with the Canadians reduced to 18 men before they suspended their attack on 6 September.^[12]

By 12 September, the Greeks had joined the Canadians in Riccione, with orders to lead the right flank during the Canadians' offensive on Rimini.^[2]^[13] The Greeks were notorious for their poor behaviour towards locals and consequently ordered not to pass underneath the railway that bisected Riccione.^[9] On the night of 12–13 September, a second attack on San Lorenzo, supported by the 3rd Greek Battalion and the 20th New Zealand Armoured Regiment, claimed the church after four and a half hours.^[12] The church was destroyed.^[14]^[15]

Battle[edit | edit source]

13–14 September: Battle of Monaldini and Monticelli[edit | edit source]

A lecythus in Athens War Museum containing ground from the Hellenic Military Cemetery in Riccione

On 13 September, the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade, supported by the combined armour and infantry of the B squadron of the 20th New Zealand Armoured Regiment and the 22nd Motor Battalion from the 2nd New Zealand Division, launched an attack to take Rimini. Supporting the brigade were infantry, mortars and machine guns from the Canadian Saskatoon Light Infantry, and 33 17pdr guns from New Zealand.

Initially, the Greeks attacked Monaldini and Monticelli, two small agricultural hamlets about 500 metres (1,600 feet) southwest of San Lorenzo. The settlements were defended by the 1st Parachute Division and some Osttruppen described as Turkomen (likely a Turkestani Ostlegion battalion from the 162nd Turkoman Division).^[16] The Germans were well prepared and held off the Greeks, who lost almost one hundred troops,^[10] more than a third of the troops engaged since the beginning of the action.^[16]

During the night of 13–14 September, the 1st Canadian Brigade gathered on the southern bank of the Marano Stream, north of San Lorenzo in Strada. The Greeks launched a night attack at 02:00, supported by the 3rd Canadian Brigade, followed by the 1st Canadian Brigade at 06:30.^[13]

On 14 September, 7 and 8 troops of the B Squadron were added to the attack on Monaldini. Soon after, a platoon from 22nd Motor Battalion aided the attack on Monticelli with the support of 5 and 6 Troops' Sherman tanks. By 20:00, Monaldini had been taken with only light casualties. The Greek and New Zealand forces turned to Monticelli, but the German defenders abandoned the settlement as soon as they approached.^[16]

15–17 September: Battle of Rimini Airfield[edit | edit source]

Banner of the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade commemorating the battle of Rimini (Athens War Museum)

On 15 September, the Greeks launched an assault on Rimini airfield, west of the village of Miramare. The airfield had been used as a prisoner-of-war camp for captured Allied soldiers.^[17]

At 10:00, the 1st Greek Battalion crossed the Marano Stream at the southern end of the airfield, and immediately came under intense fire from German positions around the airfield. The Greeks halted to reorganise themselves for an attack. C Squadron of the 18th New Zealand Armoured Regiment relieved B Squadron 20th Armoured Regiment in the line supporting the Greeks.^[18] After requesting air support, Allied fighter and bomber planes attacked the western side of the airfield, and the Greeks attacked shortly afterwards.

The 1st Greek Battalion, which attacked the airfield, was heavily resisted. Fire from the airfield inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing Greeks; however, support from the New Zealand tanks and infantry was well-coordinated as one of the New Zealand officers spoke Greek. The tanks fired on each house lining the south of the airfield to ensure that they were not occupied. As the Greeks and New Zealanders approached the defensive positions, they came under fire from infantry, Panzerschreck anti-tank rockets, self-propelled guns, and emplaced Panther turrets. The heavy fire pinned the advance just short of the airfield. Meanwhile, the tanks edged around a hedgerow to avoid the anti-tank fire, but soon found themselves at the forefront of the attack. A German self-propelled gun knocked out a Sherman, but the New Zealanders continued forward and knocked out enemy positions with high-explosives and grenades, forcing the Germans to withdraw from their positions. The crew of a Panther turret abandoned it during the night.

Separately, the 2nd Greek Battalion, to the right of the 1st Greek Battalion, attacked up the Via Flaminia, but became separated from their supporting New Zealand tanks. The Greeks were halted by mines and heavy defensive fire from the eastern side of the airfield and nearby houses.

On the left flank, the 3rd Greek Battalion attacked the hamlet of Casalecchio, a crossroads with a few houses and a church, supported by New Zealand tanks and infantry. The Greeks quickly cleared the houses, but the church was defended by paratroops. A combined attack by Greek and New Zealand infantry and tanks drove the paratroopers out. Heavy machine-gun and mortar fire from the airfield halted any further advance.

On 16 September, the Greeks continued to mop up around the airfield, most of which they held, though one Panther turret was still in operation. The 3rd Greek Battalion advanced up the left through the hedges and ditches beyond Casalecchio until they came level with the 1st Greek Battalion in the centre. They were under constant fire and had to clear several landmines. On the right flank, the 2nd Greek Battalion advanced. Anti-tank fire was lighter than the previous day.

On 17 September, the three Greek battalions continued their advance. Several attempts were made to knock out the remaining Panther turret with aircraft and artillery, but it finally fell to one of the New Zealand Shermans working around its flank. It fired several anti-tank rounds into the turret before the crew eventually evacuated.^[19] With the airfield was taken, the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade turned its attention towards Rimini itself.

18–20 September: Approaching Rimini[edit | edit source]

With the airfield captured, the offensive to retake Rimini began in earnest on 18 September.^[20] The 2nd and 3rd Battalions pushed towards Rimini from the southeast. Supported by the New Zealand regiments, they encountered heavy resistance once again from the German paratroops. Meanwhile, to the southwest, the 1st Canadian Division was contesting the area of San Fortunato, on the Covignano hill overlooking Rimini,^[20]^[21] with over a million artillery strikes on the hill alone.^[20]^[21] The Canadian attack, which had broken the German defence by the morning of 20 September,^[20] threatened the defending forces with being outflanked.^[22] Despite the Queen's Bays' armoured column being destroyed at Montecieco, the German troops were forced to retreat to Vergiano and the Marecchia river, chased also by the Indian divisions returning from the Battle of San Marino.^[20]

By 16:30 on 20 September, the battalions were in the southern outskirts of Rimini, with the 2nd Greek Battalion having captured the Church of Colonnella.^[13] Rimini had been the site of 700 artillery strikes and 486 aerial raids,^[20]^[21] and 90% of its buildings had been razed. Albert Kesselring, in charge of the German defence in Italy, suggested that soldiers defend the city to exert maximum damage on the attacking forces. General Heinrich von Vietinghoff established a defensive line north of the Marecchia river, and persuaded Kesselring, also in light of a heavy rain that evening that began at 18:00, that any unsupported defence of the city would not last long. At 19:30, the German forces were ordered to retreat overnight.^[20]^[21]

A tank in front of Rimini's Arch of Augustus in 1944

To slow down the Allied advance, buildings were demolished at street corners, alongside most bridges over the Marecchia River.^[7] Marshal Willi Trageser of the 2nd Parachute Division was charged with destroying both the Arch of Augustus and the Ponte di Tiberio,^[23] Rimini's definining Augustan monuments at either end of its decumanus maximus.^[24] Trageser defied Lieutenant Kenneth Renberg's orders to demolish the arch, saying after the war:^[23]

I personally gave the order not to blow up the arch, taking full responsibility for it. It seemed absurd to me to destroy a historical monument of this kind to achieve no result, given that the arch was isolated in the middle of a square and, therefore, traffic could have continued perfectly well, both to the right and left of the monument itself.
— Marshal Willi Trageser

As for the Ponte di Tiberio, Trageser reported to his command that "the bridge had blown",^[25] when instead, according to Trageser, several attempts to detonate the bridge had failed, leading to minimal damage.^[23]^[25] Trageser was using low-quality ammonal,^[23]^[25] laid in 100 kilograms (220 pounds) at the bridge's base and 160 kilograms (350 pounds) across eight charges under the road surface. Only two charges exploded, which Trageser attributed to a crossing of wires along the bridge's gutter,^[23] causing small exploisons. The ammonal was also likely weakened by rain.^[23]^[25] Colonel Horst Pretzell and Lieutenant Colonel Rudolf Rennecke later said that the German high command had ordered the bridge to be spared, though the order was not communicated to the evacuating troops.^[25] In any case, the Marecchia had flooded after heavy rainfall during the overnight retreat on 20–21 September 1944.^[6] Trageser's account was accepted by the German high command.^[23] According to the post-war account of a soldier involved in the detonations, the poor wire connections were intended by Trageser.^[23]^[25] The Ponte di Tiberio was the only bridge not to be destroyed along the Marecchia during the German retreat.^[26] On 29 January 1957,^[23] during road maintenance works,^[25] undetonated sticks of ammonal were found on the bridge, which was temporarily closed to ensure their safe removal.^[23]^[25]

21 September: Capture of Rimini[edit | edit source]

Protocol of surrender of the city of Rimini - Athens War Museum

On the morning of 21 September, the 2nd Greek Battalion advanced towards the bridge over the Ausa in front of Rimini's city gates.^[20]^[21] There they met two New Zealand officers scouting for access routes.^[20] The battalion passed through the Arch of Augustus into Rimini's city centre. Informed by two inhabitants that the Germans had abandoned the city,^[20]^[21] they called for New Zealand's tanks to enter the city through Piazza Malatesta and then Piazza Cavour.^[20] The Canadians, attacking from the west, reached the Bridge of Tiberius before the Greeks.^[20]^[21] Rimini was effectively a ghost town, with few inhabitants remaining.^[6]^[20]^[21]

The Greeks raised the flag on the balcony of the city hall. At 07:45 on 21 September, the mayor unconditionally surrendered the city to the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade with an official protocol written in Greek, English, and Italian.^[22] A ceremony was held in the afternoon, in the presence of the participating allied brigades.^[13] By the evening, the Canadian flag joined the Greek flag over the city hall.^[6]

Legacy[edit | edit source]

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens. The inscription "ΡΙΜΙΝΙ" can be seen in the stone carved text right above the guard's foot.

After the war, the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade was called by the honorific title "Rimini Brigade" ("Ταξιαρχία Ρίμινι").^[15] 114 Greek soldiers are buried in a cemetery in Riccione's Fontanelle area, along the Via Flaminia.^[15]^[13]^[27] Gothic Line historian Amedeo Montemaggi [it] suggested that the Allied command had assigned the Battle of Rimini to the provisional Greek government, who had asked for a prestigious military result, because of its feasibility and the city's proximity to the Rubicon, made famous by Julius Caesar's crossing, lending the battle a historical-cultural importance.^[13] In local memory, neither the Greeks nor the Canadians were remembered fondly for their treatment of the local population,^[9]^[13]^[6] with a local Romagnol saying: i n'era tendri (they weren't tender).^[13]

The Hellenic Military Cemetery in Riccione, January 2006

Oliver Leese, the commander of the Eighth Army, which was engaged in the nearby Battle of Coriano, called the battle to take Rimini "one of the hardest battles of the Eighth Army ... comparable to El Alamein, Mareth, and the Gustav Line (Monte Cassino)".^[28] 6,668 civilian and military fatalities were officially recorded, with over 6,000 injured and missing.^[7] Within 37 days of the Battle of Rimini, over 10,000 soldiers had died between the Allied and Axis forces.^[15] In Coriano, the Coriano Ridge War Cemetery numbers 1,939 Allied soldiers,^[29]^[30] of which fifty were buried unidentified. There are also Anglo-Canadian cemeteries in Montecchio (near Vallefoglia; 582 burials) and Gradara (1,192 burials), and an Indian cemetery (618 burials) on the San Marino Highway.^[15]

On 16 January 1961, Giovanni Gronchi, President of Italy, gave the city of Rimini the Gold Medal for Civil Valour by presidential decree, with the following motivation:^[7]

Faithful to its most noble traditions, [Rimini] suffered stoically the most serious destructions of the war, and took a very valid part in the liberation struggle, attesting, with the sacrifice of numerous of her children, her most pure faith in a better, free, and democratic Italy.

References[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

↑ Enciclopedia Treccani
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 "La Linea Gotica" [The Gothic Line]. La Città Invisibile (in italiano). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 Susini, Daniele (6 July 2016). "Guerra sul confine orientale della linea gotica: il caso Rimini" [War on the eastern border of the Gothic line: The Rimini case]. Novecento.org (in italiano). 6. doi:10.12977/nov129. ISSN 2283-6837. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ "12 giugno 1932 - Viene inaugurata la ferrovia Rimini - San Marino" [12 June 1932: The Rimini–San Marino railway was opened]. Chiamami Città (in italiano). 12 June 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
↑ Giuliani-Balestrino, Maria Clotilde (2005). "La superstrada Rimini-San Marino" [The Rimini-San Marino railway] (PDF). Studi e Ricerche di Geografia (in italiano). 29 (1): 1–4.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 ^6.4 "21 settembre 1944 - Rimini liberata" [21 September 1944 – Rimini liberated]. Chiamamicitta (in italiano). 20 September 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 Gambetti, Nicola (20 June 2023). "Monumenti sopravvissuti: l'Arco d'Augusto" [Surviving monuments: The Arch of Augustus]. Rimini Sparita (in italiano). Retrieved 16 January 2024.
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 Jackson, p.274.
↑ ^9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 Galli, Fabio Glauco. "La Città Invisibile - La Guerra a Riccione" [The invisible city: The war in Riccione]. La Città Invisibile (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 Zaghini, Paolo (7 February 2021). "Quei ragazzi venuti dall'altro capo del mondo per liberare Riccione" [Those guys who came from the other side of the world to liberate Riccione]. Chiamami Città (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ Galli, Fabio Glauco. "La Città Invisibile - La Guerra a Riccione" [The invisible city: The war in Riccione]. La Città Invisibile (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 "La battaglia di San Lorenzo nell'assalto alla Linea Gotica" [The battle of San Lorenzo in the assault on the Gothic Line]. Famija Arciunesa (in italiano). 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 ^13.3 ^13.4 ^13.5 ^13.6 ^13.7 Cicchetti, Stefano (21 September 2021). "Chi erano i Greci che liberarono Rimini" [Who were the Greeks who liberated Rimini?]. Chiamamicitta (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ Masini, Manlio (18 October 2022). "San Lorenzo in Strada ritrova la sua amata chiesa parrocchiale" [San Lorenzo in Strada finds its beloved parish church again]. Corriere Romagna (in italiano). Retrieved 28 December 2023.
↑ ^15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 ^15.3 ^15.4 "I Cimiteri di Guerra tra Romagna e Marche" [The War Cemeteries between Romagna and the Marche]. La Città Invisibile (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ ^16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 Santini, Simone (24 September 2020). "Quando i neozelandesi liberarono Rimini" [When the New Zealanders liberated Rimini]. Il Ponte (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ Malizia, Nicola (2011). "La nascita del "Giannetto Vassura"" [The birth of the "Giannetto Vassura"] (PDF). Ariminum. January–February 2011 (in italiano) (1). Rimini: Rimini Rotary Club: 10–12.
↑ Kay (1967), p. 222
↑ Kay (1967), p. 223
↑ ^20.00 ^20.01 ^20.02 ^20.03 ^20.04 ^20.05 ^20.06 ^20.07 ^20.08 ^20.09 ^20.10 ^20.11 ^20.12 Montemaggi, Andrea (2014). "L'offensiva della Linea Gotica" [The offensive of the Gothic Line] (PDF). Ariminum. September–October 2014 (in italiano). Rimini Rotary Club: 8–11. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
↑ ^21.0 ^21.1 ^21.2 ^21.3 ^21.4 ^21.5 ^21.6 ^21.7 Montemaggi, Andrea. "Gli alleati conquistano Rimini" [The Allies conquer Rimini] (PDF). Ariminum. September–October 2014 (in italiano). Rotary Club Rimini: 6–7.
↑ ^22.0 ^22.1 Kay (1967), p. 225
↑ ^23.00 ^23.01 ^23.02 ^23.03 ^23.04 ^23.05 ^23.06 ^23.07 ^23.08 ^23.09 Montemaggi, Andrea (22 April 2021). "Il diavolo aveva un ponte, quello di Tiberio". Il Resto del Carlino (in italiano). Retrieved 31 January 2024.
↑ "History". Rimini Turismo. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
↑ ^25.0 ^25.1 ^25.2 ^25.3 ^25.4 ^25.5 ^25.6 ^25.7 Gambetti, Nicola (21 June 2023). "Monumenti sopravvissuti: il Ponte di Tiberio". Rimini Sparita (in italiano). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
↑ "Ponte di Tiberio a Rimini: curiosità, storia e leggenda" [Ponte di Tiberio in Rimini: Curiosity, history, and legend]. Lemurinviaggio (in italiano). 24 June 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
↑ "Riccione. Seconda guerra mondiale, commemorazione dei militari greci morti per liberare il Riminese" [Riccione, Second World War: Commemoration of the Greek soldiers who died to liberate the Rimini area]. La Piazza (in italiano). 17 September 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
↑ McKelvey Cleaver, Thomas (10 May 2016). The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing. Simon & Schuster. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-62157-543-6.
↑ "Cimitero di guerra inglese" [English War Cemetery]. Terre di Coriano (in italiano). Retrieved 8 March 2024.
↑ "Coriano Ridge War Cemetery". Commonwealth War Graves. Retrieved 8 March 2024.

Sources[edit | edit source]

Jackson, General Sir William & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO:1987]. Butler, Sir James (ed.). The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume VI: Victory in the Mediterranean, Part 2 - June to October 1944. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-071-8.
Kay, Robin (1967). "Chapter 5, Section IV: The Rimini Corridor and Section V: The Capture of Rimini". Italy Volume II: From Cassino to Trieste. Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-1945. Wellington, N.Z.: Historical Publications Branch, Department of Internal Affairs New Zealand.
Montemaggi, Amedeo (2002). LINEA GOTICA 1944. La battaglia di Rimini e lo sbarco in Grecia decisivi per l'Europa sud-orientale e il Mediterraneo. Rimini: Museo dell'Aviazione.
Montemaggi, Amedeo (2006). LINEA GOTICA 1944: scontro di civiltà. Rimini: Museo dell'Aviazione.
Montemaggi, Amedeo (2008). CLAUSEWITZ SULLA LINEA GOTICA. Imola: Angelini Editore.
Montemaggi, Amedeo (2010). ITINERARI DELLA LINEA GOTICA 1944. Guida storico iconografica ai campi di battaglia. Rimini: Museo dell'Aviazione.

External links[edit | edit source]

Montemaggi, Amedeo (2002). "Battle of Rimini". Gothic Line website. Archived from the original on 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
Italy Volume II : From Cassino to Trieste

Template:Greece during World War II

[1] Enciclopedia Treccani

[:10-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 "La Linea Gotica" [The Gothic Line]. La Città Invisibile (in italiano). Retrieved 17 January 2024.

[:8-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 Susini, Daniele (6 July 2016). "Guerra sul confine orientale della linea gotica: il caso Rimini" [War on the eastern border of the Gothic line: The Rimini case]. Novecento.org (in italiano). 6. doi:10.12977/nov129. ISSN 2283-6837. Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[:92-4] "12 giugno 1932 - Viene inaugurata la ferrovia Rimini - San Marino" [12 June 1932: The Rimini–San Marino railway was opened]. Chiamami Città (in italiano). 12 June 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.

[:30-5] Giuliani-Balestrino, Maria Clotilde (2005). "La superstrada Rimini-San Marino" [The Rimini-San Marino railway] (PDF). Studi e Ricerche di Geografia (in italiano). 29 (1): 1–4.

[:7-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 ^6.4 "21 settembre 1944 - Rimini liberata" [21 September 1944 – Rimini liberated]. Chiamamicitta (in italiano). 20 September 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[:9-7] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 Gambetti, Nicola (20 June 2023). "Monumenti sopravvissuti: l'Arco d'Augusto" [Surviving monuments: The Arch of Augustus]. Rimini Sparita (in italiano). Retrieved 16 January 2024.

[:1-8] 8.0 ^8.1 Jackson, p.274.

[:0-9] 9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 Galli, Fabio Glauco. "La Città Invisibile - La Guerra a Riccione" [The invisible city: The war in Riccione]. La Città Invisibile (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[:3-10] 10.0 ^10.1 Zaghini, Paolo (7 February 2021). "Quei ragazzi venuti dall'altro capo del mondo per liberare Riccione" [Those guys who came from the other side of the world to liberate Riccione]. Chiamami Città (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[:invi-11] Galli, Fabio Glauco. "La Città Invisibile - La Guerra a Riccione" [The invisible city: The war in Riccione]. La Città Invisibile (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[:02-12] 12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 "La battaglia di San Lorenzo nell'assalto alla Linea Gotica" [The battle of San Lorenzo in the assault on the Gothic Line]. Famija Arciunesa (in italiano). 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[:4-13] 13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 ^13.3 ^13.4 ^13.5 ^13.6 ^13.7 Cicchetti, Stefano (21 September 2021). "Chi erano i Greci che liberarono Rimini" [Who were the Greeks who liberated Rimini?]. Chiamamicitta (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[:712-14] Masini, Manlio (18 October 2022). "San Lorenzo in Strada ritrova la sua amata chiesa parrocchiale" [San Lorenzo in Strada finds its beloved parish church again]. Corriere Romagna (in italiano). Retrieved 28 December 2023.

[:2-15] 15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 ^15.3 ^15.4 "I Cimiteri di Guerra tra Romagna e Marche" [The War Cemeteries between Romagna and the Marche]. La Città Invisibile (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[:5-16] 16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 Santini, Simone (24 September 2020). "Quando i neozelandesi liberarono Rimini" [When the New Zealanders liberated Rimini]. Il Ponte (in italiano). Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[:52-17] Malizia, Nicola (2011). "La nascita del "Giannetto Vassura"" [The birth of the "Giannetto Vassura"] (PDF). Ariminum. January–February 2011 (in italiano) (1). Rimini: Rimini Rotary Club: 10–12.

[18] Kay (1967), p. 222

[19] Kay (1967), p. 223

[barbaresi222222223-20] 20.00 ^20.01 ^20.02 ^20.03 ^20.04 ^20.05 ^20.06 ^20.07 ^20.08 ^20.09 ^20.10 ^20.11 ^20.12 Montemaggi, Andrea (2014). "L'offensiva della Linea Gotica" [The offensive of the Gothic Line] (PDF). Ariminum. September–October 2014 (in italiano). Rimini Rotary Club: 8–11. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

[:6-21] 21.0 ^21.1 ^21.2 ^21.3 ^21.4 ^21.5 ^21.6 ^21.7 Montemaggi, Andrea. "Gli alleati conquistano Rimini" [The Allies conquer Rimini] (PDF). Ariminum. September–October 2014 (in italiano). Rotary Club Rimini: 6–7.

[Kay225-22] 22.0 ^22.1 Kay (1967), p. 225

[:03-23] 23.00 ^23.01 ^23.02 ^23.03 ^23.04 ^23.05 ^23.06 ^23.07 ^23.08 ^23.09 Montemaggi, Andrea (22 April 2021). "Il diavolo aveva un ponte, quello di Tiberio". Il Resto del Carlino (in italiano). Retrieved 31 January 2024.

[:13-24] "History". Rimini Turismo. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.

[:12-25] 25.0 ^25.1 ^25.2 ^25.3 ^25.4 ^25.5 ^25.6 ^25.7 Gambetti, Nicola (21 June 2023). "Monumenti sopravvissuti: il Ponte di Tiberio". Rimini Sparita (in italiano). Retrieved 29 January 2024.

[:82-26] "Ponte di Tiberio a Rimini: curiosità, storia e leggenda" [Ponte di Tiberio in Rimini: Curiosity, history, and legend]. Lemurinviaggio (in italiano). 24 June 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2024.

[27] "Riccione. Seconda guerra mondiale, commemorazione dei militari greci morti per liberare il Riminese" [Riccione, Second World War: Commemoration of the Greek soldiers who died to liberate the Rimini area]. La Piazza (in italiano). 17 September 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2024.

[28] McKelvey Cleaver, Thomas (10 May 2016). The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing. Simon & Schuster. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-62157-543-6.

[:14-29] "Cimitero di guerra inglese" [English War Cemetery]. Terre di Coriano (in italiano). Retrieved 8 March 2024.

[:42-30] "Coriano Ridge War Cemetery". Commonwealth War Graves. Retrieved 8 March 2024.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|Part of the September 1944 battle during the Italian Campaign in the Second World War}}
+{{short description|Battle during the Italian Campaign of the Second World War}}
 {{About|the battle to capture the town of Rimini in September 1944|the use of the name as an alternative to Operation Olive, the wide offensive of [[15th Army Group]] in Italy on the Gothic Line|Gothic Line}}
-{{more footnotes|date=April 2022}}
+{{more footnotes needed|date=April 2010}}
 {{Infobox military conflict
 | conflict    = Battle of Rimini
@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 | date        = 13–21 September 1944
 | place       = [[Rimini]], Italy
-| coordinates =
+| coordinates         = {{coord|44|03|34|N|12|34|06|E|display=inline,title}}
 | territory   =
 | result      = Allied victory
 | status      =
-| combatant1  = {{flagdeco|Canada|1921}} [[Canada]]<br>{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Greece|state}}<br>{{flagcountry|Dominion of New Zealand}}
+| combatant1  = {{flagdeco|Canada|1921}} [[Canada]]<br />{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Greece|state}}<br />{{flagcountry|Dominion of New Zealand}}
 | combatant2  = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
 | combatant3  =
-| commander1  = {{Flagicon|Canada|1921}} [[E. L. M. Burns]]<br>{{Flagicon|Kingdom of Greece|state}} [[Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos]]
+| commander1  = {{Flagicon|Canada|1921}} [[E. L. M. Burns]]<br />{{Flagicon|Kingdom of Greece|state}} [[Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos]]
 | commander2  = {{Flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Traugott Herr]]
 | commander3  =
-| units1 = {{Flagicon|Canada|1921}} [[1st Canadian Division|1st Infantry Division]]<br>{{flagicon|Dominion of New Zealand}} [[2nd New Zealand Division|2nd Infantry Division]]<br>{{flagicon|Kingdom of Greece|state}} [[3rd Greek Mountain Brigade|3rd Mountain Brigade]]
+| units1 = {{Flagicon|Canada|1921}} [[1st Canadian Division|1st Infantry Division]]<br />{{flagicon|Dominion of New Zealand}} [[2nd New Zealand Division|2nd Infantry Division]]<br />{{flagicon|Kingdom of Greece|state}} [[3rd Greek Mountain Brigade|3rd Mountain Brigade]]
-| units2 ={{Flagicon|Nazi Germany}} 1st [[Fallschirmjäger (World War II)|Fallschirmjäger]] Regiment<br>[[File:Turkistan Legion patch.svg|20px]] [[Turkestan Legion]]
+| units2 ={{Flagicon|Nazi Germany}} 1st [[Fallschirmjäger (World War II)|Fallschirmjäger]] Regiment<br />[[File:Turkistan Legion patch.svg|20px]] [[Turkestan Legion]]
 | strength1   =
 | strength2   =
@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 }}
-The '''Battle of Rimini''' took place between 13 and 21 September 1944 during Operation Olive, the main Allied offensive on the [[Gothic Line]] in August and September 1944, part of the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]] in the [[Second World War]]. [[Rimini]], a town on the Adriatic coast of Italy, anchored the Rimini Line, a German defensive line which was the third such line forming the [[Gothic Line]] defences.
+The '''Battle of Rimini''' took place between 13 and 21 September 1944 during Operation Olive, the main [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] offensive on the [[Gothic Line]] in August and September 1944, part of the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]] in the [[Second World War]]. [[Rimini]], a city on Italy's [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic coast]], anchored the Rimini Line, a German defensive line which was the third such line of the Gothic Line defences.
-Rimini, which had been hit previously by 373 air raids, had 1,470,000 rounds fired against it by allied land forces; by the end of the battle, only 2% of all buildings in the city were still undamaged.<ref>[http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/rimini_res-c2072ce3-87e6-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ Enciclopedia Treccani]</ref>
+Rimini, which had been hit previously by 373 air raids, had 1,470,000 rounds fired against it by Allied land forces; by the end of the battle, only 2% of all buildings in the city escaped damage.<ref>[http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/rimini_res-c2072ce3-87e6-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ Enciclopedia Treccani]</ref>
-{{quote|The battle of Rimini was one of the hardest battles of Eighth Army. The fighting was comparable to [[Second Battle of El Alamein|El Alamein]], [[Battle of the Mareth Line|Mareth]] and the [[Battle of Monte Cassino|Gustav Line (Monte-Cassino)]].|sign=Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese, commander of the Eighth Army|}}
+==Background==
+=== Rimini during the Second World War ===
+Rimini is located in a militarily strategic position, at the southern tip of the [[Po Valley]], at a narrow passage along the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic coast]] where the plains of [[northern Italy]] meet the mountainous terrain of [[central Italy]].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=La Linea Gotica |trans-title=The Gothic Line |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/la-seconda-guerra-mondiale/la-linea-gotica.html |access-date=17 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it-IT}}</ref>
+Before the Battle of Rimini, Rimini had suffered sustained [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[Airstrike|aerial bombardment]] since November 1943. Many refugees from northern Italy had fled to Rimini between November 1942 and February 1943, only to flee again with the bombings.<ref name=":8" /> Of 40,000 inhabitants, only 3,000 remained, and the city centre was deserted.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":8" /> Around 55,000 refugees fled to the north, to the hinterland, and to the independent [[San Marino|Republic of San Marino]],<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":8" /> where they sheltered in the country's [[Rimini–San Marino railway|railway tunnels]].<ref name=":92">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=12 June 2023 |title=12 giugno 1932 - Viene inaugurata la ferrovia Rimini - San Marino |trans-title=12 June 1932: The Rimini–San Marino railway was opened |url=https://www.chiamamicitta.it/12-giugno-1932-viene-inaugurata-la-ferrovia-rimini-san-marino/ |access-date=2 November 2023 |website=Chiamami Città |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name=":30">{{Cite journal |last=Giuliani-Balestrino |first=Maria Clotilde |date=2005 |title=La superstrada Rimini-San Marino |trans-title=The Rimini-San Marino railway |url=https://studiericerche.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Giuliani-Balestrino-1-4.pdf |journal=Studi e Ricerche di Geografia |language=it-IT |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=1–4}}</ref> As the Allied frontline approached the city, [[Naval gunfire support|naval bombardment]] followed,<ref name=":8" /> and remaining citizens hid in makeshift shelters or in the caves by the Covignano hill.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last=Susini |first=Daniele |date=6 July 2016 |title=Guerra sul confine orientale della linea gotica: il caso Rimini |trans-title=War on the eastern border of the Gothic line: The Rimini case |url=https://www.novecento.org/dossier/la-linea-gotica-fra-ricerca-e-didattica/guerra-sul-confine-orientale-della-linea-gotica-il-caso-rimini/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Novecento.org |volume=6 |language=it-IT |doi=10.12977/nov129 |issn=2283-6837|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=20 September 2022 |title=21 settembre 1944 - Rimini liberata |trans-title=21 September 1944 – Rimini liberated |url=https://archivio.chiamamicitta.it/21-settembre-1944-rimini-liberata/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Chiamamicitta |language=it-IT}}</ref> [[Italian resistance movement|Partisan resistance]] was also notable in Rimini, with official reports of 400 young people involved in resistance cells. On 16 August 1944, three partisans were hanged in Rimini's central square, which would later be renamed in their honour.<ref name=":10" />
+Between November 1943 and September 1944, the total number of air, naval, and land bombings in the city numbered 396,<ref name=":9" /> destroying 82% of all buildings, the highest figure among Italian cities with over 50,000 inhabitants.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Gambetti |first=Nicola |date=20 June 2023 |title=Monumenti sopravvissuti: l'Arco d'Augusto |trans-title=Surviving monuments: The Arch of Augustus |url=https://riminisparita.it/monumenti-sopravvissuti-larco-daugusto/ |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=Rimini Sparita |language=it-IT}}</ref>
+=== The Gothic Line ===
+On 25 August 1944 the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|Eighth Army]] launched Operation Olive, attacking on a three Corps front up the eastern flank of Italy into the Gothic Line defences. By the first week in September, the offensive had broken through the forward defences of the Gothic Line and the defensive positions of the Green I line and United States [[United States Army North|Fifth Army]] entered the offensive in central Italy attacking towards [[Bologna]].<ref name=":1" />
+In the Eighth Army's centre, the [[1st Canadian Division]] had broken through Green II on the right of its front advancing to pinch out the Polish Corps on the very right of the army (and allowing the latter to be withdrawn to army reserve) but inland in the hills, the Corps' advance had been held up by stubborn defence at [[Coriano]] and [[V Corps (United Kingdom)|V Corps]] on the army's left flank had been halted at Croce and [[Battle of Gemmano|Gemmano]]. A new attack to clear the Green II positions in the hills and destroy the Rimini Line running from the port of Rimini inland to San Marino was scheduled to start on 12 September.<ref name=":1">Jackson, p.274.</ref>
+== Prelude ==
+=== Arrival of the front in Riccione ===
+In [[Riccione]], a sizeable town southeast of Rimini, from the evening of 2 September, the Germans retreated to a defensive line at the Rio Melo, defended by a single tank, allowing forces of the 1st Canadian Division to enter the town. The area between Viale Ceccarini, Riccione's principal high street, and the Rio Melo, a river lined with a port, became a no man's land until the Battle of Rimini had finished.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Galli |first=Fabio Glauco |title=La Città Invisibile - La Guerra a Riccione |trans-title=The invisible city: The war in Riccione |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/segni-storie-e-memorie/la-guerra-a-riccione.html |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it-IT}}</ref> The Hotel Adria, no longer extant, was requisitioned for soldiers engaged in the Battle of Rimini to take four days' leave on the beach.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Zaghini |first=Paolo |date=7 February 2021 |title=Quei ragazzi venuti dall'altro capo del mondo per liberare Riccione |trans-title=Those guys who came from the other side of the world to liberate Riccione |url=https://www.chiamamicitta.it/quei-ragazzi-venuti-dallaltro-capo-del-mondo-per-liberare-riccione/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Chiamami Città |language=it-IT}}</ref>
+Behind the Canadian Division was the [[3rd Greek Mountain Brigade]] ({{langx|el|ΙΙΙ Ελληνική Ορεινή Ταξιαρχία}}). On 8 and 10 September, near the village of [[Cattolica]], the Greeks pushed back two German attacks.
+=== 3–12 September: Battle of San Lorenzo in Strada ===
+[[File:San Lorenzo in Strada Riccione 1944.jpg|thumb|The Church of San Lorenzo in Strada in [[Riccione]] after the battle, {{Circa|1944}}]]
+To Riccione's northwest, the ancient town of San Lorenzo in Strada was heavily fortified by General [[Richard Heidrich]]'s [[1st Parachute Division (Germany)|1st Parachute Division]], who barricaded themselves in the church with instructions to fight until the end.<ref name=":invi">{{Cite web |last=Galli |first=Fabio Glauco |title=La Città Invisibile - La Guerra a Riccione |trans-title=The invisible city: The war in Riccione |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/segni-storie-e-memorie/la-guerra-a-riccione.html |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last= |date=11 December 2020 |title=La battaglia di San Lorenzo nell'assalto alla Linea Gotica |trans-title=The battle of San Lorenzo in the assault on the Gothic Line |url=https://www.famijarciunesa.org/la-battaglia-di-san-lorenzo-nellassalto-alla-linea-gotica/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Famija Arciunesa |language=it-IT}}</ref> San Lorenzo sat on a hilltop along a curve in the Via Flaminia before [[Federico Fellini International Airport|Rimini airfield]], and was therefore strategically important.<ref name=":02" />
+On 3 September, the 1st Parachute Division engaged the Canadians, who had reached Riccione's southern outskirt of Abyssinia. The battle in San Lorenzo, which included sword-fighting in the church, claimed 31 soldiers and 124 wounded or missing, with the Canadians reduced to 18 men before they suspended their attack on 6 September.<ref name=":02" />
+By 12 September, the Greeks had joined the Canadians in Riccione, with orders to lead the right flank during the Canadians' offensive on Rimini.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Cicchetti |first=Stefano |date=21 September 2021 |title=Chi erano i Greci che liberarono Rimini |trans-title=Who were the Greeks who liberated Rimini? |url=https://archivio.chiamamicitta.it/chi-erano-i-greci-che-liberarono-rimini/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Chiamamicitta |language=it-IT}}</ref> The Greeks were notorious for their poor behaviour towards locals and consequently ordered not to pass underneath the railway that bisected Riccione.<ref name=":0" /> On the night of 12–13 September, a second attack on San Lorenzo, supported by the 3rd Greek Battalion and the [[20th Battalion (New Zealand)|20th New Zealand Armoured Regiment]], claimed the church after four and a half hours.<ref name=":02" /> The church was destroyed.<ref name=":712">{{Cite web |last=Masini |first=Manlio |date=18 October 2022 |title=San Lorenzo in Strada ritrova la sua amata chiesa parrocchiale |trans-title=San Lorenzo in Strada finds its beloved parish church again |url=https://www.corriereromagna.it/archivio/san-lorenzo-in-strada-ritrova-la-sua-amata-chiesa-parrocchiale-CUCR414574 |access-date=28 December 2023 |website=[[Corriere Romagna]] |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=I Cimiteri di Guerra tra Romagna e Marche |trans-title=The War Cemeteries between Romagna and the Marche |url=https://www.lacittainvisibile.it/la-seconda-guerra-mondiale/un-itinerario/i-cimiteri-di-guerra.html |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=La Città Invisibile |language=it}}</ref>
+==Battle==
+=== 13–14 September: Battle of Monaldini and Monticelli ===
+[[File:Rimini Cemetery Lecythus.jpg|thumb|A [[Lekythos|lecythus]] in [[Athens War Museum]] containing ground from the Hellenic Military Cemetery in [[Riccione]]]]
+On 13 September, the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade, supported by the combined armour and infantry of the B squadron of the 20th New Zealand Armoured Regiment and the [[22nd Battalion (New Zealand)|22nd Motor Battalion]] from the [[2nd New Zealand Division]], launched an attack to take Rimini. Supporting the brigade were infantry, mortars and machine guns from the Canadian [[Saskatoon Light Infantry]], and 33 [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder|17pdr guns]] from New Zealand.
+Initially, the Greeks attacked Monaldini and Monticelli, two small agricultural hamlets about {{Convert|500|m|ft|abbr=off}} southwest of San Lorenzo. The settlements were defended by the 1st Parachute Division and some ''[[Osttruppen]]'' described as Turkomen (likely a Turkestani ''[[Ostlegion]]'' battalion from the [[162nd Turkoman Division]]).<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Santini |first=Simone |date=24 September 2020 |title=Quando i neozelandesi liberarono Rimini |trans-title=When the New Zealanders liberated Rimini |url=https://www.ilponte.com/quando-i-neozelandesi-liberarono-rimini/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Il Ponte |language=it-IT}}</ref> The Germans were well prepared and held off the Greeks, who lost almost one hundred troops,<ref name=":3" /> more than a third of the troops engaged since the beginning of the action.<ref name=":5" />
-==Background==
+During the night of 13–14 September, the 1st Canadian Brigade gathered on the southern bank of the [[Marano (river)|Marano Stream]], north of San Lorenzo in Strada. The Greeks launched a night attack at 02:00, supported by the 3rd Canadian Brigade, followed by the 1st Canadian Brigade at 06:30.<ref name=":4" />
-On 23 August 1944 the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|Eighth Army]] launched Operation Olive, attacking on a three Corps front up the eastern flank of Italy into the Gothic Line defences. By the first week in September the offensive had broken through the forward defences of the Gothic Line and the defensive positions of the Green I line and United States Fifth Army entered the offensive in central Italy attacking towards [[Bologna]].
+On 14 September, 7 and 8 troops of the B Squadron were added to the attack on Monaldini. Soon after, a platoon from 22nd Motor Battalion aided the attack on Monticelli with the support of 5 and 6 Troops' [[Sherman tank]]s. By 20:00, Monaldini had been taken with only light casualties. The Greek and New Zealand forces turned to Monticelli, but the German defenders abandoned the settlement as soon as they approached.<ref name=":5" />
+=== 15–17 September: Battle of Rimini Airfield ===
+[[File:Αναμνηστικό της ΙΙΙ Ελληνικής Ορεινής Ταξιαρχίας, ΙΙΙ Ε. Ο. Τ. «Ρίμινι».jpg|thumb|Banner of the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade commemorating the battle of Rimini (Athens War Museum)]]
+On 15 September, the Greeks launched an assault on [[Federico Fellini International Airport|Rimini airfield]], west of the village of [[Miramare di Rimini|Miramare]]. The airfield had been used as a [[prisoner-of-war camp]] for captured Allied soldiers.<ref name=":52">{{Cite journal |last=Malizia |first=Nicola |year=2011 |title=La nascita del "Giannetto Vassura" |trans-title=The birth of the "Giannetto Vassura" |url=https://www.rotaryrimini.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ar_48_ARIMINUM-genn-febbr-low.pdf |journal=Ariminum |series=January–February 2011 |language=it-IT |location=Rimini |publisher=[[Rotary International|Rimini Rotary Club]] |issue=1 |pages=10–12}}</ref>
+At 10:00, the 1st Greek Battalion crossed the Marano Stream at the southern end of the airfield, and immediately came under intense fire from German positions around the airfield. The Greeks halted to reorganise themselves for an attack. C Squadron of the [[18th Battalion (New Zealand)|18th New Zealand Armoured Regiment]] relieved B Squadron 20th Armoured Regiment in the line supporting the Greeks.<ref>Kay (1967), [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita-c5-4.html#n222 p. 222]</ref> After requesting air support, Allied fighter and bomber planes attacked the western side of the airfield, and the Greeks attacked shortly afterwards.
+The 1st Greek Battalion, which attacked the airfield, was heavily resisted. Fire from the airfield inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing Greeks; however, support from the New Zealand tanks and infantry was well-coordinated as one of the New Zealand officers spoke Greek. The tanks fired on each house lining the south of the airfield to ensure that they were not occupied. As the Greeks and New Zealanders approached the defensive positions, they came under fire from infantry, ''[[Panzerschreck]]'' anti-tank rockets, self-propelled guns, and emplaced [[Panzer V|Panther]] turrets. The heavy fire pinned the advance just short of the airfield. Meanwhile, the tanks edged around a hedgerow to avoid the anti-tank fire, but soon found themselves at the forefront of the attack. A German self-propelled gun knocked out a Sherman, but the New Zealanders continued forward and knocked out enemy positions with high-explosives and grenades, forcing the Germans to withdraw from their positions. The crew of a Panther turret abandoned it during the night.
-In the Eighth Army's centre 1st Canadian Corps had broken through Green II on the right of its front advancing to pinch out the Polish Corps on the very right of the army (and allowing the latter to be withdrawn to army reserve) but inland in the hills the Corps' advance had been held up by stubborn defence at Coriano and [[V Corps (United Kingdom)|V Corps]] on the army's left flank had been halted at Croce and [[Battle of Gemmano|Gemmano]]. A new attack to clear the Green II positions in the hills and destroy the Rimini Line running from the port of Rimini inland to [[San Marino]] was scheduled to start on 12 September.<ref>Jackson, p.274.</ref>
+Separately, the 2nd Greek Battalion, to the right of the 1st Greek Battalion, attacked up the Via Flaminia, but became separated from their supporting New Zealand tanks. The Greeks were halted by mines and heavy defensive fire from the eastern side of the airfield and nearby houses.
-==Battle of Rimini==
+On the left flank, the 3rd Greek Battalion attacked the hamlet of Casalecchio, a crossroads with a few houses and a church, supported by New Zealand tanks and infantry. The Greeks quickly cleared the houses, but the church was defended by paratroops. A combined attack by Greek and New Zealand infantry and tanks drove the paratroopers out. Heavy machine-gun and mortar fire from the airfield halted any further advance.
-[[File:20090802_athina_evzone49.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Athens)|Tomb of the Unknown Soldier]] in Athens. The inscription "ΡΙΜΙΝΙ" can be seen in the stone carved text right above the guard's foot.]]
-[[File:Rimini Cemetery Lecythus.jpg|thumb|Lecythus in the [[Athens War Museum|AWM]] containing ground from the Greek military cemetery in Rimini.]]
-Just south of Rimini, attached to  [[1st Canadian Division]], was [[3rd Greek Mountain Brigade]] ({{lang-el|ΙΙΙ Ελληνική Ορεινή Ταξιαρχία}}, ΙΙΙ Ε.Ο.Τ.), a unit of [[mountain infantry]] formed by the [[Greek government in exile]] on 1 July 1944 in Lebanon under the command of Colonel [[Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos]]. Near the village of [[Cattolica]] they pushed back two strong German attacks on 8 and 10 September. On 13 September the brigade, supported by the combined armour and infantry of B squadron, 20th New Zealand Armoured Regiment and 22 New Zealand Motor Battalion from [[2nd New Zealand Division]], launched a counterattack to take Rimini. Also supporting the brigade were infantry, mortars and machine guns from the Canadian Saskatoon Light Infantry (SLI) and New Zealand 33 Anti-tank battery fielding [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder|17pdr guns]].
-The initial attack on 13 September saw the Greeks attacking two small farm settlements on the Marano road. The two settlements (Monaldini and Monticelli) were defended by 1st Parachute Regiment (''1. [[Fallschirmjäger (World War II)|Fallschirmjäger]] Regiment'') and some ''[[Osttruppen]]'' described as Turkomen (likely a Turkestani ''[[Ostlegion]]'' battalion from the [[162nd Turkoman Division]]). The Germans were well prepared and held off the Greeks.
+On 16 September, the Greeks continued to mop up around the airfield, most of which they held, though one Panther turret was still in operation. The 3rd Greek Battalion advanced up the left through the hedges and ditches beyond Casalecchio until they came level with the 1st Greek Battalion in the centre. They were under constant fire and had to clear several landmines. On the right flank, the 2nd Greek Battalion advanced. Anti-tank fire was lighter than the previous day.
-The following day 7 and 8 Troop of the B Squadron, 20th Armoured Regiment were added to the attack on Monaldini, while soon after a platoon from 22nd Motor Battalion aided the attack on Monticelli with the support of 5 and 6 Troops' [[Sherman tank]]s. By 2000 hours the Monaldini farm had been taken, with only light casualties. The focus then turned to Monticelli, where the Greeks and New Zealanders once again attacked. The German defenders cleared out of the position as soon as the attackers approached and the farm was in Allied hands a short time later.
+On 17 September, the three Greek battalions continued their advance. Several attempts were made to knock out the remaining Panther turret with aircraft and artillery, but it finally fell to one of the New Zealand Shermans working around its flank. It fired several anti-tank rounds into the turret before the crew eventually evacuated.<ref>Kay (1967), [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita-c5-4.html#n223 p. 223]</ref> With the airfield was taken, the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade turned its attention towards Rimini itself.
-On 15 September the Greeks launched an assault on the Rimini airfield. The 1st Greek Battalion crossed the Marano River (a stream with only a gentle flow of water) at 1000 hours, and immediately came under intense fire from German positions around the airfield. The Greeks halted to re-organise themselves for an attack. C Squadron, 18th New Zealand Armoured Regiment relieved B Squadron 20th Armoured Regiment in the line supporting the Greeks.<ref>Kay (1967), [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita-c5-4.html#n222 p. 222]</ref> Air support was called in and Allied fighter/bombers attacked the western side of the airfield, and the Greeks attacked shortly afterwards.
+=== 18–20 September: Approaching Rimini ===
+With the airfield captured, the offensive to retake Rimini began in earnest on 18 September.'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223">{{Cite journal |last=Montemaggi |first=Andrea |year=2014 |title=L'offensiva della Linea Gotica |trans-title=The offensive of the Gothic Line |url=https://www.rotaryrimini.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Ariminum-Settembre-Ottobre-2014.pdf |journal=Ariminum |series=September–October 2014 |language=it-IT |publisher=[[Rotary International|Rimini Rotary Club]] |pages=8–11 |access-date=14 February 2024}}</ref>''' The 2nd and 3rd Battalions pushed towards Rimini from the southeast. Supported by the New Zealand regiments, they encountered heavy resistance once again from the German paratroops. Meanwhile, to the southwest, the 1st Canadian Division was contesting the area of [[San Fortunato, Rimini|San Fortunato]], on the Covignano hill overlooking Rimini,'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />'''<ref name=":6" /> with over a million artillery strikes on the hill alone.'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />'''<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Montemaggi |first=Andrea |title=Gli alleati conquistano Rimini |trans-title=The Allies conquer Rimini |url=https://www.rotaryrimini.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Ariminum-Settembre-Ottobre-2014.pdf |journal=Ariminum |series=September–October 2014 |language=it-IT |publisher=[[Rotary International|Rotary Club Rimini]] |pages=6–7}}</ref> The Canadian attack, which had broken the German defence by the morning of 20 September,'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />''' threatened the defending forces with being outflanked.<ref name="Kay225">Kay (1967), [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita-c5-5.html#n225 p. 225]</ref> Despite the [[2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)|Queen's Bays]]' armoured column being destroyed at Montecieco, the German troops were forced to retreat to Vergiano and the [[Marecchia]] river, chased also by the Indian divisions returning from the [[Battle of San Marino]].'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />'''
-The 1st Greek Battalion attacked the airfield itself, the 2nd Greek Battalion then attacked up the Route 16 road and the 3rd Battalion attacked the small village of Casalecchio.
+By 16:30 on 20 September, the battalions were in the southern outskirts of Rimini, with the 2nd Greek Battalion having captured the [[Madonna della Colonnella, Rimini|Church of Colonnella]].<ref name=":4" /> Rimini had been the site of 700 artillery strikes and 486 aerial raids,'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />'''<ref name=":6" /> and 90% of its buildings had been razed. [[Albert Kesselring]], in charge of the German defence in Italy, suggested that soldiers defend the city to exert maximum damage on the attacking forces. General [[Heinrich von Vietinghoff]] established a defensive line north of the Marecchia river, and persuaded Kesselring, also in light of a heavy rain that evening that began at 18:00, that any unsupported defence of the city would not last long. At 19:30, the German forces were ordered to retreat overnight.'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />'''<ref name=":6" />
+[[File:Arco d'Augusto Rimini 1944.jpg|thumb|150px|A tank in front of Rimini's [[Arch of Augustus (Rimini)|Arch of Augustus]] in 1944]]
+To slow down the Allied advance, buildings were demolished at street corners, alongside most bridges over the Marecchia River.<ref name=":9" /> Marshal Willi Trageser of the [[2nd Parachute Division (Germany)|2nd Parachute Division]] was charged with destroying both the [[Arch of Augustus (Rimini)|Arch of Augustus]] and the [[Ponte di Tiberio (Rimini)|Ponte di Tiberio]],<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Montemaggi |first=Andrea |date=22 April 2021 |title=Il diavolo aveva un ponte, quello di Tiberio |url=https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/rimini/cronaca/il-diavolo-aveva-un-ponte-quello-di-tiberio-cpt6d4j7 |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=[[Il Resto del Carlino]] |language=it}}</ref> Rimini's definining [[Augustus|Augustan]] monuments at either end of its {{Lang|la|[[decumanus maximus]]}}.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |date=21 April 2020 |title=History |url=https://riminiturismo.it/en/visitatori/scopri-il-territorio/arte-e-cultura/passato-presente/history |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Rimini Turismo |language=en |archive-date=26 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126154449/https://riminiturismo.it/en/visitatori/scopri-il-territorio/arte-e-cultura/passato-presente/history |url-status=dead }}</ref> Trageser defied Lieutenant Kenneth Renberg's orders to demolish the arch, saying after the war:<ref name=":03" />{{Blockquote|text=I personally gave the order not to blow up the arch, taking full responsibility for it. It seemed absurd to me to destroy a historical monument of this kind to achieve no result, given that the arch was isolated in the middle of a square and, therefore, traffic could have continued perfectly well, both to the right and left of the monument itself.|author=Marshal Willi Trageser}}As for the Ponte di Tiberio, Trageser reported to his command that "the bridge had blown",<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Gambetti |first=Nicola |date=21 June 2023 |title=Monumenti sopravvissuti: il Ponte di Tiberio |url=https://riminisparita.it/monumenti-sopravvissuti-il-ponte-di-tiberio/ |access-date=29 January 2024 |website=Rimini Sparita |language=it-IT}}</ref> when instead, according to Trageser, several attempts to detonate the bridge had failed, leading to minimal damage.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":12" /> Trageser was using low-quality [[ammonal]],<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":12" /> laid in {{Convert|100|kg|lb|abbr=off}} at the bridge's base and {{Convert|160|kg|lb|abbr=off}} across eight charges under the road surface. Only two charges exploded, which Trageser attributed to a crossing of wires along the bridge's gutter,<ref name=":03" /> causing small exploisons. The ammonal was also likely weakened by rain.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":12" /> Colonel Horst Pretzell and Lieutenant Colonel [[Rudolf Rennecke]] later said that the German high command had ordered the bridge to be spared, though the order was not communicated to the evacuating troops.<ref name=":12" /> In any case, the Marecchia had flooded after heavy rainfall during the overnight retreat on 20–21 September 1944.<ref name=":7" /> Trageser's account was accepted by the German high command.<ref name=":03" /> According to the post-war account of a soldier involved in the detonations, the poor wire connections were intended by Trageser.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":12" /> The Ponte di Tiberio was the only bridge not to be destroyed along the Marecchia during the German retreat.<ref name=":82">{{Cite web |last= |date=24 June 2020 |title=Ponte di Tiberio a Rimini: curiosità, storia e leggenda |trans-title=Ponte di Tiberio in Rimini: Curiosity, history, and legend |url=https://lemurinviaggio.com/ponte-di-tiberio-a-rimini-tra-storia-e-leggenda/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Lemurinviaggio |language=it-IT}}</ref> On 29 January 1957,<ref name=":03" /> during road maintenance works,<ref name=":12" /> undetonated sticks of ammonal were found on the bridge, which was temporarily closed to ensure their safe removal.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":12" />
-The 1st Greek Battalion once more ran into stiff resistance from the airfield defenders. Fire from airfield inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing Greeks, however support from the New Zealand tanks and infantry was better co-ordinated as one of the New Zealand officers spoke Greek. The tanks were able to fire on each house lining the south of the airfield to ensure they weren't occupied. As the Greeks and New Zealanders approached the defensive positions they came under fire from infantry, anti-tank rockets (''[[Panzerschreck]]s''), self-propelled guns, and emplaced [[Panzer V|Panther]] turrets. The heavy fire pinned the advance just short of the airfield. Meanwhile, the tanks edged around a hedgerow to avoid the anti-tank fire, but soon found themselves at the forefront of the attack. A German self-propelled gun knocked out a Sherman, but the New Zealanders continued forward and knocked out enemy positions with high-explosives and grenades, forcing the Germans to withdraw from their positions. The crew of a Panther turret abandoned it during the night.
+=== 21 September: Capture of Rimini ===
+[[File:Protocol of surrender of the city of Rimini - Athens War Museum.jpg|right|thumb|Protocol of surrender of the city of Rimini - Athens War Museum]]
+On the morning of 21 September, the 2nd Greek Battalion advanced towards the bridge over the [[Ausa (river)|Ausa]] in front of Rimini's city gates.'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />'''<ref name=":6" /> There they met two New Zealand officers scouting for access routes.'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />''' The battalion passed through the Arch of Augustus into Rimini's city centre. Informed by two inhabitants that the Germans had abandoned the city,'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />'''<ref name=":6" /> they called for New Zealand's tanks to enter the city through Piazza Malatesta and then Piazza Cavour.'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />''' The Canadians, attacking from the west, reached the Bridge of Tiberius before the Greeks.'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />'''<ref name=":6" /> Rimini was effectively a [[ghost town]], with few inhabitants remaining.<ref name=":7" />'''<ref name="barbaresi222222223" />'''<ref name=":6" />
-The 2nd Greek Battalion, on the right of the brigade, attacked up the Route 16 road, but became separated from their supporting New Zealand tanks. The Greeks were halted by mines and heavy defensive fire from the east side of the airfield and nearby houses. The 3rd Greek Battalion attacked the village of Casalecchio on the left flank, supported by New Zealand tanks and infantry. The little village stood on a crossroads with a few houses and a church. The Greek infantry quickly cleared the houses, but the paratroops in the church proved harder to move. The church was finally cleared when a combined attack by Greek and New Zealand infantry and tanks drove the paratroopers out. However heavy machine-gun and mortar fire from the airfield halted any further advance. The following day (16 September) the Greeks continued to mop up around the airfield, most of which they held, though one Panther turret was still in operation. The 3rd Greek Battalion advanced up the left through the hedges and ditches beyond Casalecchio until they came level with the 1st Greek Battalion in the centre. Their task was made difficult as they had occasionally to clear minefields and were under constant fire. The 2nd Greek Battalion advanced up the right flank of the airfield. Anti-tank fire was lighter than the previous day.
+The Greeks raised the flag on the balcony of the city hall. At 07:45 on 21 September, the mayor unconditionally surrendered the city to the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade with an official protocol written in Greek, English, and Italian.<ref name="Kay225" /> A ceremony was held in the afternoon, in the presence of the participating allied brigades.<ref name=":4" /> By the evening, the Canadian flag joined the Greek flag over the city hall.<ref name=":7" />
-The following day (17 September) the three battalions continued their advance. Several attempts were made to knock out the remaining Panther turret with aircraft and artillery, but it finally fell to one of the New Zealand Shermans working around its flank. It fired several anti-tank rounds into the turret before the crew eventually evacuated.<ref>Kay (1967), [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita-c5-4.html#n223 p. 223]</ref> Once the airfield was taken the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade turned its attention towards Rimini itself.  On 18 September the 2nd and 3rd Battalions pushed on to Rimini, towards the coastal suburbs of the town. They encountered heavy resistance once again from the German paratroops, but with the aid of New Zealand and Canadian support were finally able to push into the outskirts of the town on 20 September. They pushed on into Rimini from the south, only to find the city abandoned by the Germans who had been forced to withdraw by the outflanking threat created by the fall of San Fortunato to 1st Canadian Division.<ref name="Kay225">Kay (1967), [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita-c5-5.html#n225 p. 225]</ref>
+==Legacy==
+[[File:20090802_athina_evzone49.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Athens)|Tomb of the Unknown Soldier]] in Athens. The inscription "ΡΙΜΙΝΙ" can be seen in the stone carved text right above the guard's foot.]]After the war, the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade was called by the honorific title "Rimini Brigade" ({{lang|el|"Ταξιαρχία Ρίμινι"}}).<ref name=":2" /> 114 Greek soldiers are buried in a cemetery in Riccione's Fontanelle area, along the [[Via Flaminia]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 September 2018 |title=Riccione. Seconda guerra mondiale, commemorazione dei militari greci morti per liberare il Riminese |trans-title=Riccione, Second World War: Commemoration of the Greek soldiers who died to liberate the Rimini area |url=https://lapiazzarimini.it/2018/riccione-seconda-guerra-mondiale-commemorazione-dei-militari-greci-morti-per-liberare-il-riminese/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=La Piazza |language=it-IT}}</ref> Gothic Line historian {{Interlanguage link|Amedeo Montemaggi|it||WD=}} suggested that the Allied command had assigned the Battle of Rimini to the provisional Greek government, who had asked for a prestigious military result, because of its feasibility and the city's proximity to the [[Rubicon]], made famous by [[Julius Caesar]]'s [[Crossing the Rubicon|crossing]], lending the battle a historical-cultural importance.<ref name=":4" /> In local memory, neither the Greeks nor the Canadians were remembered fondly for their treatment of the local population,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7" /> with a local [[Romagnol]] saying: {{Lang|rgn|i n'era tendri}} (they weren't tender).<ref name=":4" />[[File:WWII Memorial for Greek soldiers, Rimini.jpeg|thumb|The Hellenic Military Cemetery in [[Riccione]], January 2006]]
+[[Oliver Leese]], the commander of the Eighth Army, which was engaged in the nearby [[Battle of Coriano]], called the battle to take Rimini "one of the hardest battles of the Eighth Army ... comparable to [[Battle of El Alamein|El Alamein]], [[Battle of the Mareth Line|Mareth]], and the [[Gustav Line]] ([[Battle of Monte Cassino|Monte Cassino]])".<ref>{{Cite book |last=McKelvey Cleaver |first=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZNN1CwAAQBAJ |title=The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing |date=10 May 2016 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-62157-543-6 |pages=156 |language=en}}</ref> 6,668 civilian and military fatalities were officially recorded, with over 6,000 injured and missing.<ref name=":9" /> Within 37 days of the Battle of Rimini, over 10,000 soldiers had died between the Allied and [[Axis powers|Axis]] forces.<ref name=":2" /> In Coriano, the [[Coriano Ridge War Cemetery]] numbers 1,939 Allied soldiers,<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=Cimitero di guerra inglese |trans-title=English War Cemetery |url=https://terredicoriano.it/scoprire/cimitero-di-guerra-inglese/ |access-date=8 March 2024 |website=Terre di Coriano |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name=":42">{{Cite web |title=Coriano Ridge War Cemetery |url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2004100/coriano-ridge-war-cemetery/ |access-date=8 March 2024 |website=[[Commonwealth War Graves]]}}</ref> of which fifty were buried unidentified. There are also Anglo-Canadian cemeteries in Montecchio (near [[Vallefoglia]]; 582 burials) and [[Gradara]] (1,192 burials), and an Indian cemetery (618 burials) on the [[San Marino Highway]].<ref name=":2" />
-On the morning of 21 September the 2nd Greek Battalion reached the city centre via the Ausa River and raised the Greek flag on the balcony of the municipal building. At 7:45 of 21 September the mayor unconditionally surrendered the city to the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade with an official protocol that is written in Greek, English and Italian.<ref name="Kay225"/>
+On 16 January 1961, [[Giovanni Gronchi]], [[President of Italy]], gave the city of Rimini the [[Award for Civil Valor|Gold Medal for Civil Valour]] by presidential decree, with the following motivation:<ref name=":9" />
-The actions of the Greek brigade during the battle earned it the honorific title "Rimini Brigade" ({{lang|el|"Ταξιαρχία Ρίμινι"}}).
+{{blockquote|Faithful to its most noble traditions, [Rimini] suffered stoically the most serious destructions of the war, and took a very valid part in the liberation struggle, attesting, with the sacrifice of numerous of her children, her most pure faith in a better, free, and democratic Italy.|sign=|}}
-==Notes==
+== References ==
-;Citations
+===Notes===
 {{Reflist}}
-;References
+===Sources===
 * {{cite book| last1=Jackson| first1=General Sir William| last2=Gleave| first2=Group Captain T.P.|editor-last=Butler| editor-first=Sir James| editor-link=James Ramsay Montagu Butler | series=History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series| title=The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume VI: Victory in the Mediterranean, Part 2 - June to October 1944| publisher=Naval & Military Press |location=Uckfield, UK |year=2004| orig-year=1st. pub. [[HMSO]]:1987| isbn=1-84574-071-8| name-list-style=amp}}
 * {{cite book| url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita.html |chapter-url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita-c5-4.html| series=Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-1945| title=Italy Volume II: From Cassino to Trieste| first=Robin| last=Kay| location=Wellington, N.Z.| publisher=Historical Publications Branch, Department of Internal Affairs New Zealand| year=1967| chapter=Chapter 5, Section IV: The Rimini Corridor and Section V: The Capture of Rimini}}
@@ Line 77: / Line 126: @@
 * {{cite book | first=Amedeo |last=Montemaggi | title=CLAUSEWITZ SULLA LINEA GOTICA| publisher=Angelini Editore|location=Imola | year=2008 }}
 * {{cite book | first=Amedeo |last=Montemaggi | title=ITINERARI DELLA LINEA GOTICA 1944. Guida storico iconografica ai campi di battaglia| publisher=Museo dell'Aviazione|location=Rimini | year=2010 }}
-* The Greek Army in World War II Army General Staff/History Directorate Edition
 ==External links==
 * {{cite web| url=http://www.gothicline.org/inglese/offensiva/offensiva.htm| title=Battle of Rimini| work=Gothic Line website| last=Montemaggi| first=Amedeo| year=2002| access-date=2009-03-12| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008025642/http://www.gothicline.org/inglese/offensiva/offensiva.htm| archive-date=2008-10-08| url-status=dead}}
-* [http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita.html Italy Volume II : From Cassino to Trieste]
+* [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Ita.html Italy Volume II : From Cassino to Trieste]
 {{Greece during World War II}}
-{{coord missing|Italy}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rimini, Battle Of}}
-[[Category:World War II operations and battles of the Italian Campaign]]
+[[Category:Battles and operations of the Italian campaign (World War II)]]
 [[Category:Italy in World War II]]
 [[Category:Land battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom|Rimini]]
@@ Line 93: / Line 141: @@
 [[Category:Battles of World War II involving New Zealand]]
 [[Category:Battles of World War II involving Germany]]
-[[Category:September 1944 events]]
+[[Category:September 1944 in Europe]]
-[[Category:Battles in Emilia-Romagna|Rimini]]
+[[Category:Military history of Emilia-Romagna|Rimini]]