Italian Front
Situation Report Dec 23rd 1944 Turn 78
Army Group C
With the failure of the Normandy landings and the southern France landings hanging in the balance, with Russia on the verge of surrender the picture looks bleak for the Western Allies, east front troops will be transferred west over time and the balance will change.
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With the situation dire the enemy launches a massive assault concentrating on certain sectors of the front, at Grazzanise the scene of countless battles thus far over the course of the campaign, US forces with 101st Airborne leading attempt to push General Balck's LXXX ArmeeKorps from the city, but the attack is held with heavy losses of US Paratroopers.
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North of the LXXXX ArmeeKorps positions Kuebler's troops come under huge pressure as the Allies throw everything they have at 14th Armee, a massive armoured assault backed by five Infantry Divisions push the defences, the opening attack is halted but the enemy follows up with a second attack, LXXXXVII ArmeeKorps manages to hold despite two more attempts to breakthrough Axis positions.
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In the centre Hube's XIV Pz Korps line is also threatened as Brit 8th Army launches a series of combined attacks towards Isernia, despite being outnumbered two to one in tanks the Panzers hold.
On the Adriatic line an assault lead by the Pol 2nd Corps attempts to push Erich Straube's Panzer troops away from the Biferno river defences and allow US and Commonwealth forces to advance across,16th Panzer contains the attack and pushes the enemy back with heavy losses.
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