May 1944

Italy

The US 5th Army orders the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion be dropped in the Galla di Monte Orso area north of Monte Romano to speed the advance of the II Corps. In the II Corps area, the 338th Infantry of the 85th Division finds Gaeta abandoned by the enemy. Elements of the 339th move toward Itri to assist the 88th Division while others clear the hills south of Highway 7. The 351st Infantry, 88th Division, captures Monte Grande with ease. A patrol clears stragglers from Itri, where the 249th Infantry soon arrives. The 350th Infantry takes up positions east of Itri. The Germans order the withdrawal of troops south of the Liri and east of Pico to the line Pico-Pontecorvo.

In the FEC area, a Mountain Corps column takes Campodimele and cuts Highway 82 near Monte Vele.

In the British 8th Army area, the Canadian I Corps and the British XIII Corps attempt unsuccessfully to breach the Hitler Line before its defenses can be organized, the former in the Pontecorvo area and the latter at Aquino.