Italians I.

This is coolbert:

German ground offensive action during the end of the Second World War Two [WW2] being almost non-existent as you might expect, and but with one occasion when occurring unsuccessful.

That one exception being Winter Storm. An Axis ground offensive, Italian and German army units acting in concert, Winter Storm SUCCESSFUL in a manner that Ardennes [1944] and Balaton [1945] were ultimately NOT!

Axis forces, reconstituted Italian fascist troops still loyal to Mussolini bolstered by German contingents taking advantage of:

* Weather.
* Terrain.

* And a possible perception they were attacking a weak sector in the American portion of the combined allied force during the Italian campaign.

That weak sector the operational area of the American 92nd Division. That division at the time consisting of what were called "colored troops", the segregated American army, black enlisted men commanded by white officers.

Winter Storm granted limited in all manner as best and however defined, scope, scale, time, objectives, etc.

[Winter Storm [1944] not to be confused with Winter Storm [1942, the attempted overland relief of the German Sixth Army besieged at Stalingrad.]

NONETHELESS German and Italian units on the offensive, ground forces, achieving their goals the last time  the Axis were able to do so during WW2!

"Operation Winter Storm (German: Unternehmen Wintergewitter), the small-scale German-Italian 1944 Christmas offensive on the Apennine Mountains in Italy, was the last meaningful feat of arms of the dying World War II Rome-Berlin Axis, and one of the last examples of the German tactical and operational mastery."

[the German general officer Fretter-Pico in overall command, an accomplished and experienced officer having seen a lot of combat on the Eastern Front.]

Ned Almond the forever controversial commander of the 92nd Division a man subject to a degree of criticism both during WW2 and the Korean War for rather lackluster performance a mediocre leader at best, poor to incompetent at worst? More on Ned Almond later.

That reconstituted fascist army loyal to Mussolini and participating in combat action in the aftermath of the armistice between Italy and the allies this I had not heard of before. Other than Decima MAS and those two brigades of Italian Waffen SS further Italian contributions to the war effort on the side of the fascists was slim to none, so is the perception - - EXCEPT FOR WINTER STORM!!

coolbert.