ATTACK! BREAKTHROUGH! ROME! THE blow came from the south at 2300 11 May. After three bitter days the 85th and 88th divisions and the French Corps blasted the Gustav line from the Liri valley to the sea. The Beachhead divisions hacked their way out 12 days later and on 25 May leading elements of the forces coming up from the south made contact with men from Anzio. The Krauts were badly beaten and the Fifth moved rapidly toward Rome. At dusk 4 June, special task forces moved into the city. The next morning the main body passed through—the first army in history to capture Rome from the south. There were cheering crowds, flowers, vino and the prettiest girls seen in Italy up fo that time. The men who had walked and fought all the way from Minturno and Cisterna took the reception in stride. In the afternoon they moved out of the city and back into the war.

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