Reviewed by Doc Snafu on November 17, 2025.
Document Source: Operations of the 2nd Battalion, 338th Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division, in taking Monte Della Formiche, Italy, October 10/13, 1944, North Apennine Campaign, Personal Experience of Captain Orville E. Bloch, Rifle Platoon Leader. (The Infantry School, General Section, Military History Committee, Fort Benning Georgia).
Avant Propos
The history of the 85th Infantry Division, from its activation in World War II to its approach toward Monte Della Formiche in October 1944, reflects the measured, methodical development of a US infantry formation shaped by doctrine, discipline, and relentless field training. Reactivated on May 15, 1942, at Camp Shelby (Mississippi), the division — nicknamed the “Custer Division” — was rebuilt almost from the ground up. Its three infantry regiments, the 337th, 338th, and 339th, drew officers and enlisted men from across the continental United States, forming a composite force whose cohesion relied on an intensive, phased training regimen instituted under Third Army standards. Under the command of Gen John B. Coulter, the division quickly absorbed the fundamentals of modern infantry warfare: combined-arms coordination, mobile defense, river-crossing techniques, and night operations — all of which would later prove critical in the rugged Italian Peninsula.
Throughout 1943, the 85th Division advanced through the Army Ground Forces’ training cycle, including the large-scale maneuvers in Louisiana, where the division’s regiments operated under sustained logistical pressure and in adverse terrain. These field exercises accelerated the unit’s operational maturity and validated the combat readiness of its organic artillery — the 327th, 328th, 329th, and 910th Field Artillery Battalions — whose precision and fire discipline would become hallmarks of the division’s later engagements. By late 1943, the division embarked for the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, arriving in North Africa for final staging. There, it absorbed the theater-specific doctrines required for Italy: mountain warfare, the reduction of fortified positions, and the management of limited road nets under enemy observation.
The division entered combat in April 1944, committing its regiments along the Gustav Line in the Minturno Sector. This baptism of fire was costly but decisive. The units quickly demonstrated their ability to conduct coordinated assaults against well-prepared German defenses, often situated on commanding ground and supported by interlocking machine-gun, mortar, and artillery positions. The breakthrough operations toward Terracina and the subsequent advance up the western littoral underscored the division’s growing tactical effectiveness, especially in the integration of infantry-artillery liaison teams, forward observers, and supporting engineer elements. By June, the 85-ID had reached the vicinity of Rome, contributing materially to the collapse of German positions south of the capital.
Following the fall of Rome, the division continued its northward advance through the Ligurian and Tuscan sectors. The summer fighting of 1944 imposed harsh attrition and tested the endurance of the infantry companies, which faced minefields, demolitions, and skillfully positioned German rearguards. Nevertheless, the division maintained momentum and, by late September, had reached the approaches to the Northern Apennines. Here, the terrain became the dominant tactical factor: steep ridges, narrow defiles, and weather-worn trails slowed all movement and placed a premium on small-unit initiative. By early October 1944, the 85th Infantry Division stood poised before the difficult massif culminating in Monte Della Formiche. The campaign that lay ahead would demand the same discipline, endurance, and tactical flexibility that had characterized the division since its activation in 1942 — a culmination of two years of methodical preparation and six months of hard combat in Italy.
Introduction
This document relates the action of the 2nd Battalion, 338th Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division, in the capture of Monte Della Formiche, during the period October 10 to October 13, 1944, during the North Apennine Campaign in Italy.
After the fall of Rome, the Fifth Army (Gen Mark Wayne Clark) pushed north against a strong, well-organized, determined rear-guard action by the enemy. The general consensus among every fighting man was that the next major enemy stand would be made somewhere along the North Apennine Barrier stretching from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic Sea north of Florence. This shortly became known throughout the world as the German Gothic Line.
Ever since the Allies first landed in Italy the German had been developing this natural defensive position, accelerating construction after the fall of Rome. The German reinforced this position with a formidable chain of carefully sited rock-hewn pillboxes and bunkers, extensive wire entanglements, minefields, and tank obstacles, all integrated into the rugged mountainous terrain which rose to elevations of 3 000 to 4 000 feet above sea level. The mission of the Fifth Army (US) and Eighth Army (UK) was to break through the Gothic Line, exploit this breakthrough, and debouch into the Po Valley Plains.
At dawn, on September 10, 1944, after a long pause to regroup and prepare an offensive, the Fifth Army launched its drive to pierce the highly vaunted line. The two American Corps bore the brunt of the assault, striking the line with three divisions along the axis of the Florence–Bologna Highway, known as Highway 65. The battle for the Gothic Line, like the Gustav Line campaign in southern Italy the previous winter, resolved itself into a series of hard-fought actions for dominating mountain features which formed the key points of the enemy defense.
Beyond the Gothic Line, the German had forty miles of mountainous terrain to defend before the Allies could deploy their might on terrain more suited for offensive warfare. Many cross-compartments afforded the enemy excellent defensive positions, and many were as formidable as the initial line itself.
The Breakthrough
On September 18, the Gothic Line was shattered. This event occurred only after some of the severest fighting ever encountered in Italy. As days went on and the Apennines began to appear endless, it seemed that the entire mountain range to the north might be called the Gothic Line. Whatever the name, it blocked the way to the Po Valley and it was toward that region that the Allies now directed their mighty offensive forces. Nevertheless, in pleasing contrast with the first week of fighting, the advance was now progressing with what appeared to be remarkable speed, with as much as two miles being covered in one day.
Initially the enemy was somewhat disorganized, but they soon began to make use of every advantage the terrain afforded. Enemy reinforcements were moving up constantly. The 85-ID was opposed by the German 4.Fallschirmjäger-Division (Gen Heinrich Trettner) during the first ten days of fighting; following this period, elements of the 362.Infantry-Division (Gen Heinz Greiner), as well as miscellaneous units of the 715.Infantry-Division (Gen Hans von Rohr), and elements of the 
Lehr-Brigade also made their appearance. Many mountain masses were to come into the line of advance of the 85-ID. Some of these were Monte Abruzzo, Canda Bibele, Formiche, Fano, Castelvecchio, Costellaro, and many others.
The Objective
The specific mountain mass of which I am writing is Monte Della Formiche (Monte = Mountain). This mountain was part of one of the German secondary defense lines and was characterized by being especially formidable because of the steep cliffs which fell from all sides except the north. It was doubly important for the enemy to hold it, since it commanded Highway 65 in the division’s left sector, as well as the Idice Valley road. Furthermore, it afforded complete observation over the entire area for a distance of six miles to the south.
The 2nd Battalion of the 338-IR (85-ID) was assigned the task of wresting this critical terrain feature from enemy hands. This battalion, being in reserve at the time, was following closely behind the 3rd Battalion of the same Regiment which was doggedly fighting forward to establish a specified line of departure through which the 2nd Battalion was to pass in its attack. Below Monte Formiche, the terrain was very hilly and there was little opportunity for cover and concealment for the two battalions while moving forward from one hill to the next. In view of this, and the fact that the enemy had excellent observation, the 3rd Battalion’s progress was exceedingly difficult. In addition, the enemy not only used delaying tactics but stubbornly resisted every foot of the advance with machine-gun fire, sniper fire, small-arms fire, and mortar and artillery barrages. Every hill, ridgeline, and building was utilized by the enemy as strong points. No ground was given up to the attacker without contest.
During the night of October 10, the 3rd Battalion had accomplished its assigned mission of establishing a line of departure for the 2nd Battalion. The 3rd Battalion was to remain in its present position and be prepared for operations to the right of Monte Formiche. Combat patrols were sent out during the night and contact was made with the enemy along the entire Regimental Front. However, the patrols became heavily engaged and were driven back to our lines by intense machine-gun and mortar fire. The enemy appeared to be extremely sensitive and responded readily to every move made by one of the forward companies.
