Operation Encore

Operation Encore was the Allied offensive timed for February—March 1945, to break through the Gothic Line. This was initiated at the army instead of corps level. This comprised an assault by the 10th Mountain Division and the Brazilian Expeditionary Force to secure the high ground dominating Strada statale 64 Porrettana where it crossed the Apennine Mountains (18 February—25 February 1945), followed by a limited offensive that ended with the capture of the crossroads at Castel d'Aiano (3 March—5 March 1945) Once these objectives were achieved, the Fifth Army could successfully penetrate the northern Apennines to reach the Po valley as part of the Spring 1945 offensive in Italy.