Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

New Zealand Medical Services in Middle East and Italy

Across the Idice

Across the Idice

By 20 April forward troops of 2 NZ Division had cleared Budrio and reached the banks of the river Idice. That night infantry smashed spandau nests and struggled over mines and wire on both floodbanks to force a crossing. Engineers had three bridges open by morning, and 5 and 6 ADSs moved across the river in the afternoon. The 4th MDS moved up to Medicina, in which vicinity 4 ADS had remained for five days, but the ADS was to move forward the following day.

The opposition was now staggering under repeated hammer blows. Polish troops had entered Bologna just as Fifth Army troops came in from the south. The New Zealand Division moved across Route 64, page 654 the main BolognaFerrara highway, and swung north by-passing San Giorgio, making contact with Fifth Army troops, and overrunning enemy rearguards. Plunging ahead, it crossed the river Reno and reached the Po, just south of Bondeno, by 23 April. On this date 4 MDS moved up to San Venanzio, just south of the Reno River, and that evening opened to take casualties and hold light sick. The Light Section 1 Mobile CCS had also moved well forward to San Marino earlier in the day. Arrangements had been made for a 100-bed detachment from 2 General Hospital to occupy the CCS building in Forli and act as a staging post on the lengthening line of evacuation, relieving the CCS and allowing it to go forward. From Forli cases had been evacuated by MAC cars and ambulance train to 1 General Hospital at Senigallia, a distance of nearly 100 miles, while cases had also been sent by air to 3 General Hospital at Bari, a distance of about 400 miles.