<text id=00he0713><title>Strangling the German Forces</title>
<history>US Air Force: Events History</history>
<article><hdr>Strangling the German Forces</hdr><body>
<p>The major problem in Italy was the continuing stalemate of the ground war. Tenacious holding actions and determined counter-offensives marked the German front. The Allied drive had gone to ground south of Cassino and on the beaches at Anzio and Nettuno. There appeared to be one useful way to help: Use air power to cut off the supplies flowing south to the defenses of the Gustav Line.
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<p>The spiny geography of Italy has forced the construction of its railways into constricted areas close to both coasts. There are crossovers from one side to the other, but they are lines that were routed through mountain passes, demanding many bridges, viaducts and tunnels. The railroad system was a tempting target, and had already received its share of attention from the heavy and medium bombers of 15AF and 12AF. There was a new air plan in the making, one that would build a bottleneck across Italy and then plug the bottle, in which no rail traffic would move south to the Gustav Line if it worked. It was appropriately named Operation Strangle.
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<p>The front had stabilized at Anzio and Cassino, and was relatively quiet on both sides. The bad weather that had hampered air operations for so long showed signs of breaking. Tactical air was relieved of its obligations to support the ground fighting, and on 19 March 1944 went off on its special war against Italian railroads.
