leander+geunther+italian+Campaign+ww2

Cody Anderson, Josh Riegel

Leander Guenthers italian campaign began under general Harold Alexander. He served as a part of the invading force of italy on september 9. General Harold Alexander led the 15th army divison that helped invade italy and take over from 1943 to 1945. The italian campaign was a slow and stangnant war that had led to the deaths of thousands of troops.

The italians formed two camps one pro allies and one pro axis. The war in italy was made to be a way to create a path to germany and france in order to allow the invading force to gain ground. by september 26 the Allied forces had built a force of 189,000 men and 30,000 vehicles for the allies. During the war the allies were brought to a stop at the Gustav line. This line stopped them due to a combination of german forces, Italian winter, and the rocky mountainous terrain. It became clear to the allies that breaking the line was impossible so in a desperate attempt to go past an amphibious landing was made using two thirds of the allied division to land on a beach outside of the german line.

After a hard landing at the beaches of Anzio the allied forces were on land to stay. The Allied forces built up and broke the line at Anzio, but the war was not yet over. After breaking the line at Anzio German forces pushed back to the gothic line for a final stand. After a mounting war the allies were able to overpower the germans on the gothic line by april 27 1945. After the breach of the Gothic line the germans surrendered on April 29 1945. After the war Corporal Guenther was admitted to a U.S hospital for a severe case of pnuemonoultramicroscopicsilicavolcanoconiosis. After several months of treatment the disease and killed corporal Guenther. His loving wife and only daughter heard the news 20 days after his death and a gravestone was made to honor him in the cemetary of Melrose Wyoming.