of the battle by soldiers who were involved. "All around the bullet-chipped cross on Pt.449, the dead, khaki and field-grey, lay heaped, unburied, in score upon score; at their center a soldier of the Lincolns whose hands were still frozen in death round the cross itself, which he had reached in his battalion's first attack. Few regiments of 8th Army had ever known fiercer fighting than that of Gemmano" "Within twenty-four hours the only men left in the village of Gemmano... were the men who would never leave". "They sat, wedged side by side, in the ruined cellars of the old stone houses; sprawled in piles on the doorways of barns; lay in untidy heaps in the little peasants' houses where they had crawled to die". Holworthy (CO 4th Indian Div.) wrote in his diary : "A good show. Gemmano full of dead and smells like another Cassino" Aftermath Casualties Casualties from both sides are not well documented, but according to British sources, Germans killed in action were more than 900. Lt.Col.Ernst also estimated more than 2,400 casualties of dead, wounded, and MIA of his regiment alone. British casualties were immense too: every battalion lost, on average, 100 to 150 men. More than 100 civilians were also killed during the battle, mainly due to the Royal Navy and its bombardment of Gemmano. Medals and awards The German 100th Mountain Regiment, or Gebirgsjager, under the orders from Lt. Col. Richard Ernst, earned the regiment 6 Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuz for valor demonstrated during the battle of Gemmano as well as acts of bravery in combat far beyond the normal fulfillment of duty. Ritterkruez awards were given to: Lt. Col. Richard Ernst Capt. Heinrich Hermann Capt. Fritz Bachmaier Ensign August Rappel Corp. Lorenz Schmied Lt. Karl Kurz References Bibliography and external links Gerhard Muhm : German Tactics in the Italian Campaign Gerhard Muhm : La Tattica tedesca nella Campagna d'Italia, in Linea Gotica avanposto dei Balcani, (Hrsg.) Amedeo Montemaggi - Edizioni Civitas, Roma 1993 Gemmano 1944 in Italy September 1944 events Gemmano Gemmano Gemmano