Commonwealth War Cemetery Foiano Della Chiana

On 3 September 1943 the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re-entered the war on the Allied side. Progress through southern Italy was rapid despite stiff resistance, but the advance was checked for some months at the German winter defensive position known as the Gustav Line. The line eventually fell in May 1944 and as the Germans withdrew, Rome was taken by the Allies on 3 June.

Early in July there was heavy fighting in the Chiana valley where the Germans made their last stand in front of Arezzo and the Arno.

The cemetery is a battlefield cemetery originally formed by the 4th Division and later increased when graves were brought in from the surrounding area. Most of the burials in the cemetery date from the first two weeks of July 1944.

Foiano della Chiana War Cemetery contains 256 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.

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Source

• Text: Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• Photos: Kaj Metz