On the heels of the public announcement that Italy had reached an agreement with the Allies, American forces crossed over the Straits of Messina from Sicily to the toe of Italy. The British forces were already there to greet them and, with the additional armaments and troops, the Allies began a concerted effort to push on to the mainland.
Fighting could be heard throughout the southern tip of Italy and it moved steadily up into the region of Basilicata around Matera and Altamura. The Germans were being routed from all standing positions, and the Nazi forces were being squeezed between the advancing Allied forces and the Italian partisans on their northern frontier.
Many of the occupying German forces were pulling back, but some detachments remained to protect their flank except for Bernh
