Battle of Collecchio

Battle of Sacca di Fornovo
Part of the Italian Campaign of World War II
Generals Otto Fretter-Pico and Mario Carloni surrender to Brazilian troops
Date 26–29 April 1945 Location Fornovo di Taro 44°44′59″N 10°12′56″E / 44.749659°N 10.215569°E / 44.749659; 10.215569Coordinates: 44°44′59″N 10°12′56″E / 44.749659°N 10.215569°E / 44.749659; 10.215569 Result Allied victory
Belligerents
Nazi Germany  Italian Social Republic	Brazil Italian partisans
Commanders and leaders
Otto Fretter-Pico  Mario Carloni	Mascarenhas de Moraes Euclides Zenóbio da Costa Major Orlando Gomes Ramagem Federico Salvestri
Strength
148th German Infantry Division 90th Panzer Grenadier Division Italia 1st Bersaglieri Division Monte Rosa 4th Mountain Division	1st Brazilian Expeditionary Division U.S. Army 751st and 894th Tank Battalions One Partisan company
Casualties and losses
Unknown dead and wounded 14,779 soldiers surrendered (germans and italians)	45 dead and wounded
Location of Fornovo di Taro in Italy's Po Valley

The Battle of Collecchio-Fornovo (26–29 April 1945) was a World War II battle between the 1st Brazilian Expeditionary Division (Força Expedicionária Brasileira – FEB), along with Italian partisans and units from the American 1st Amored and 92nd Infantry Divisions, against the Wehrmacht's 148th Infantry, 90th Panzergrenadier Divisions and the fascist National Republican Army's 1st Bersaglieri "Italia" and the 4th Mountain "Monte Rosa" Divisions. The battle was fought around the town of Fornovo di Taro, about 8 miles (13 km) to the southwest of Parma, Italy. The Allies defeated the Axis forces, which were attempting to break through to the north.

On 28 April, the Brazilian 6th RCT followed up with an attack on Fornovo, with German General Otto Fretter-Pico surrendering the 148th Division, with almost 15,000 German and Fascist Italian troops at the morning of 29 April.

The Brazilian Expeditionary Division was commanded by General João Baptista Mascarenhas de Morais. The FEB arrived in Italy in the latter part of 1944, at a time when Allied troops were being transferred from Italy to take part in operations in southern France.