Operation Mallory Major

'Mallory Major' was the US air campaign against the bridges over the Po river in northern Italy (12/15 July 1944).

A development of 'Mallory', this was designed and implemented by Major General John K. Cannon’s US 12th AAF to interdict the German lines of communication with south-eastern France and Austria, and so prevent the Germans from moving reinforcements south to bolster the formations of Generaloberst Heinrich-Gottfried von Vietinghoff-Scheel’s 10th Army and General Joachim Lemelsen’s 14th Army as they fell back toward the 'Gotisch-Linie' defences before, respectively, the Lieutenant General Sir Oliver Leese’s British 8th Army and Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark’s US 5th Army.

The operation destroyed 22 of the 24 bridges across the Po river.