The final battle of Polish soldiers on the Italian front. The last battle of the II Corps in Italy. After fierce combat in the northern part of the Italian Peninsula, Polish soldiers triumphantly entered Bologna. The citizens there welcomed them with flowers and joyful cheering. The surprise of the American soldiers must have been great when they entered the city two hours later only to realize, that it had already been liberated!
It was a great success for the allied forces with the significant participation of Polish troops. However, for the II Corps it was at the same time, the end of their fighting journey. In order to prevent a meeting between Polish troops with the Red Army operating in Yugoslavia, allied leaders called a halt to further Polish actions.
To commemorate the victorious fight and liberation of Bologna from the German occupation, the authorities of the city decorated Polish soldiers with 215 medals Al liberatori che primi entrarono in Bologna 21 Aprile 1945 – per benem erenza (For the liberators in acknowledgment of first entering Bologna on the 21st of April 1945) and 17 commanders of the 9th Carpathian Rifle Brigade (which was soon to be called “Bolognese”) received honorary citizenship.