Held by the German 10th and 14th Armies with a combined strength of 14 divisions, the line included nearly 2,400 mutually supporting machine-gun nests, over 470 positions for mortars, assault guns, and antitank guns, and extensive barbed wire and
antitank obstacles. While Italian partisans' sabotage and disruption of German communications and rail movements hampered German efforts to some extent, the Gothic Line remained a formidable obstacle, and one which had to be breached if Italy was to be liberated and access to southern Europe gained.