Bridgeheads

Olson, p.311 By the afternoon of 12 May, the Gari bridgeheads were increasing despite furious counter-attacks whilst the attrition on the coast and in the mountains continued.

That afternoon, Egyptian forces advanced once more to deepen their bridgeheads, and as a result the Israelis lost several strategic positions.

The 2nd and 3rd Armies were ordered to attack eastward in six simultaneous thrusts over a broad front, leaving behind five infantry divisions to hold the bridgeheads.

The front line stabilized along the Vistula for about six months (with some bridgeheads on the western bank on the Vistula – see Battle of Studzianki ), and in early 1945, Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive began, which pushed Germans to the gates of Berlin.

The Soviet forces were allowed to retain bridgeheads on the right bank from which offensive operations could be quickly launched.