THE BATTLE OF MONTE CASSINO
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One tough gut.
The Germans held back the Allied advance in Italy for almost 5 months in the mountainous surroundings of Monte Cassino. The once beautiful area was reduced to ruins and a lunar landscape
Following the Allied landings in North Africa it was clear that the Allies would need far more resources to invade northern France. The British Prime Minister Churchill advocated an invasion of Italy as the soft underbelly of the Axis.
The Allied invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky, in July 1943 was successful and led to the fall of the regime in Italy. The Germans were quick to respond and occupied Italy. Italy was now under German occupation and the war would continue. The Allies landed in Italy in September at Salerno. The optimistic Allied commanders estimated that Rome would fall by October 1943.
British troops examine a knocked-out German StuG III assault gun near Cassino, Italy, 18 May 1944. Photo: Loughlin No 2 Army and film and Photographic unit.
The Allies found that fighting in Italy, in its rugged and challenging terrain along with the skillful defence of the Germans, was nothing like a soft underbelly. The American General Mark Clark, later called it “One tough gut.” And Monte Cassino was one of the toughest. It took the Allied armies more than 4 months to fight the 150 km from Salerno to Monte Cassino. Here the Germans had set up a fortified line, the Winter Line. With heavily fortified mountain defences and difficult river crossing, Cassino formed a linchpin of the Winter Line.
A StuG III excelled in defending against attacking armor.
The initial Allied assaults took heavy casualties for no gain. The Germans held up in entrenched positions with excellent fields of fire while the Allied troops were exposed in difficult terrain. The Allied forces were subject to accurate artillery fire and their commanders began to suspect that the Germans had an observation post in the Monte Cassino Abbey. The abbey was reduced to rubble in a series of air raids. Ironically the Germans did not have an observation post in the abbey as they had respected the protected historic zone. After the bombings the Germans however occupied the ruins and established defensive positions there.
The ruined Abbey of Monte Cassino after the German surrender. USAAF Photo 232-6. Photographer unknown.
To break the line the Allies landed at Anzio, north of Cassino. This was an improvised affair. The landings had to be made right away as the landing craft was about to be transferred to England for the D-Day landings. The initial landings were unopposed with a recon patrol making it as far as the outskirts of Rome. The US commander, John P. Lucas, rather than capitalize on this, decided to consolidate and entrench his landing area. This gave the Germans time to bring in forces and fortify the area surrounding the landing zone and any chance of a quick victory was lost. This led Churchill to comment "I had hoped we were hurling a wildcat into the shore, but all we got was a stranded whale". After a month Lucas was relieved and Major general Lucian Truscott took over command.
The 133rd Ironman and 142nd Infantry Regiments fought together in the hard fighting near Monte Cassino.
Germans directed accurate artillery against the Allied attacks.
The fighting at Cassion and Anzio continued against a determined German defence until May 1944 when a massive twenty-division assault against the defensive line, spearheaded by the Polish II Corps and the 1st Canadian Infantry Division finally broke the line. For the Allies it was a pyrrhic victory with 55.000 casualties against 20.000 German casualties. This was further confounded when Truscott, who was leading his forces to trap the retreating Germans received new orders to take Rome instead. The Germans managed to escape to the Gothic Line where they held back the Allied advance for almost half a year.
Polish soldiers inside the ruined Monte Cassino monastery. Photographer unknown.
The Allies captured Rome on 4 June 1944. This victory was quickly overshadowed by the Normandy landings two days later.
Monte Cassino Abbey was rebuilt after the war and rededicated by Pope Paul VI in 1964.
Romans welcome US troops as they enter the city. Photographer unknown.
