The Italian Campaign continued.
Bren Carriers of a British reconnaissance unit ford a stream in Italy.
(courtesy of Ron Tee)
As the debacle at Anzio continued, it became clear to the allies that the main axis of attack would have to be switched back to the troops now positioned around the town of Monte Cassino. The monastery above the town dominated the narrow valley leading to Rome, the monastery had already been ravaged by conquerors and an earthquake in the middle ages, now it was about to be destroyed again. From the heights around the monastery, the Germans could pick off allied armor at will and could direct deadly artillery fire against the infantry.
The allied Generals believed that the Germans had occupied the monastery itself (although this was later proved to be untrue) and the fateful decision was taken to destroy the monastery. Allied planes dropped leaflets advising everyone to "leave the monastery at once" and "save yourselves", shortly afterwards on February 15, the abbey was bombed by 254 planes. The results of this blunder were quickly apparent, the Germans fanned the fires of worldwide condemnation of this totally unnecessary destruction of the abbey and then proceeded to move into the ruins to build nearly impregnable strong points amidst the huge piles of rubble so thoughtfully provided by the allied bombers!
The town of Cassino itself came in for plenty of punishment from bombs and artillery, the entire town disappeared in a huge cloud of flame, smoke and shattered stone. It was all for nothing, as the first allied patrols sought to enter Cassino, they were driven back by the men of the crack First Parachute Division, emerging from cellars and bunkers to fight. Despite the modern weapons used by both sides, it was a strange, old fashioned kind of warfare, tanks and trucks were useless in the mud and snowy mountains, and supplies had to be moved by men or mules. It was a bloody, nerve-racking experience for both sides, with men living and fighting in conditions not unlike the first world war.
Through all this the Americans, Canadians, British, French, New Zealanders, South Africans, Poles, Indians, Brazilians, Greeks, Moroccans, Algerians, Senegalese, the Brigade of Palestinian Jews and the Royalist Italians had to fight the Germans and just try to exist. Trench foot and frostbite were common, the mud turned to glue at midday and iron in the freezing nights, the snow blew in drifts through the jagged crags and hundreds of dead GI's from the 34th Infantry Divisions attacks in the first battle of Cassino, littered the valley they called "Purple Heart" their throats eaten out by wandering scavenger dogs. A unit of Gurkhas were cut of for days in an outpost below the abbey, American planes dropped daily supplies to the isolated hill men, who ran to retrieve them under withering German fire. Amongst all this, Vesuvius erupted sending an ashen cloud, far exceeding anything the allies bombs and guns could produce, drifting across the disheartened troops.
The American 34th Division, ordered to take Monte Castelleone and Point 593 then advance on the abbey itself, had been cut to pieces during the torturously slow advance. After days of heavy fighting, they had seized Monte Castelleone and made it to within 70 yards of Point 593 when they were relieved by the 4th (Indian) Division. Many of the 25 percent of the division that had almost made it to Point 593 had to be carried down by the relieving Indian troops. Although not wounded, most of them were simply too weak to walk.
In the second battle of Cassino, the 4th (Indian) Division and the 2nd New Zealand Division attacked form two different directions after the infamous bombing of the abbey. The Indians could get no closer to Point 593 than the Americans, although the New Zealanders did get across the Rapido and established a small bridgehead, albeit without armor support. The Germans drove the New Zealanders back a short while later. Despite heroic efforts by the Indians and the 'kiwis', they could not dislodge the Germans and heavy casualties were suffered by both divisions during these abortive attacks.
The third battle of Cassino involved a frontal attack against Monastery Hill, the New Zealanders were ready to attack on February 24th but bad weather prevented the pre-attack bombing. It wasn't until March 15th that the sky cleared enough for the allies to drop 1,180 tons of bombs and 196,000 artillery shells on Cassino. The first Parachute Division lost a battalion of men during this barrage but the remaining troops emerged from their underground shelters relatively unscathed and ready to meet the fresh New Zealand Division attack. The Kiwis had to flounder through the mud and huge shell holes left from the bombardment, and again, despite gallant efforts by the New Zealanders the German Paratroopers put up such a fierce resistance that General Alexander had to halt the senseless slaughter.
After three months of hammering at the Gustav line all the allies had achieved was to suffer 52,130 causalities, kept LST's from 'Overlord' and used up all infantry replacements available in Europe. In return they had gained three toeholds across water obstacles, one at Anzio, one across the lower Garigliano and one across the Rapido. Their was still the need for drawing German divisions away from France as the date for 'Overlord' approached, so quitting was out of the question, if the allies could destroy the Gustav line and pursue the Germans to Rome and beyond, Hitler would be forced to send more divisions to Italy to prevent the allies from attacking Germany by way of the south. It was decided to begin the new attack two months before 'Overlord' this would provide time for the Germans to send more divisions to Italy just before D-Day.
So preparations began for Operation 'Diadem' the fourth battle of Cassino, Alexander organized all British and British equipped divisions (Indian, New Zealand, Canadian and Polish) under the Eighth Army and all American and American equipped divisions (French) under the Fifth Army. Eight Army took over responsibility for the Cassino area and the Liri Valley while Fifth Army retained responsibility for Anzio and the western part of the Gustav line. 'Diadem' called for the Eighth Army to launch the main attack up the Liri Valley while Fifth Army conducted a supporting attack through the Aurunci Mountains west of the Liri Valley. VI Corps were to attack the Alban hills on about D + 4 in order to trap the German Tenth Army