the battles for monte cassino, central italy

60The Battles For Monte Cassino

Central Italy12 January – 5 June 1944

SECOND WORLD WAR

ANNIVERSARY

TH

‘Securing the Allies route to Rome’

Monte Cassino

MONTE CASSINO, LAZIO REGION, CENTRAL ITALY

Cover image: A British stretcher party carries a casualty out of Cassino after its capture, May 1944

Monte Cassino is:• 1700 feet above sea level• 75 miles from Rome• 50 miles from Naples• 60 miles from Anzio• 0.5 miles from Cassino town

KEY FACTS

Rome•

Anzio•

Rome•

Paris•

Berlin•

Naples•

•MonteCassino

ITALY

ITALY

GERMANY

FRANCE

TYRRHENIAN SEA

ADRIATIC SEA

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Foreword by theUnder Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans, Ivor Caplin MP

‘A nation that forgets its past has no future.’ These words byWinston Churchill could not be more apt to describe the purpose of thisseries of booklets, of which this is the second. As Minister for Veterans Ibelieve that we should continue to remember the bravery of our ArmedForces during the Second World War; without their efforts and sacrifices,our lives today would be very different. These booklets will commemoratevarious Second World War actions, and aim not only to remember andcommemorate those who fought and died, but also to inform futuregenerations of the sacrifices made by those who fought. The inspirationthat can be derived from their stories will be invaluable for their future.I want to help those growing up now to be aware of the veterans’sacrifices, and of the important contributions they made to our securityand to the way of life we enjoy today. I hope that this series will haverelevance beyond these events, and serve as a memento of the 60thanniversary commemorations.

It has been very difficult to select specific campaigns for these booklets,and for this second booklet we have chosen Monte Cassino to representthe war in Italy. This is in no way intended to diminish the importance ofthe other battles fought in that theatre. This is a tribute to everyone whotook part in the operations of the Eighth Army in Italy.

It is difficult for anyone who was not there to comprehend the true natureof these battles. Some of the greatest confrontations with the enemyduring the Second World War were fought during the four battles tosecure Monte Cassino, the linchpin of the Germans’ Gustav Line set upto defend their occupation of Rome. In May 2004, veterans of MonteCassino and Anzio, along with the relations of soldiers who died there,will be travelling to Southern Italy for a remembrance pilgrimage ofthe region. It will be a particular honour for me to attend these 60thanniversary commemorations at Monte Cassino and meet the survivorsof the four battles, which ‘tested the soldiers of every nation and nonewere found wanting’.

THE BATTLES FOR MONTE CASSINO | 1

The four battles for Monte Cassino in Italy tookplace between January and May 1944. Theysaw the Allied Forces involved in some of themost bitter fighting of the Second World War,where steep mountain slopes and winterweather were combined with the Germandefenders’ determination and skill. The battlesinvolved troops from America, Britain, Canada,France, India, New Zealand and Poland infighting that compared in its intensity and horrorwith the battles of the Western Front in the FirstWorld War.

Hitler was determined to contest every inch ofground and had directed his commander inItaly, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, to constructa defensive line 100 miles south of Romeknown as the Gustav Line, which ran across theApennine mountain chain. It was country thatwas ideal for defence. The high ground, eitherside of the Liri Valley through which passedRoute 6, the major road from Naples to Rome,barred the Allies’ advance northward.

The Background to the Battles for Monte Cassino

| THE BATTLES FOR MONTE CASSINO 2

Smoke from Allied shells covers the town ofCassino, Feb 1944

As the picture shows, the heights weredominated by Monastery Hill, as it was knownin 1944, on the south-eastern spur of MonteCairo. Here stood the sixth-century BenedictineMonastery of Monte Cassino, built as afortress to guard the route to Rome, overlookingthe junction of the Liri and Rapido rivers on theplains below. The Rapido (which becomes theGarigliano River further downstream) was asrapid as its name suggests and, although only30 feet wide, tended to spill over its banksand flood in the winter months. It was a barrierto the Allied advance, as was the smalltown of Cassino that nestled at the footof Monastery Hill and linked to the monasteryby a narrow road that zigzagged up theprecipitous slopes. Across the Liri Valleytowards the coast the Aurunci Mountainspresented a similar obstacle preventing anyeasy bypass. Monte Cassino was a bottleneckthat had to be forced if Rome was to bereached. It was the linchpin of the Germandefence and was the responsibility of GeneralFridolin von Senger und Etterlin, whocommanded XIV Panzer Corps.

In 1944 the Allied conduct of the ItalianCampaign demonstrated all the difficulties andpotential failings of coalition warfare. In Italythe two major allies, Britain and the UnitedStates, could not agree on the campaign’saim and purpose. Italy was Churchill’s ‘softunderbelly’. He believed that the ItalianCampaign could both tie down German forcesand present opportunities to advance throughthe Alps into Austria and take Vienna beforethe Russians.

The United States did not want to fight in Italybut reluctantly agreed to British hopes ofa rapid advance up the length of the country.They remained worried that it would becomean excuse to delay the invasion of North-WestEurope. The German defence frustrated hopesfor a rapid Allied advance, but it was hoped

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that the invasion would distract Germanattention and its forces from France andthe Eastern Front. This would then assist inAllied preparations for Operation OVERLORD(the landings in Normandy) and also weakenthe Axis forces facing the Soviet Union.

In 1944 General Sir Harold Alexandercontrolled the Allied Armies in Italy, whichconsisted of the US Fifth Army commandedby Lieutenant-General Mark W Clark andthe British Eighth Army commanded byLieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese. Outwardlyurbane and calm, General Alexander sharedGeneral Eisenhower’s ability to weld togetherthe very different personalities of hissubordinate commanders. It was a skill thatwas to be sorely needed during the Cassinobattles, where he lacked both resources inequipment and manpower needed to achievea rapid advance. This was not helped bystrong differences of opinion between hissubordinate commanders.

Generals Juin, Leese and Alexander

Lt-Gen Sir Bernard Freyberg, commander of theIndian and New Zealand Divisions, Jan 1944

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List of commanders:

ALLIED:AmericanLieutenant-General Mark W Clark

BritishGeneral Sir Harold AlexanderLieutenant-General Sir Oliver Hargreaves LeeseMajor-General Sir Francis Simms TukerBrigadier Harry Kenneth Dimoline

FrenchGeneral (Marshal of France) Alphonse-Pierre Juin

New ZealandLieutenant-General Sir Bernard FreybergMajor-General Howard Karl Kippenberger

PolishLieutenant-General Wladyslaw Anders

AXIS:GermanField Marshal Albert KesselringGeneral Fridolin von Senger und EtterlinMajor-General Richard Heidrich

KEY FACTS

In January 1944 it was hoped that the Germandefences of the Gustav Line could be rushed bymounting a coordinated attack by the US FifthArmy and an amphibious operation by VI USCorps at Anzio on the coast south of Rome.Operation SHINGLE, as the Anzio landing wascalled, was aimed at cutting the German linesof communication south of Rome. At the sametime the II US Corps with British and Frenchsupport was expected to break through theGustav Line. It did not work and the Alliedforces within the Anzio beachhead foundthemselves isolated and under constantcounterattack. This added pressure on theforces attacking the Gustav Line to come to theiraid. As one British military historian concluded,‘In the event the roles of Anzio and Cassinowere reversed. On the Allied side Cassinobecame the rescuer of Anzio instead of Anziohelping to create conditions for a breakthroughat Cassino.’ Instead of a quick breakthrough,the battle for Cassino developed into a longwar of attrition.

As the US Fifth Army mounted the attack onAnzio with its VI US Corps, the II US Corps,X British Corps and the French ExpeditionaryForce, under General Alphonse Juin, attackedthe Gustav Line. Monte Cassino was to bebypassed by the French and British, who wouldattack on either flank followed by a decisivethrust by the Americans up the Liri Valleyalong Route 6.

The First Battle of Cassino(12 January – 9 February 1944)


In atrocious weather the French crossed theRapido and advanced through the mountainsnorth of Cassino. It was bitter, bloody fightingwith the Moroccan and Algerian soldiers(French Expeditionary Corps) fighting hand tohand against the Germans of 5th MountainDivision. It came close to breaking the Germanline but failed because there were simply notenough men left to continue the attack, and nofurther reserves were available. Frostbite andtrench foot caused by the wet and cold addedto the casualties among the North Africansoldiers who fought in the ice and snow withone blanket each and no winter equipment.

At the same time on the coastal flank British XCorps assaulted across the Garigliano River.Despite a successful river crossing the attacksslowed to a halt. The Axis troops had cleverlydug-in machine-gun posts protected by anti-personnel minefields and concrete bunkersoccupied by soldiers who were prepared tocounterattack at every opportunity. The wardiary of 10th Royal Berkshire records thedifficult conditions under which the attackingBritish infantry laboured.

‘It took a laden man 41⁄2 hoursto climb to the Battalion area.All water, ammunition andrations had to be carried byhand, as the route wasimpassable to mules.’


It was no easier for II US Corps in its attempt toforce a way up the Liri Valley. The Germanshad turned the river flats into killing groundsstrung with barbed wire and laced withminefields. Over these, machine guns rakedthe attackers from cleverly concealed pillboxesand bunkers dug into the cellars of the stonehouses. The 36th US (Texas) Division was cut topieces as it attempted to cross the floodedRapido or ‘Bloody River’ as they called it on20–22 January. An American infantry officerreported on the fate of his rifle company afterthe failed attack.

‘I had 184 men… 48 hourslater I had 17. If that’s not massmurder, I don’t know what is.’

The 36th US Division lost some 2000casualties and by the end of the battle it waseffectively down to one-third of its fightingstrength. The 34th US Division now attackedacross the Rapido and tried to capture Cassinofrom the north. After grim fighting they pushedto within 1000 yards of the monastery butwere stopped by the network of Germanmachine-gun posts. It was the same in thefighting for the town itself where everybuilding had been turned into a strongpoint.The Americans fought their way forward withheavy losses over steep broken ground whereany movement or attempt to get supplies andammunition forward was seen and fired on bythe German defenders. Both sides fought to thepoint of exhaustion. The German defence wascarried out by 90th Panzer Grenadier Division,which had fought against Montgomery’s EighthArmy in North Africa. It was reinforced by theparatroopers of Major-General Heidrich’s1st Parachute Division, reputedly the ‘bestDivision in the German Army’.

The II US Corps fought themselves to astandstill. Success had been tantalisingly close,but the winter and the steep, mountainouscountry tipped the balance in favour ofthe German defenders. The realities of theAmerican effort were evident to the soldiers ofthe New Zealand Division as they came in torelieve the Americans.

We came across a pocket-book lying amongthe rocks, stained notes for a few lire spillingout of it and snapshots of girls and familygroups; one taken at Yellowstone Park.Noticing the now familiar smell of rottenness,we looked up to see the late owner of thepocket-book not three yards from us, a Yank,and not much left of him… He was a rarity inthis country, a corpse with his boots still on,but they were in such a condition that even thepoorest of unshod Italian peasants might havefelt a bit squeamish about taking them.

British Infantry crossing the Garigliano River,19 Jan 1944

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The next attempt or Second Battle of Cassinowas made by Lieutenant-General Sir BernardFreyberg’s newly formed New Zealand Corps,consisting of Major-General Tuker’s 4th IndianDivision and the 2nd New Zealand Division.These were grouped together in the ad hocNew Zealand Corps, which lacked a propercorps headquarters and which functioned byhaving the staff of the New Zealand Divisioncarry out both the corps and divisional planningtasks. The New Zealand Corps was attachedto the US Fifth Army as it was intended initiallythat the New Zealand Corps would have abreakout role and capitalise on Americansuccess by punching their way out of the LiriValley. The New Zealand Division with its twoinfantry and one armoured brigades was

Second Battle of Cassino (15–18 February 1944)


ideally suited for a breakout role. Instead theyand the Indian troops were tasked withrelieving the exhausted Americans and takingthe high ground.

Freyberg initially planned to avoid Cassino andattack from the north in an encircling movement.However, lack of mule transport necessary forresupply in the mountains made that planimpossible. Instead he decided to commit 4thIndian Division to an attack on Monastery Hillwhile the New Zealanders would attack acrossthe plain, taking the railway station and thetown of Cassino itself. It was a repeat of theAmerican attacks on the same approach and inthe New Zealand Corps there was pessimismat all levels as to the likelihood of success.

New Zealand Corps’ plan of attack, 17–18 Feb 1944

THE BOMBING OF THE MONASTERY

Controversy surrounds many of the decisionsmade in the battles for Cassino and one thatstill resonates today is the decision to bomb thesixth-century Benedictine abbey that crownedMonastery Hill. Although it was not occupied bythe Germans, to the soldiers struggling to reachit, it seemed inconceivable that it was notdefended and in planning for its capture theacting commander of 4th Indian Division,Brigadier H K Dimoline asked that it be bombedas part of his division’s attack. The monasterywalls were 150 feet high and 10 feet thickand, if defended, would be impossible tobreach with the weapons available to theinfantry soldier. Freyberg’s request was forfighter bombers to blast entrance holes in themonastery’s vast outer walls as the infantryfought their way onto the hill.

Freyberg made his request that it be bombedto General Alexander, the Army GroupCommander, after General Clark initiallyrefused. Alexander agreed. The monasterywas bombed on 15 February 1944, not byfighter bombers but by wave after wave ofmedium and heavy bombers dropping 500and 1000-lb bombs and incendiaries,leaving it a roofless shell and killing manycivilians who were sheltering in it. However,its destruction gave the attackers no advantage.Poor coordination by Freyberg and his staffmeant that 4th Indian Division’s battalionswere not yet in position and the German 1stParachute Division had time to occupy the ruinsbefore the attack came.


An American B17 Flying Fortress bomber overMonte Cassino during the first Allied air raid onthe Monastery, 15 Feb 1944

‘The Abbey at Monte Cassino was the creation of one of man’snoblest dreams… but this morning the tired infantrymen fightingfor their lives near its slopes were to cry for joy as bomb afterbomb crumbled it into dust.’

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The terrain that the troops were expected tofight and manoeuvre on was an impossiblechallenge unrealised by the commanders inthe valley below. As the American officialhistorian wrote:

| THE BATTLES FOR MONTE CASSINO8

The slopes were shaggy with great boulders,sharp ledges and patches of scrub. Thesenatural hideouts sheltered German spandauteams and bomb squads. Enemy outposts wereless than 70 yards distant. The slightestmovement drew retaliatory fire… There was noelbow room for deployment, no cover behindwhich to concentrate effectively, no opportunityto withdraw in order to obtain space formanoeuvre.

Complete destruction of the Monastery, May 1944

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On the night 17/18 February, Indian, Gurkhaand British soldiers of 7th Indian Brigadestruggled forward against the rocky outcropsprotecting the approaches to the monastery.Each battalion in turn attempted to fight its wayforward only to be cut down by machine-gunand mortar fire or fall victim to the German‘S’ (anti-personnel) mines. By morning they wereforced back, clinging on to the little ground thathad been won.

On the same night, below them on the plain,two companies of 28 New Zealand (Maori)Battalion advanced in file along the raisedrailway embankment towards the railwaystation while engineers behind them bridgedgaps to allow tanks to come forward andsupport the Maori advance. German mortarand artillery fire was zeroed in on this obviousapproach forcing the engineers to abandontheir work. Despite heavy casualties the Maoritroops reached the railway station, but daylightfound them isolated and under German tankcounterattack with no anti-tank guns to opposethem. They too were forced to withdrawsuffering 124 casualties out of the 200 whomade the attack. A Maori officer remembered:


We were scared. All through the war we werescared… The Rapido River was in flood and toget to the railway station we had to follow therailway line… it was very dark – our artilleryhad been landing smoke screens so youcouldn’t see who you were shooting at…

The second battle of Cassino cost 4th IndianDivision 590 casualties and the New ZealandDivision 226. Unknown to the Allies theGerman defenders had suffered 4470casualties in the first three weeks of February1944 and were in no position to repel anotherheavy attack.

New Zealand infantry engaging enemy positions

Indian stretcher bearers bringing a casualitydown a mountain track, 19 Feb 1944

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| THE BATTLES FOR MONTE CASSINO10

Wet weather delayed the third battle until15 March 1944. This time Freyberg’s Corpsattacked Cassino from the north with theIndian troops again attacking the monasteryand the New Zealand troops advancinginto the town along Route 6. This time thetown was flattened by intensive bombingfollowed by an artillery bombardmentof over 1000 guns. However, poor

Third Battle of Cassino (19 February – 23 March 1944)

coordination was again evident as themonastery itself was not included as one ofthe targets. The bombing devastated the Axisdefenders but it created equal problems forthe Allied attackers who had difficultybringing their tanks forward. Vicious house-to-house fighting took place in the ruins ofCassino with often the same building beingoccupied by both sides.

Progress made by New Zealand Corps on 15 March 1944


Lt. Mallinson 1/4 Essex Regiment arrived at Battalion Headquarters withverbal orders from Brigadier Bateman to the effect that the enemy was allaround our positions, in apparently quite considerable strength; that theNew Zealanders had been continuously attacking in Cassino for 9 daysand were now played out; that the rest of 4 Indian Division were not in anyposition or condition to make further attacks. There were therefore twocourses open to the Army Commander; (a) he would put in fresh formationsor (b) he would withdraw 1/9 Gurkha Rifles and call the battle off.

24 March 0340

Extract From 1/9th Gurkha Rifles’ war diary, 24 Mar 1944

The acting New Zealand Divisionalcommander, Major-General HowardKippenberger, lost both his legs to a land-mine while visiting the forward positionsand the pessimism evident in the previousbattle continued. Bravery and endurancewere displayed by the soldiers such as the9th Gurkhas, the 1st/4th Essex and theRajputana Rifles who had fought their wayforward and held Hangman’s Hill. 24thNew Zealand Battalion seized Point 202,a tenacious German defence wasstretched to breaking point. The thirdattempt to break through at Cassino hadbeen halted.

A New Zealand platoon commander wroteof the fighting in the town:

Our four days and nights were absolute hell;mortar bombs continued to rain down; we hada nebelwerfer rocket through our roof; and thenever-ending smoke shells meant that we wereliving in a world where there was no day. Ournerves were stretched to breaking point, handsshaking so much that cigarettes were hard tolight. Hot meals were impossible, as waswashing and shaving. My diary notes, ‘it takesall our nerves to move from our position toCompany Headquarters 25 yards away’.

National Archives WO 169/19006

The fourth battle of Cassino was incorporatedinto Operation DIADEM (the code name forthe planned spring offensive in Italy 1944).It would be fought and conducted with a levelof planning and resources that Freyberg lackedin the two previous battles. No longer would itbe uncoordinated attacks on a narrow front.This time Alexander’s armies would beemployed in a carefully coordinated offensivethat would make best use of Allied air powerand artillery resources. Both the US Fifth Armyand the British Eighth Army would combine in atwo-fisted punch while VI US Corps at Anziowould break out and threaten the German rear.

The Fourth Battle of Cassino (11May – 5 June1944)


Operation DIADEM: Polish Corps’ plan

The German defensive line was threatenedalong a 20-mile front. Kesselring was led tobelieve that a further amphibious operation wasplanned, which forced him to hold his reservesback from his overstretched frontline divisions.

The main thrust was to be by Leese’s EighthArmy up the Liri Valley along Route 6 with4th British and 8th Indian Divisions creating abridgehead for 78th British, 1st Canadian and5th Canadian Armoured Divisions to exploitand break through. Behind them 6th ArmouredDivision was held in reserve ready to reinforcesuccess. The two divisions of the II Polish Corps

would tie down the defenders of MonteCassino on the right flank. On the coastalflank Clark’s US Fifth Army would attack,with the French Expeditionary Corps, throughthe mountain passes on the coastal range.At Anzio VI US Corps would break out andcut communications behind the retreatingGerman forces.

The attack began at 11 pm on 11 May withan artillery barrage along the entire front andan equally savage German response. TheEighth Army divisions fought their way forwardin the mist against stubborn defence. Tanks andinfantry edged their way forward. In hardfighting the British XIII Corps ruptured the GustavLine. Tank fought tank as Canadian and Britisharmour broke through.

On the coastal front the Americans and Frenchfought their way forward. By 13 May they hadcracked open the German defences on theirfront by advancing on and breaking into theHitler Line, the next defensive position acrossthe Aurunci mountains, six miles behind theGustav Line. Here French troops used theirability to fight in the mountains and providedthe key to the breakthrough.

In the north Major-General Richard Heidrich’sparatroopers grimly defended Monte Cassinoagainst attacks by General Anders, II PolishCorps. Attacking in a wide encircling righthook from the north, Anders’ Polish troops wereinitially held and driven back in savagefighting. A Polish officer wrote:

…the German guns blasted us so effectivelythat we were obliged to throw ourselvesflat and crawl around looking for cover…It seemed impossible that men could livein such a holocaust. Breathing a prayer,I groped blindly towards a shellhole. It wasfilled with bodies, sprawling on top of eachother. Most of them were lifeless, but…I clawed frantically at those on top in an effortto burrow deeper.


The Polish Carpathian and Kresowa Divisionsattacked again on 16 May. It was savagefighting against a stubborn defence with Heidrich’sparatroopers determined to hold onto ‘theirMonte Cassino’. However, holes had been tornin the Gustav Line in the Liri Valley below andby the US Fifth Army further towards the coast.On 17 May the garrison slipped away and theruins were abandoned. A Polish officer wrote:

‘We hung on grimly until theexciting news arrived that themonastery was in our hands.I shall never forget the pure joyof that moment. We couldhardly believe that at long lastour task was done.’

Cassino had fallen. It was a victory clouded byClark’s decision to head for Rome instead ofcutting off the retreating German Tenth Army asAlexander intended. The fall of Rome tooksecond place to the news of the D-Day landingsin Normandy. The Italian theatre would becomea backwater.

Taking salute after General Alexander investedGeneral Anders with the Order of the Bath inrecognition of Polish services at Cassino, 24 May 1944

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The Victoria Cross is the British realm’s highestaward for gallantry in the face of the enemy.It has precedence over any other of ourSovereign’s awards or Commonwealthdecorations.

The Victoria Cross was founded by RoyalWarrant on 29 January 1856. The Crossitself is cast from the bronze of cannonscaptured at Sevastopol during the CrimeanWar. The design, chosen by Queen Victoria,consists of a cross with the Royal Crest restingupon a scroll bearing the words ‘For Valour’.

Since its inception the Victoria Cross has beenawarded 1354 times. The youngest recipientwas 15 years old and the eldest was 69 yearsold. Three cases exist where both father andson have won the Victoria Cross; four pairs ofbrothers have also been recipients.

Twenty members of the British andCommonwealth forces were awarded theVictoria Cross for bravery in the ItalianCampaign. Five of these were awarded in theattempts in the battles for Monte Cassino andthe attempts to force the Gustav Line.

Victoria Crosses


CAPTAIN (TEMPORARY MAJOR) WILLIAM PHILIP SIDNEYGrenadier GuardsExtract from the London Gazette, 30 March1944:

During the period 7 – 8 February 1944 at theAnzio Beach Head, Italy, Major Sidney led asuccessful attack which drove the enemy out ofa gully. Later he led another counter-attack anddashed forward, engaging the enemy with hisTommy gun at point-blank range, forcing awithdrawal. When the attack was renewed,Major Sidney and one guardsman werewounded and another killed, but he would notconsent to have his wounds dressed until theenemy had been beaten off and the battalion'sposition was consolidated. During this time,although extremely weak from loss of blood hecontinued to encourage and inspire his men.

FUSILIER FRANCIS ARTHUR JEFFERSONThe Lancashire FusiliersExtract from the London Gazette, 13 July 1944:

On 16 May 1944 during an attack on theGustav Line, Monte Cassino, Italy, the leadingcompany of Fusilier Jefferson's battalionhad to dig in without protection. The enemycounter-attacked opening fire at short range,and Fusilier Jefferson, on his own initiative,seized a P.I.A.T. gun and, running forwardunder a hail of bullets, fired on the leadingtank. It burst into flames and all the crew werekilled. The fusilier then reloaded and wenttowards the second tank which withdrewbefore he could get within range. By this timeour own tanks had arrived and the enemycounter-attack was smashed.

About the Victoria Cross:• It was founded by Royal Warrant on

29 January 1856• It has been awarded 1354 times• The youngest recipient was 15 years old

and the eldest was 69 years old• Five Victoria Crosses were awarded

following the battles for Monte Cassino.

KEY FACTS


SEPOY KAMAL RAM8th Punjab Regiment, Indian ArmyExtract from the London Gazette, 27 July 1944:

On 12 May 1944 at the River Garigliano,Italy, the company advance was held up byheavy machine-gun fire from four posts on thefront and flanks. The capture of the positionwas essential and Sepoy Kamal Ramvolunteered to get round the rear of the rightpost and silence it. He attacked the first twoposts single-handed, killing or taking prisonerthe occupants and together with a havildar hethen went on and completed the destructionof a third. His outstanding braveryunquestionably saved a difficult situationat a critical period of the battle.

LIEUTENANT (TEMPORARY CAPTAIN)RICHARD WAKEFORDThe Hampshire Regiment Extract from the London Gazette, 13 July 1944:

On 13 May 1944 near Cassino, Italy, CaptainWakeford, accompanied only by his orderlyand armed with a revolver went forwardand killed several of the enemy and took 20prisoners. When attacking a hill feature thefollowing day his company came underheavy fire, but although wounded in the faceand both arms, Captain Wakeford pressedhome the attack. He was wounded again,but reached the objective and consolidatedthe position.

MAJOR JOHN KEEFER MAHONYThe Westminster Regiment (Motor) The Canadian ArmyExtract from the London Gazette, 13 July 1944:

On 24 May 1944 at the River Melfa, Italy,Major Mahony and his company were orderedto establish the initial bridgehead over theriver. This was accomplished and for five hoursthe company maintained its position in the faceof enemy fire and attack until the remainingcompanies and supporting weapons were ableto reinforce them. Early in the action MajorMahony was wounded in the head and twicein the leg, but he refused medical aid andcontinued to direct the defence of thebridgehead. The enemy saw that this officerwas the soul of the defence and consequentlymade him their particular target.


Monte Cassino today

MONTE CASSINO ABBEY

CASSINO WAR CEMETERYThe Cassino War Cemetery lies in theCommune of Cassino, Province of Frosinone,139 kilometres south-east of Rome. Above it, ata distance of 1 kilometre, is the dominating hillon which stands the Abbey of Monte Cassino.

The site for Cassino War Cemetery wasoriginally selected in January 1944, but thedevelopment of the battle during the first fivemonths of that year made it impossible to use ituntil after the German withdrawal. The majorityof the 4266 Commonwealth servicemen buriedhere died in the four battles for Monte Cassinoand the 4000 Commonwealth servicemen whotook part in the Italian Campaign and whosegraves are not known are commemorated bythe Cassino Memorial.


THE ABBEY Reconstruction and decoration works took morethan a decade and were exclusively financedby the Italian State. Many new additions andembellishments were made during reconstructionso that today the Abbey of Monte Cassino hasonce more acquired the greatness and theimposing appearance it developed after itsfoundation by St Benedict in about 529AD.

Cassino War Cemetery with Monte Cassino in the background

Cassino War Cemetery is maintained by theCommonwealth War Graves Commission.The Commission maintains over 1,179,000war graves at 23,203 burial sites in 148countries around the world. It alsocommemorates a further 760,193Commonwealth war dead on memorialsto the missing.

Commonwealth governments share the costof maintenance in proportion to the number ofgraves of their war dead: UK – 79%;Canada – 10%; Australia – 6%; NewZealand – 2%; South Africa – 2%; India – 1%.

KEY FACTS

British, Canadian, Indian, New Zealand and PolishArmy Units who fought in the Battles for Cassino

6th/13th Frontier Force Rifles3rd/15th Punjab Regiment4th/16th Punjab Regiment1st/2nd Gurkha Rifles1st/5th Gurkha Rifles 1st/7th Gurkha Rifles1st/9th Gurkha Rifles

CANADIAN UNITS1st Canadian Infantry Brigade

2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade

3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade

1st Canadian Armoured Brigade

NEW ZEALAND UNITS4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade

5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade

6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade

POLISH UNITS3rd Carpathian Division

1st Carpathian Rifle Brigade2nd Carpathian Rifle Brigade

5th Kresowa Division

5th Wilenska Infantry Brigade6th Lwowska Infantry Brigade

2nd Polish Armoured Brigade

BRITISH REGIMENTSThe 16th/5th LancersThe 17th/21st Lancers4th Reconnaissance Regiment56th Reconnaissance Regiment

The BuffsThe Royal Northumberland FusiliersThe Royal FusiliersThe King’s RegimentThe Somerset Light InfantryThe Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire RegimentThe Lancashire FusiliersThe Royal Inniskilling FusiliersThe East Surrey RegimentThe Duke of Cornwall’s Light InfantryThe Royal Sussex RegimentThe Royal Hampshire RegimentThe Black WatchThe Essex RegimentThe Northamptonshire RegimentThe Queen’s Own Royal West Kent RegimentThe Queen’s Own Cameron HighlandersThe Royal Irish FusiliersThe Argyll and Sutherland HighlandersThe Rifle Brigade

INDIAN UNITS6th Duke of Connaught’s Own Lancers

1st/5th Mahratta Light Infantry1st/6th Rajputana Rifles4th/6th Rajputana Rifles3rd/8th Punjab Regiment1st/12th Frontier Force Regiment


Some of the American and French units that fought in the Battles for Cassino are mentionedwithin the main text.


50th anniversary of the Battles for Monte Cassino

This booklet is intended to be of interest toyoung people, as well as veterans. As theformer may not be acquainted with basicmilitary terminology, a simple glossary of 1944

British Army terms relating to variously sizedcommands is included here. These commandsare listed in descending order of size with therank of the commander shown in italics.

Glossary


TERM DESCRIPTION

Army Group The largest military command deployed by the British Army, comprising General or Field Marshal two or more armies, and containing 400,000–600,000 troops.

Army A military command controlling several subordinate corps, plus Lieutenant-General supporting forces, amounting to 100,000–200,000 troops.

Corps A military command controlling two or more divisions, as well as other Lieutenant-General supporting forces, amounting to 50,000–100,000 troops.

Division The standard 1944 British Army formation, an infantry or armoured Major-General division, containing 10,000–20,000 personnel.

Brigade A formation that contains several battalions or regiments that amount toBrigadier 3000–6000 personnel, which exists either independently or else forms

part of a division.

Regiment A unit typically of armoured or artillery forces, amounting to 500–900 Lieutenant-Colonel soldiers, that equates in status and size to an infantry battalion.

Battalion A unit usually comprising 500–900 soldiers (such as an infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel engineer or signals battalion).

Squadron Typically, a sub-unit of an armoured or recce regiment that equates in Major status and size to an infantry company.

Company A small sub-unit of a battalion. A typical infantry company could Major contain around 150–180 soldiers.

Battery Major A small sub-unit, usually of artillery, that forms part of a battalion.

Unit A small military grouping that ranges in size from a section (of 10 soldiers) up to a battalion or regiment (500–900 personnel).

Formation A large military grouping that ranges in size from brigade up to army group.

Amphibious Operation launched from the sea against an enemy shore.

Attrition Constant wearing-down to weaken or destroy.

Axis Alliance of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Japan.

Beachhead An area on a beach that has been captured from the enemy and on which troops and equipment are landed.

Coalition An alliance between groups or parties.

Counterattack An attack in response to an attack.

Panzer German fast mechanised armoured tanks or vehicles.

Subordinate Person of a lower rank in the military chain of command.

Monte Cassino: linchpin of the German Gustav Line, a bottleneck in the mountains

AcknowledgementsAuthor: Dr Christopher Pugsley, Department of War Studies, Royal Military Academy SandhurstCommonwealth War Graves CommissionConfederation of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations (COBSEO)Department for Education and SkillsImperial War MuseumItaly Star AssociationThe Monte Cassino Veterans AssociationThe National ArchivesNew Opportunities FundThe Royal British Legion Remembrance TravelVeterans AgencyThe Victoria Cross and George Cross Association

Photography and mapsAll photography reproduced with the permission of the Imperial War Museum andCommonwealth War Graves Commission.Maps in the text taken from the Official History, The Mediterranean and Middle East series,C.J.C. Molony. Maps 1 and 2 Vol V (HMSO 1973), Map 3 Vol VI (HMSO 1984).

© Crown copyright 2004. Designed and produced by COI Communications, May 2004, 261829

‘A nation that forgets its past has no future.’ These words by Winston Churchill could not be more apt to

describe the purpose of this series of booklets, of which this is the second.

These booklets commemorate various Second World War actions,and aim not only to remember and commemorate those who

fought and died, but also to remind future generations of the debt they owe to their forebears, and the inspiration that

can be derived from their stories.

They will help those growing up now to be aware of the veterans’sacrifices, and of the contributions they made to our security

and to the way of life we enjoy today.

the battles for monte cassino, central italy

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