On 17 January-18 May 1944, the Battle of Monte Cassino was fought in Italy between the Allies under Harold Alexander against the Germans under Albrecht Kesselring during the Second World War.
Why did it happen?
Following their successful campaign in North Africa, Allied commanders decided to open another front against the Axis powers by invading Sicily and Italy. On 10 July 1943, Allied forces landed in Sicily and after two months of fighting, subjugated the island. On 3 September, Allied forces under Bernard Montgomery crossed the Straits of Messina and landed in Italy before Benito Mussolini was deposed on 8 September. With Italy out of the war, Hitler decided to take control of the country and sent German troops to seize all important strategic installations and disband and disarm Italian troops who were indifferent. This took the Allies by surprise who had not expected such tenacious resistance and difficult terrain in what was supposed to be the “soft underbelly of Europe.” During autumn 1943, the US Fifth Army and the British Eighth Army advanced slowly up the western and eastern sides of the Apennine Mountain Range before coming up against the Gustav Line, which was defended by German mines, wires, and resistance posts. After Montgomery failed to break through the Gustav Line near the Sangro River in November 1943, The US Fifth Army under Mark Clark reached the Garigliano River on 11 January 1944 and planned to break through the Gustav Line near the Monastery of Monte Cassino.
Who was involved?
The Allied army at Monte Cassino numbered 670,000 infantry, 1,900 tanks, 1,060 artillery and 3,876 aircraft. On the Allied left wing was the X British Corps facing the German 94th Infantry Division. In the centre at the mouth of the Liri Valley were three US Divisions facing the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division and 44th Infantry Division defending the heights of Monte Cassino and the Monastery. Finally, on the Allied left wing were positioned two divisions of General Alphonse Juin’s French Expeditionary Corps, supported by the New Zealand II Corps, which included the Māori Battalion and the 4th Indian Division. The German army at Monte Cassino numbered 360,000 infantry, 46 tanks, and 240 artillery. In addition to the forces mentioned above, the German 211th Panzer Grenadier Regiment defended the town of Cassino while the bulk of the German artillery was positioned on Monte Cairo. Due to the nature of the terrain, the German forces could only conduct a static defence against the Allies.
What happened?
On 17 January, the US Fifth Army began its assault on the Gustav Line in conjunction with French troops, who attacked the German fortifications. After several days of fighting, the Americans were repulsed by German paratroopers. On 15 February, after the Monte Cassino Monastery was destroyed by Allied aircraft, the New Zealand II Corps and 4th Indian Division attacked the monastery and town, capturing Cassino Railway Station, only to be repulsed by a German counterattack on 18 February. On 15 March, Allied aircraft destroyed the town of Cassino before Allied forces under General Bernard Freyberg attacked it, only to be repulsed once again by German soldiers. At the same time, the 4th Indian Division, supported by tanks, seized Hangman’s Hill under the monastery’s walls but were repulsed on 24 March. The final attack came on 11 May. In conjunction with American, British, and French forces, the Polish II Corps attacked Monastery Hill, which they finally captured on 18 May but found the hill unoccupied. Throughout the battle, the Allies lost 55,000 killed and 50,000 wounded while the Germans suffered 20,000 killed and 60,000 wounded.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Monte Cassino was an Allied victory. Despite taking Monte Cassino, it would take two-and-a-half more weeks of fighting before the Allies could march on Rome. In conjunction with the Fifteenth Army Group’s attack on the Hitler Line, the US VI Corps began its breakout from Anzio on 23 May, forcing German forces to retreat on 25 May. In response, General Mark Clark gave new orders for the Fifth Army to liberate Rome instead of trapping the retreating German forces. Although Rome would be captured on 4 June, the war in Italy would continue for eleven more months until 2 May 1945 when General Heinrich von Vietinghoff, who had replaced Kesselring as head of German forces in Italy, surrendered to Clark.
Bibliography
Ford, Ken. Cassino 1944: Breaking the Gustav Line. Oxford, Osprey Publishing, 2004.
Grant, R.G. 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. London, Cassell Illustrated, 2011.
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Mansolas, Angelos. Monte Cassino January-May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils. Oxford, Fonthill, 2017.