Monte Cassino, Battle of

February-May 1944

Protracted battle for the town of Cassino and the Benedictine monastery known as Monte Cassino, fought by the Fifth Army of US, British and French troops, and later also by troops of the British Eighth Army and some Polish troops, against the German forces under von Kesselring, in the course of the Allied invasion of Italy during the Second World War.

Following the initial breach of the Gustav line the Allies came to the town of Cassino, dominated by Monte Cassino and its Abbey. The initial attack between 29 January and 4 February failed and the decision was taken to bomb the Abbey. This was a tactical error as the Germans could see it was an obvious bombtrap and the hill itself provided sufficient observation positions. Nonetheless, two massive air and artillery assaults were launched on 15 February and 15 March. Each time the following infantry assault broke down, the ruins of the Abbey providing better cover for the Germans than the original building. This error was to be repeated later in the war, and, indeed, was the identical mistake made at the battle of Passchendale in 1917 when artillery so cut up the ground that troops could not advance. Monte Cassino finally fell on 18 May after it was outflanked by a successful attack through the Gustav line to the south-west.

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