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Following the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943, the Italian government had surrendered, but the German Army continued to fight. The Allied armies succeeded in conquering the southern part of Italy, and the Germans retreated to a prepared defensive position called the Winter Line. About 15 German divisions were emplyed in the defence.
The Allies immediate objective was the liberation of Rome. The most obvious approach to Rome was the Liri Valley (just north of Monte Cassino), and the Winter Line would prevent the Allies advancing to there.
The German forces were commanded by Field Marshal Albrecht Kesselring. The defence of the line itself was commanded by General Heinrich von Vietinghoff of the 10th Armee.
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2 The Assault 3 External Links |
The plan called for the US Fifth Army to smash though the line at Monte Cassino and into the Liri Valley. It also called for amphibious landings (Operation Shingle) at Anzio, behind the Gustav Line, so as to bypass it and either draw troops away from the line or make a quick assault on Rome.
In January 1944 The Allied forces began to close on the Gustav
Line. General Harold Alexander commanded, Eisenhower having been recalled
to Britain to prepare the the [[Battle of Normandy|invasion of
Normandy]]. The armies involved are the US Fifth Army]], commanded by General Mark W. Clark, consisting of both
US and British units, and the British Eighth Army now commanded by
General Oliver Leese as General Bernard Montgomery had also been recalled to Britain to prepare for Normandy. The Fifth Army occupied the left (western) flank and the Eighth Army the right.
Throughout January the U.S. 34th Division of the Fifth Army attempted to
estabish a bridgehead over
the Rapido river in the region of Monte Cassino. Generalfeldmarschall Kesselring reinforced the Gustav Line with the 29th and 90th Panzergrenadier divisions (which had been in Rome). Although the Allies
managed to cross the Rapido several times, determined counterattacks forced them
back each time. They finally succeeded on January 30th, reaching to within a
few hundred yards of the monastery walls, but were unable to capture
it. On February 12th the exhausted Americans at Monte Cassino were
replaced by fresh New Zealand and Indian divisions. These new divisions
made further assaults but also suffered heavy casualties and are unable to capture the monastry. Withdrawing these divisions in turn the Allies halted the attacks and spent a month regrouping.
The Allied forces around Anzio came under constant and heavy counterattack by Kesselring who realised that if he drove the Allies off the beach there he could reinforce the Gustav line. The Allies held their ground, but were unable to advance out of the beachheads. On May 11 the Allies renewed the frontal assault on the
Gustav Line, with twelve fresh divisions against the
defenders 6. Progress was made everywhere except around Monte Cassino,
and the French broke through into the valley of the Austente River. The
Germans fell back to their next defensive position, which the Allies
rushed to reach before the line can be established.
However General Clark ordered his units to switch their objective to
Rome. This ensured its early liberation (on June 5th
1944) and is a major publicity coup, but allowed Kesselring time to
set up his next line of defence, the Gothic Line. Monte Cassino was
finally captured on May 18.
See also:
The Plan
The Assault
External Links