Posted on Jan 20, 2019
WW II SACRED ABBEY DESTROYED at MONTE CASSINO 2 of 3 RARE COLOR FILM
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WWII World War Two
Military History
World History
Posted 6 y ago
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Thank you, my friend CW5 Jack Cardwell for sharing the second of the three videos focused on the assault against the Gustav Line sometime referred to as Winter Line in early 1944 which lasted until May 1944. The monastery at Monte Cassino was reduced to rubble by allied heavy and medium bombers.
"On 11 Feb, [1944] Brigadier Harry Dimoline, acting commanding officer of Indian 4th Division, requested aerial bombing of the monastery, which was passed on by Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg to the air forces. The bombing was approved and conducted on 15 Feb, with 229 US heavy and medium bombers dropping 1,150 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs, demolishing nearly all structures; the aerial bombing was augmented by artillery shelling as well. On the following day, while artillery shelling continued, 59 fighter-bombers attempted to destroy whatever remained standing. Point 593, the German strongpoint beneath the abbey that the Allies attacked but failed to take in early Feb, was nearly untouched by the attacks."
Images:
1. Monte Cassino monastery in ruins, Italy, Mar 1944
2. B-17F Fortress flying over Monte Cassino as smoke rises from the abbey, Feb 15, 1944
3. Gregorio Diamare and the ecclesiastical authorities of Monte Cassino abbey giving German Luftwaffe troops the permission to remove artwork for transfer to Germany, 4 Jan 1944
4. Monte Cassino monastery in ruins, Italy, Feb 1944.
Battle of Monte Cassino Timeline from ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=312
5 Nov 1943 In Italy, Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery's British X Corps reached Monte Camino, a 3,000-foot pinnacle overlooking the River Garigliano and the entrance to the Liri valley. Here, and in the surrounding hills, the Germans had laid extensive minefields and set booby-traps as well as blasting artillery, mortar and machine gun positions out of the solid rock. After several days of savage fighting in the cold and wet, Harold Alexander called off further action in order that the front-line divisions may be rested before trying again.
2 Dec 1943 The British 56th (London) Division, which had already been badly mauled in earlier fighting for Monte Camino, Italy, launched a new attack and reached the summit under cover of darkness, but it would take another four days of hard fighting before the position could be secured completely.
12 Jan 1944 General Alphonse Juin's Free French Expeditionary Corps launched an attack inland of Monto Cassino towards Castel Sant'Elia in Italy.
15 Jan 1944 Free French Expeditionary Corps reached Castel Sant'Elia, Italy.
17 Jan 1944 British X Corps attacked the western end of the German Gustav Line in Italy.
19 Jan 1944 British 46th Infantry Division attacked German positions near the junction of the Garigliano River and the Liri River in Italy.
20 Jan 1944 After sundown, US 141st Regiment and 143rd Regiment attacked across the Rapido River in Italy.
21 Jan 1944 In the mid-morning, German 15th Panzergrenadier Division wiped out the US beachheads along the Rapido River in Italy, forcing the survivors to withdraw back across the river. During the day, German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and 90th Panzergrenadier Division arrived in the region as reinforcement. After dark, US 141st Regiment and 143rd Regiment crossed the river again and established precarious footholds.
22 Jan 1944 German 15th Panzergrenadier Division wiped out new beachheads on the Rapido River in Italy established by US 141st Regiment and 143rd Regiment through the previous night.
24 Jan 1944 Hitler ordered that the Gustav Line in Italy was to be held at all costs. Meanwhile, French forces attacked north of Monte Cassino and US 34th Infantry Division attacked across the Rapido River north of Cassino.
27 Jan 1944 Germans launched a counter attack against French troops near Cassino, Italy.
31 Jan 1944 US 34th Division crossed the Rapido River in Italy. Nearby, French Moroccan colonial troops were halted by troops of German 5th Mountain Division near Cassino and Monte Belvedere, Italy.
1 Feb 1944 German 44th Infantry Division fell back near the Rapido River toward Monte Cassino, Italy.
5 Feb 1944 US forces reached the outskirts of Cassino, Italy, but were held out of the town.
7 Feb 1944 US troops reached Point 445, a hill 370 meters away from the monastery at Monte Cassino, Italy.
8 Feb 1944 US troops began an major assault toward Monte Cassino, Italy.
11 Feb 1944 The US II Corps attack toward Monte Cassino, Italy was halted by German troops. Major General Harry Dimoline of Indian 4th Division requested the aerial bombing of the abbey atop Monte Cassino.
12 Feb 1944 Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg requested Allied air forces for the bombing of the abbey at Monte Cassino, Italy.
13 Feb 1944 The monastery at Monte Cassino, Italy was given advance warning of the aerial bombing to come.
15 Feb 1944 142 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, 47 B-25 Mitchell bombers, and 40 B-26 Marauder bombers dropped 1,150 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs on the historic Benedictine monastery atop Monte Cassino, Italy. The aerial bombing was augmented by artillery shelling as well. In the evening, a company of 1st Battalion of British Royal Sussex Regiment of Indian 4th Division attacked neraby Point 593, but failed to capture the position.
16 Feb 1944 Fighter-bombers attacked the already-destroyed historic Benedictine monastery atop Monte Cassino, Italy.
17 Feb 1944 Indian 4th Division attacked Monte Cassino, Italy, failing to make advances and suffering heavy casualties. In parallel, Maori troops of the New Zealand Division established a small bridgehead across the nearby Rapido River.
18 Feb 1944 German tanks eliminated the 28th (Maori) Battalion bridgehead on the Rapido River in Italy.
2 Mar 1944 On Mount Trocchio near Cassino, Italy, walking down a path that was supposed to have been cleared, Major-General Howard Kippenberger, the admirable commander of the 2nd New Zealand Division, stepped on one of the vicious little wooden "Schu" mines. One of his feet was blown off and the other had to be amputated.
15 Mar 1944 At 0830 hours, the third major Allied attempt to attack Monte Cassino, Italy began with a heavy bombardment that lasted more than three hours.
16 Mar 1944 Allied troops continued the attack on Monte Cassino, Italy.
17 Mar 1944 New Zealand troops captured the train station at Cassino, Italy. Nearby, Indian Gurkha troops captured Point 435 (nicknamed Hangman's Hill).
18 Mar 1944 New Zealand troops mounted a failed armored attack on Cassino, Italy, losing all 17 tanks in the process.
19 Mar 1944 British and New Zealand troops attacked German positions in the Cassino, Italy area, making very little progress in the face of German 1st Parachute Division.
20 Mar 1944 British 78th Infantry Division joined in the attack of Cassino, Italy.
22 Mar 1944 General Alexander ceased the frontal attacks at Cassino, Italy.
24 Mar 1944 The Allied attacks on the Gustav Line were persistently repulsed by German defenders.
26 Mar 1944 The New Zealand Corps headquarters, currently near Cassino, Italy, was dissolved. Surviving troops were incorporated into British XIII Corps.
15 Apr 1944 The German defensive Gustav Line in Italy began to fall.
11 May 1944 Operation Diadem, the fourth Allied attempt at attacking Cassino, Italy, was launched at 2300 hours with 1,660 artillery pieces firing on German defensive positions. Troops of US Fifth and British Eighth Armies advanced toward German positions behind the artillery barrage.
12 May 1944 Near Cassino, Italy, engineers of Indian 8th Division successfully established a bridge to allow tanks of Canadian 1st Armoured Brigade to cross the Rapido River, while Polish troops engaged in fierce fighting with troops of German 1st Parachute Division at Point 593.
14 May 1944 French Moroccan colonial troops outflanked German defenses in the Liri River valley in Italy.
15 May 1944 British 78th Division joined in on the attack of Cassino, Italy as German troops withdrew from Gustav Line to Hitler Line 30 miles to the south of Rome, Italy.
17 May 1944 German troops evacuated Cassino, Italy. Meanwhile, the French penetration of the Gustav Line reached 25 miles. Nearby, Polish troops launched what was to become the final attack on Monte Cassino.
18 May 1944 British 78th Division linked up with the Polish Corps in the Liri River valley 3.2 kilometers west of Cassino, Italy. Later on the same day, Polish troops captured the ruins of the Monte Cassino monastery.
19 May 1944 French Moroccan colonial troops plundered villages near Cassino, Italy.
23 May 1944 Troops of Polish II Corps and Canadian 1st Infantry Division attacked Piedimonte, Italy.
24 May 1944 The German Senger Line south of Rome, Italy was breached by troops of Canadian 1st Infantry Division, Canadian 5th Armoured Division, and II Polish Corps.
25 May 1944 Polish troops captured Piedimonte, Italy."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen PO1 H Gene Lawrence PO2 Kevin Parker CPT Scott Sharon SSG William Jones SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL LTC Greg Henning LTC Jeff Shearer CWO3 Dennis M. PO3 Bob McCord SGT (Join to see)
"On 11 Feb, [1944] Brigadier Harry Dimoline, acting commanding officer of Indian 4th Division, requested aerial bombing of the monastery, which was passed on by Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg to the air forces. The bombing was approved and conducted on 15 Feb, with 229 US heavy and medium bombers dropping 1,150 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs, demolishing nearly all structures; the aerial bombing was augmented by artillery shelling as well. On the following day, while artillery shelling continued, 59 fighter-bombers attempted to destroy whatever remained standing. Point 593, the German strongpoint beneath the abbey that the Allies attacked but failed to take in early Feb, was nearly untouched by the attacks."
Images:
1. Monte Cassino monastery in ruins, Italy, Mar 1944
2. B-17F Fortress flying over Monte Cassino as smoke rises from the abbey, Feb 15, 1944
3. Gregorio Diamare and the ecclesiastical authorities of Monte Cassino abbey giving German Luftwaffe troops the permission to remove artwork for transfer to Germany, 4 Jan 1944
4. Monte Cassino monastery in ruins, Italy, Feb 1944.
Battle of Monte Cassino Timeline from ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=312
5 Nov 1943 In Italy, Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery's British X Corps reached Monte Camino, a 3,000-foot pinnacle overlooking the River Garigliano and the entrance to the Liri valley. Here, and in the surrounding hills, the Germans had laid extensive minefields and set booby-traps as well as blasting artillery, mortar and machine gun positions out of the solid rock. After several days of savage fighting in the cold and wet, Harold Alexander called off further action in order that the front-line divisions may be rested before trying again.
2 Dec 1943 The British 56th (London) Division, which had already been badly mauled in earlier fighting for Monte Camino, Italy, launched a new attack and reached the summit under cover of darkness, but it would take another four days of hard fighting before the position could be secured completely.
12 Jan 1944 General Alphonse Juin's Free French Expeditionary Corps launched an attack inland of Monto Cassino towards Castel Sant'Elia in Italy.
15 Jan 1944 Free French Expeditionary Corps reached Castel Sant'Elia, Italy.
17 Jan 1944 British X Corps attacked the western end of the German Gustav Line in Italy.
19 Jan 1944 British 46th Infantry Division attacked German positions near the junction of the Garigliano River and the Liri River in Italy.
20 Jan 1944 After sundown, US 141st Regiment and 143rd Regiment attacked across the Rapido River in Italy.
21 Jan 1944 In the mid-morning, German 15th Panzergrenadier Division wiped out the US beachheads along the Rapido River in Italy, forcing the survivors to withdraw back across the river. During the day, German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and 90th Panzergrenadier Division arrived in the region as reinforcement. After dark, US 141st Regiment and 143rd Regiment crossed the river again and established precarious footholds.
22 Jan 1944 German 15th Panzergrenadier Division wiped out new beachheads on the Rapido River in Italy established by US 141st Regiment and 143rd Regiment through the previous night.
24 Jan 1944 Hitler ordered that the Gustav Line in Italy was to be held at all costs. Meanwhile, French forces attacked north of Monte Cassino and US 34th Infantry Division attacked across the Rapido River north of Cassino.
27 Jan 1944 Germans launched a counter attack against French troops near Cassino, Italy.
31 Jan 1944 US 34th Division crossed the Rapido River in Italy. Nearby, French Moroccan colonial troops were halted by troops of German 5th Mountain Division near Cassino and Monte Belvedere, Italy.
1 Feb 1944 German 44th Infantry Division fell back near the Rapido River toward Monte Cassino, Italy.
5 Feb 1944 US forces reached the outskirts of Cassino, Italy, but were held out of the town.
7 Feb 1944 US troops reached Point 445, a hill 370 meters away from the monastery at Monte Cassino, Italy.
8 Feb 1944 US troops began an major assault toward Monte Cassino, Italy.
11 Feb 1944 The US II Corps attack toward Monte Cassino, Italy was halted by German troops. Major General Harry Dimoline of Indian 4th Division requested the aerial bombing of the abbey atop Monte Cassino.
12 Feb 1944 Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg requested Allied air forces for the bombing of the abbey at Monte Cassino, Italy.
13 Feb 1944 The monastery at Monte Cassino, Italy was given advance warning of the aerial bombing to come.
15 Feb 1944 142 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, 47 B-25 Mitchell bombers, and 40 B-26 Marauder bombers dropped 1,150 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs on the historic Benedictine monastery atop Monte Cassino, Italy. The aerial bombing was augmented by artillery shelling as well. In the evening, a company of 1st Battalion of British Royal Sussex Regiment of Indian 4th Division attacked neraby Point 593, but failed to capture the position.
16 Feb 1944 Fighter-bombers attacked the already-destroyed historic Benedictine monastery atop Monte Cassino, Italy.
17 Feb 1944 Indian 4th Division attacked Monte Cassino, Italy, failing to make advances and suffering heavy casualties. In parallel, Maori troops of the New Zealand Division established a small bridgehead across the nearby Rapido River.
18 Feb 1944 German tanks eliminated the 28th (Maori) Battalion bridgehead on the Rapido River in Italy.
2 Mar 1944 On Mount Trocchio near Cassino, Italy, walking down a path that was supposed to have been cleared, Major-General Howard Kippenberger, the admirable commander of the 2nd New Zealand Division, stepped on one of the vicious little wooden "Schu" mines. One of his feet was blown off and the other had to be amputated.
15 Mar 1944 At 0830 hours, the third major Allied attempt to attack Monte Cassino, Italy began with a heavy bombardment that lasted more than three hours.
16 Mar 1944 Allied troops continued the attack on Monte Cassino, Italy.
17 Mar 1944 New Zealand troops captured the train station at Cassino, Italy. Nearby, Indian Gurkha troops captured Point 435 (nicknamed Hangman's Hill).
18 Mar 1944 New Zealand troops mounted a failed armored attack on Cassino, Italy, losing all 17 tanks in the process.
19 Mar 1944 British and New Zealand troops attacked German positions in the Cassino, Italy area, making very little progress in the face of German 1st Parachute Division.
20 Mar 1944 British 78th Infantry Division joined in the attack of Cassino, Italy.
22 Mar 1944 General Alexander ceased the frontal attacks at Cassino, Italy.
24 Mar 1944 The Allied attacks on the Gustav Line were persistently repulsed by German defenders.
26 Mar 1944 The New Zealand Corps headquarters, currently near Cassino, Italy, was dissolved. Surviving troops were incorporated into British XIII Corps.
15 Apr 1944 The German defensive Gustav Line in Italy began to fall.
11 May 1944 Operation Diadem, the fourth Allied attempt at attacking Cassino, Italy, was launched at 2300 hours with 1,660 artillery pieces firing on German defensive positions. Troops of US Fifth and British Eighth Armies advanced toward German positions behind the artillery barrage.
12 May 1944 Near Cassino, Italy, engineers of Indian 8th Division successfully established a bridge to allow tanks of Canadian 1st Armoured Brigade to cross the Rapido River, while Polish troops engaged in fierce fighting with troops of German 1st Parachute Division at Point 593.
14 May 1944 French Moroccan colonial troops outflanked German defenses in the Liri River valley in Italy.
15 May 1944 British 78th Division joined in on the attack of Cassino, Italy as German troops withdrew from Gustav Line to Hitler Line 30 miles to the south of Rome, Italy.
17 May 1944 German troops evacuated Cassino, Italy. Meanwhile, the French penetration of the Gustav Line reached 25 miles. Nearby, Polish troops launched what was to become the final attack on Monte Cassino.
18 May 1944 British 78th Division linked up with the Polish Corps in the Liri River valley 3.2 kilometers west of Cassino, Italy. Later on the same day, Polish troops captured the ruins of the Monte Cassino monastery.
19 May 1944 French Moroccan colonial troops plundered villages near Cassino, Italy.
23 May 1944 Troops of Polish II Corps and Canadian 1st Infantry Division attacked Piedimonte, Italy.
24 May 1944 The German Senger Line south of Rome, Italy was breached by troops of Canadian 1st Infantry Division, Canadian 5th Armoured Division, and II Polish Corps.
25 May 1944 Polish troops captured Piedimonte, Italy."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen PO1 H Gene Lawrence PO2 Kevin Parker CPT Scott Sharon SSG William Jones SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL LTC Greg Henning LTC Jeff Shearer CWO3 Dennis M. PO3 Bob McCord SGT (Join to see)
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Again, cool place. Great series you’re posting. We watched these and others in preparation for the staff ride!
There is a cemetery dedicated to the Polish warriors who took the monastery!
There is a cemetery dedicated to the Polish warriors who took the monastery!
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