In 1943, the Anglo-Americans invaded Italy because Churchill convinced Roosevelt that a cross-Channel invasion should be postponed until 1944. To appease Stalin, it was agreed that an Italian campaign would tie down German units that might otherwise face the Red Army. Churchill felt a strike at the “soft underbelly of Europe” would hasten the defeat of Nazi Germany. That underbelly proved to not be soft at all. Although the Italian government had already surrendered and Mussolini had been overthrown, the German army refused to give up. The rugged terrain of the peninsula gave big advantages to defenders and the Germans had many seasoned divisions led by a masterful general. Albrecht Kesselring. The American 5th Army under Gen. Mark Clark and the 8th Army under Gen. Montgomery (later under Gen. Leese) had to slog their way northward. By January, 1944, casualties had been high and gains slow. On Jan. 20, a crossing of the Rapido River was thrown back with heavy losses. Part of the problem was the Germans held the high ground and could rain artillery fire on the Americans.
One of the heights overlooking the valley was Monte Cassino. The 1,600-foot hill was famous for its Benedictine Abbey. The monastery had been built by St. Benedict in 529. Although a peaceful monastery, it was more like a fortress with its ten-foot thick, 150-foot high walls. It covered seven acres. Although it had been unofficially considered neutral ground, with the recent spate of failures, it was suspected of being used as an observation post for German artillery. Clark correctly believed that the Germans were not using it for that purpose. However, the pressure was on to take the hill no matter the cost. He was overruled and the official position was that the Germans were using the monastery and that justified its destruction. It was not until 1969 that the Army admitted the bombing had not been necessary.
On Feb. 15, Operation Avenger began with 250 bombers dropping 600 tons of explosives on the monastery. Artillery added to the pummeling. The famous cultural landmark was turned into rubble. Ironically, there had been no Germans inside, but after the bombardment, the Germans moved in. (More ironically, the actual German positions on the slope were not bombed!) No Germans were killed by the bombardment, but 230 Italian civilians who had taken refuge in the Abbey died. The rubble enhanced the defense and made it much more difficult to attack with infantry. To make matters worse, the air bombardment was not coordinated with an immediate infantry assault. The Germans used the time to occupy the hilltop. When the infantry moved forward, it was slaughtered.
Units were thrown into the meatgrinder in a piecemeal fashion. The casualties were incredible and several units were decimated. On May 11, a massive push was made all along the line. 1,000 artillery pieces rained hell on the Germans. Gen. Anders’ Polish Corps was tasked with taking Monte Cassino. Vengeance is a good motivator, but it was not enough to take the hill. Finally, with its rear being threatened, the Germans withdrew to avoid being surrounded. The Poles moved into what was left of the monastery without a fight. The capture of Monte Cassino cost the Allies 55,000 casualties. The Germans lost about 20,000 men. “The battle for Cassino,” Clark recalled, “was the most grueling, the most harrowing, and in one respect the most tragic, of any phase of the war in Italy.” That’s saying a lot.
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/battle-for-monte-cassino-hell-on-a-mountaintop/
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/destruction-of-monte-cassino-1944
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Cassino
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