Lost Evidence: 'Monte Cassino" 2 of 5

The pact signed in Moscow at the end of August between Hitler and Stalin gave a green light for war against Poland.
September 1,1939 Wehrmacht launched its Blitzkrieg, and a couple weeks later, the Red Army stabbed the overwhelmed Polish Army in the back, splitting Poland in half along a prearranged line.
Less then two years later, Hitler?s surprise attack on Russia forced Stalin to turn to the West for help. This gave the Polish government-in-exile in London a chance to negotiate the release of Polish prisoners held in the Gulag. Out of almost two million held there, only less then 75,000 prisoners were released from prisons and labor camps. They joined the recruiting centers and waited - sick and hungry ? for the arms that Stalin has promised their prime minister in London, but few only were delivered. General Wladyslaw Anders, just released from the notorious Lubyanka prison, knowing the Russians well, was very apprehensive and suspicious about Stalin's designs on Poland. Being aware of his plans to control newly organized army militarily as well as politically, Anders worked out a plan of evacuation to Iran Under pressure of Wehrmacht advance to the gates of Moscow in late 1941, Stalin panicked and dropped his guard, allowing several divisions of Polish volunteers to join the British 10th Army in the Middle East.


At the beginning of 1944, after moving from Iraq to Palestine, the 2ND Polish Corps moved to Egypt and then on to southern Italy. After a few smaller engagements in southern Italy, the Corps was moved to the vicinity of the Monte Cassino monastery. Because of its commanding location, the massif overlooked and controlled the Naples-Rome road and railway line. The Germans, realizing its strategic value, had fortified and connected it to their Gustav Line fortifications stretching across the Italian "boot" and manned it with the crack 1ST Parachute Division. Three attempts to take the monastery had already been made by the Allies, but without success. The first attempt was made by the units of the American Fifth Army, an Algerian formation of the French Corps and units of the British Eighth Army. The following two attempts by the New Zealand Corps were also unsuccessful. On March 24, 1944, General Leese, commander of the British Eighth Army, asked General Anders if the 2ND Polish Corps would undertake a capturing of the monastery. He received an affirmative reply.
The attack, at 1:00 A.M. on May 12, 1944, was preceded by a two-hour, 800-gun artillery barrage along the entire front. Two Polish divisions advanced, ascending rocky 30 to 45-degree inclines and enduring the constant fire of well-positioned, fortified German artillery and machine guns. The fighting continued throughout the night and until the following afternoon. There was no chance of bringing reinforcements, as all paths and roads were covered by German fire. Yet, despite the enormous fire power, the Allied artillery did not succeed in silencing the German artillery; and, in the evening of May 12, General Anders gave the order to withdraw to the original departure points. The withdrawal ended on May 13. At 7:00 A.M. on May 17, fresh battalions of the two Polish divisions began the attack. This time, despite the terrain, Polish tanks were sent up the mountain. Those which broke down or were damaged by mines were pushed into the precipice to make room for those behind. Also, weighing two and a half tons each, anti-tank canons were disassembled below, dragged up the mountain piece by piece under the cover of darkness, reassembled and, at the time of the attack, opened up on the Germans at point-blank range.
In the late afternoon of May 17, the critical point was reached; it was impossible to gain any more ground. Exhausted soldiers laid hidden behind the rocks. The Germans were equally as exhausted.
Victory depended on the strength of will of each side. The 2ND Polish Corps did not have any reserves, but General Anders decided to throw everything he had into the final attack: bloodied battalions from the first engagement, commandos, drivers, and mechanics. On the morning of May 18, renewed attack was launched; but, during the night, the crack German paratroopers had had enough and withdrew, leaving only a token defense behind. Thus, at 10:20 A.M. on May 18, 1944, a patrol of the 12TH Cavalry Regiment hoisted the Polish flag upon the ruins of the monastery. The road to Rome was open. On June 4, 1944, the American Fifth Army entered the Eternal City.
Not long afterwards, the 2ND Polish Corps fought a victorious eight-day battle for Loreto; moving north along the Adriatic, they captured Ancona, broke through the Gothic Line, and took Faenza. On April 21, 1945, the Italian Campaign ended with the 2ND Polish Corps' liberation of Bologna.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• WorldWarII
• Italy
• axis
• allies
• Nazis
• Italian
• campaign
• Bologna
• monte
• cassino
• attack
• german
• polish
• abbey

[PanzerGrenadierLSSAH]

The Gustav line displays the the outstanding defensive skills of Albert Kesselring and the very poor leadership of Mark Clark. General Clark is one of the worst commanders in US history. It took him over two years to win control of Italy. He launched stupid assault after stupid assault.

[Acid4Blood]

and plus the Fallschirmjager were the best soldiers of WW2

[MaximusProteus]

@Stranskii ... they actually don`t say that, it`s said the allies were >convinced< Germans were in the monastery.

[Stranskii]

US propaganda , really you are such a poor bastards. There was no german in Monte Casino .

[squamish4244]

Mark Clark made one of the worst decisions of the war by a Western Allies general when he ignored orders to cut off the retreating Germans after Monte Cassino so he could get the glory of entering Rome. He also failed to pursue the remainder of their forces, so all were able to reorganize and form the even stronger Gothic Line soon after, and the battle for Italy took another year.

[jrapcdaikari]

They made a mistake bombing the beautiful monastery. If I were the commander, I'd use a combine force of American and British Airborne... also, I'm Catholic, so its an insult to me... But don't mind the last reason if you're annoyed by Christian comments...

[SteviePification]

@Acid4Blood Yes, they were good - no doubt at all about that. It's worth mentioning that the units opposing them were some of the better ones too - they broke over a battalion of German Paras in a failed effort to beat the Essex Regt at Castle Hill - one of the more seasoned all-volunteer units in the British Army

[cuzcatlan36]

they only thought of bombing monte casino after a bunch of people were dead? what the hell!!

[charizu20]

@fireball973

What the heck are you smoking? No one's saying they don't commit atrocities. The hard truth is that the Axis Powers committed 10x atrocities especially rapes in my native country, for example by the Japs.

Me thinks you're just an American hating moron.

[broed731]

Elite fallschirmjager+huge ruins= oh shit!!

[fireball973]

This TV program is ok but somewhat bias they never say what happens to the refugees and monks inside the monastery just like they never mention the rape of Japanese women on Okinawa the only crimes they do mention are the rape of German women by Soviets but Americans never commit war crimes they're Geezus

[MarruecosMan]

The French Expeditionary Forces, from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, and commanded by French nationals, fought for their national honor. They did what both the Germans and Allies thought was impossible: Working their way through the trackless wilderness of the Arunchi Mountains they cut off German supply routes and broke the Gustav Line (this is an untold story).