Figure 1.--Field Marshal Kesselling fought the Allies to a standstill along the Gustav Line with imited supplies, almost no air cover, and a mixture of grizzeled veterans from the East and raw recruits including these boys who mostly look relieved to be captured. Some look younger than the 18-year old conscription age. The newspaper caption here shows a misunderstanding of the German Whermacht. While American and British soldies were largely civilians in uniform. The Whermacht proved capable of turning youth like these into very effective soldiers. The effectiveness of the Germans or the quality of their weaponry was never adressed in Allied newspaper reports. None of the Allied infantrymen who had to assault the Gustav Line would have written that the the Germans, even yonger ones, were 'play' soldiers. The caption read, "They'll Play 'Soldier' No More: These German youngsters, left behind by their officers to hold Castleforte 'at all costs,' were captured during the first day of the current smashing Allied offensive in Italy. Looking as though they would be much more at home on the school athletic field, the boys seem not at all unhappy that the War is over for them. They are shown lined up awaiting transportation to the prisoner of war camps behind Allied lines." Castelforte was part of the Gustav Line. It was heavily bombed by the Allies. The photograph was taken May 18, 1944, the same day that the Poles took Monte Casino.

After securing the vital port of Naples, the American Fifth Army and British Eighth Army drove north and forced a crossing of the Volturno River (October 1943). They then encountred Kesselring's primary defenses--the Gustav or Winter Line. Hitler was prepared to abandon much of Italy, but Kesserling convinced him to make a stand and the Field Marshal was proved right. Kesseling used the troops that had had escaped from Sicily. Without these units it is unlikely that he could have made a stand in Italy south of Rome. And if Hitler had not sent tens of thousands of reinforcemnents into Tunisia (November 1942), it is difficult to see how the Allies would have ever moved up the Italian Peninsula. The German defensive position was anchored on the mountains around Cassino and the Rapido and Gariglino Rivers. At the center of the German positions was Monte Casino, an ancient monestary. One historian calls the German preparations a tactical trap, "... a large scale concentration of German troops behind the two rivers, gun pits were being blasted out of solid rock, the banks were being cleared to create fields of fire, and antitank ditches, mines and barbed wire were being readied everywhere." [Parker] Kesseling managed to stop the Allied advance for months. Repeated attempts to break through the German lines were beaten back. Losses were staggering. The British were more cautious than the Americans who were more willing to expend men on fritless asaults. Over 60,000 Allied and German soldiers were killed in the vicious fighting. [Parker] Allied troops were withdrawn from Italy for the Overlord invasion. So the two armies were relatively evenly matched, unlike the situation in the East. The Allies attempted to use their overwealming superiority in fore power to blast through the German defenses. The Americans were to cross the Rapido River in an attack timed to coincide with the Anzio landings--Operation Shingle (January 1944). This was delayed and when launched sustained serious casualties. Further efforts to blast through the Gustav Line filed. Even the use of massed bombers attacks including an attack targetting Monte Cassino failed. The eventual bombing of Monte Casino was more out of frustration than a well thoughout strike. Only after repeted and costly attacks did the Gustav Line begin to creack Mone Casino finally fell after a determined Polish assault (May 18, 1944). This finally breached the Gustav Line opening the advance on Rome.

Allied Push North after Salerno (October 1943)

The Allied commanders were divided in how to persue the Italian campaign. The differences resulted in perhaps the worst possible decession, a drive north from Naples with an inadequate force. The Italian campaign was never designed to be the Allies major offensive to drive into Germany. Important units and the best commanders were transferred to England to begin preparations for the cross-Channelinvasion into France. The U.S. 5th and British 8th Armies had a combined force of only 11 divisions (October 1943). They were able to take the inititive becuse they were much better supplied and had vastly superior air support. The terraine, however, enable the Germans to effectively resist. The Germans were forced to commit more than 20 divisions, forces they had to withdraw from France and the Eastern Front. The American 5th Army was strengthened with a French French Corps (December 1943). Italy had been an was an Axis nation. While Mussolini was intent on the War, the Italian people never seemed to have committed to the War in the way the German people did. The Italians treated the Allies as liberators more than conquerors as they pushed north. This was especially true of the Americans. Many Italians had lived in AZmerica or had relatives in America. After landing at Salerno and securing the vital port of Naples, the American Fifth Army and British Eighth Army drove north and forced a crossing of the Volturno River (October 1943).

German Decision to Stand South of Rome

The Allies then encountred Kesselring's primary defenses--the Gustav or Winter Line. Hitler was prepared to abandon much of Italy, but Kesserling convinced him to make a stand and the Field Marshal was proved right. Kesseling used the troops that had had escaped from Sicily. Without these units it is unlikely that he could have made a stand in Italy south of Rome. And if Hitler had not sent tens of thousands of reinforcemnents into Tunisia (November 1942), it is difficult to see how the Allies would have ever moved up the Italian Peninsula.

Gustav Line Defenses

The German Gutav Line wa a series of defensive positions built in depth and anchored on the mountains around Cassino and the Rapido and Gariglino Rivers. Much of the construction was done by Organisation Todt. The German Gustav Line ran across the Italian Peninsula beginning in the West just north of where the Garigliano River flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea. It then runs throughh the rugged Apennine Mountains to the mouth of the Sangro River on the Adriatic coast in the east. The powerful anchor of the line was where it crossed the main north/south highway to Rome (Highway 6). The highway followed the Liri Valley. The German defenses weere was anchored around the mountains behind the town of Cassino which the Germans heavily fortified. Casino was in the valley below the historice mountain top Monte Cassino monastery. The mountain an monaatery dominated the entrance to the Liri Valley and could be seen for miles around. The Germans did not use Mone Casino for artillery spotting, in [art because nearby Monte Cairo also orovided the defenders clear views of any attacking force attempting to advance toward Rome through the Liri valley. One historian calls the German preparations a tactical trap, "... a large scale concentration of German troops behind the two rivers, gun pits were being blasted out of solid rock, the banks were being cleared to create fields of fire, and antitank ditches, mines and barbed wire were being readied everywhere." [Parker] It was a powerful defnsive position. If the Germans had had the resources of the Allies and air civer, they could have held it forever. Thevnarrow Italian Peninsula meant that flanling attacks were impossible, unless conducted by amphibious landings. And the defenses were designed so tht the only was of attacking was frontal attacks against heavily fortufied positions supported by artillery.

Impact

Kesseling managed to stop the Allied advance for months. Repeated attempts to break through the German lines were beaten back. Losses were staggering. The British were more cautious than the Americans who were more willing to expend men on fritless asaults. Over 60,000 Allied and German soldiers were killed in the vicious fighting. [Parker]

Overlord

The Americans after Torch were committed to taking North Africa, but after Sicily were increasingly suspicious of Primeminister's Churchill's focus on the Mediterranean. Fortunately the Americans accepted British advise and posponed the cross-Channel in vasion in 1942 and 43, but come what may, the Americans were determined to launch an invasion in 1944. Eisenhower was thus determined to limit the American commitment to the Italian campsign. Allied troops were thus withdrawn from Italy for the Overlord invasion. Thus unlike the sitution in North Africa and Sicily or the East, the two armies in Italy were relatively evenly matched, at least in manpower.

Repeated Allied Failures

The Allies attempted to use their overwealming superiority in air power and to blast through the German defenses. The Americans were to cross the Rapido River in an attack timed to coincide with the Anzio landings--Operation Shingle (January 1944). This was delayed and when launched sustained serious casualties. Further efforts to blast through the Gustav Line failed. Even the use of massed bombers attacks including the tragic attack obliterating Monte Cassino failed.

Anzio (January 1944)

After the Allied invasion of southern Italy, the Germans put at a fight at Salerno in an effort to keep Naples out of Allied hands. When that failed, theu withdrew north to their main defense--the Gustav Line. The Allies planned an amphibious end run to outflank the Gustav Line. the Gustaf Line was located south of the Pontine Marshes. Draining the Marshes was one of the great achievements of Mussolini's Fascist regime. The Marshes were used by the Germans as part of their defenses. They were part of the reason that an amphibious landing at Anzio and Nettuno were needed to outflank the German defenses. The American 5th Army (VI Corps) landed behind the Gustav line about 30 miles south of Rome (January 22, 1944). The landing surprised the Germans and the Americans pushed toward Rome. Many historians fault the American commander, Maj. Gen. John P. Lucas, for not acting decisively by attacking the Germans. Lucas decided to build up his force before moving inland. This left the Germans in control of the high-ground and gave Kesselring time to assemble reinforcements. [Atkinson] A minority opinion mainains that Lucas was wise in building up the beach deffensives. The Germans launched a whitering attack with artillery and Panzers. American and British units repulsed repeated German attacks. It looked for a time that the Germans might destroy the American beachead (February 17). The American defense supported by invaluable naval artillery support managed to hold off the Germans. The German counterattack was finally haulted (March 2). Anzio became for a time anoher Italian stalemate. The Anzio landings failed in its objective to envelop the Gustav Line, but it did force the Germans to commit their reserves and streached out the fronts that the Grmans had to defend with no added reinforcenets. Thus the Allies remained bottled up in the Anzio beachead for several months. This in the end weakened the Gustav Line allowing the Allies to finally break through.

Monte Casino (February 1944)

The bombing of the magnificent momastery at Monte Casino was one of the many tragedies of World War II. St Benedict founded the monastery at mountain site where a pagan temple was located (529 AD). It was 87 miles south-east of Rome. The monks lived with a routine of prayer and farming. It was not just any monastery. It was there he wrote the Rule of St Benedict. This became the foundation for Western celibate asceticism. It was a major departure from the early Church. And Monte Cassino became a template for Western monasticism. St Benedict died (547) by which time Mone Casino was well established and thriving. The monastary would be no stranger to war and pillage. The Lombards stormed the monastery (580s). The Monks transferred their iconic copy of the Rule to Rome for safe keeping. Saracen forces stored the monastery (884). This should be noted. Islamicists today go on enlessly about peaceful Islam and Chritian attacks, especially the Crusades. They entirely ignote three centuries of constant Muslim atacks on Christendom. Norman forces stormed the monastery (1030). Magnificent New bronze doors for the Abbey were cast in Byzantine Constantinople for the Abbot Desiderius (1066). The scholar monk Constantine the African, died after vital translations of classical Greek medical texts. Many such texts had been destroyed by barbarian pillaging but had survived in Constantinople and medieval monasteries. A young Thomas Aquino joined the monastery for spiritual learning (1230). He would become Western Christendom's most important medieval theologian--St Thomas Aquinas. The monastery is damaged by an earthquake (1349). The buildings were repaired and extended (16th century). The Allies invaded southern Italy and German Field Marshl Kesselring constructed a powerful defensive line centered on the town of Casino blocking the Allied advnce on Rome--the Gustav Line. (September-October 1943). The Allies Late 1943 - early 1944 The town of Cassino becomes a key German defence point against the allied advance on Rome. The Allies take heavy casualties attmting to blast through the Gustav Line. The eventual bombing of Monte Casino was more out of frustration than a well thoughout strike. Battered Allied troops devestated by accurate German artillery fire could not believe that the Germans did not have artillery spotters in the monastery. A translation errort by a British intelligence officer may have been the final straw. [Ezard] Allied artillery fire leaflets alleging German occupation of the monastery and warning the monks about the bombing (February 14). Allied bombers obliterate the most fabeled monastery in Western Chritendom (February 15).

Final Breeching (May 1944)

Only after repeted and costly attacks did the Gustav Line begin to creack. The Anzio lamding forced Kesserling to extend German lines to a point that they were fatally weakened. Monte Casino finally fell after a determined Polish assault (May 18, 1944). This finally breached the Gustav Line opening the advance on Rome.

Sources

Ezard, John. "Error led to bombing of Monte Cassino," (April 3, 2000).

Parker, Matythew. Monte Cassino: The Hardest-Fought Battle of World War II (Doubleday: 2004), 414p.

Created: 11:06 AM 12/24/2014
Last updated: 11:06 AM 12/24/2014