Peter Caddick-Adams - Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell

BY PETER CADDICK-ADAMS

Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives

TEN ARMIES IN HELL

Peter Caddick-Adams

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First published in Great Britain in 2012 by Preface Publishing

Published in the United States of America by
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Peter Caddick-Adams 2013

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[Insert Cataloguing Data]
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-997464-1

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Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper

In memory of Richard Holmes CBE, TD, JP
friend, colleague and mentor
19462011

Alexanders Army Group was the fusion of the AngloUS forces that landed in Morocco and Algeria (Operation Torch) with Montgomerys Eighth Army advancing from El Alamein. While the invasion of Sicily (Husky) was a natural progression after the Allied conquest of Tunisia, future options were less clear, for Churchill and Roosevelt anticipated a simultaneous assault on France in 1944 from both the north (Overlord) and south (Dragoon). While Dragoon slipped by two months, all its resources came from the Italian theatre. The map also illustrates why Rommels proposals to defend Italy from the north attracted Hitler initially. From there, he could counter any threatened invasions of southern France or the Balkans.

After the unexpected German success in holding Mark Clarks Fifth Army at Salerno for ten days, Hitler opted for Kesselrings plans of a southerly defence, rather than Rommels based in the north. The result was various linear positions, strung across the waist of Italy, incorporating rivers and mountains wherever possible. The Victor and Barbara lines bought time whilst the most deadly, the Bernhardt, was constructed in depth by military engineers. The Bernhardt was at its strongest in the west, where a fall-back or switch position, the Gustav, was constructed around the natural bastion of Monte Cassino.

The first battle of Cassino saw a series of Allied attacks between Cassino and the coast, which were sequential, and timed to coincide with the Anzio landings. After the war the local German corps commander, General Senger, criticised this approach, as he was able to switch his reserves to meet each assault. He argued that had the Allied thrusts been simultaneous, they would have broken through. Of the attacks, the French in the north showed most promise, but was halted through lack of reinforcements. Senger, though, was most worried by the British moves in the south, which he felt would have broken through had they been properly resourced.

The second and third battles of Cassino were focussed on the town and monastery and overseen by Lieutenant General Sir Bernard Freyberg. For reasons of geography, attacks on the monastery were only possible from the north-west (Snakeshead Ridge) or up the sheer eastern face, leaping up the hairpin bends. The main German centres of resistance were the Continental Hotel, Hotel des Roses, Barons Palace and Station area, all extremely well-built of local stone.

Lieutenant General Sir Oliver Leese, commanding Eighth Army, oversaw the attack and pursuit up the Liri valley. Leese had huge resources available to him comprising three corps (British XIII Corps, the Canadians and Poles), but made the mistake of cramming six Allied divisions into the valley (rarely more than five miles wide) in the final stages, slowing down the advance, rather than increasing it. This may have influenced Clark to strike for Rome, against Alexanders orders.

Operation Diadem, devised by Alexanders talented chief of staff, John Harding, involved both the penetration of the Gustav and Hitler Lines and a breakout from Anzio. It is notable here that each corps in the fourth battle was attacking what had been a divisional objective in the first battle. The broad idea was for Truscotts Anzio force to prevent the escape of Vietinghoffs Tenth Army, but Mark Clarks switch of emphasis towards Rome allowed the Germans to escape. However, the Germans proved very disciplined in their withdrawal and there is no guarantee that Truscotts VI Corps (who suffered heavy losses at Cisterna) would have been able to stop them at Valmonte.

, out in Italy,

Always on the vino, always on the spree.

Eighth Army skivers and their tanks,

We go to war in ties like swanks.

For were the D-Day Dodgers, in sunny Italy.

We landed at Salerno, a holiday with pay.

Jerry brought his bands out to cheer us on our way,

Showed us the sights and gave us tea,

We all sang songs, the beer was free.

For were the D-Day Dodgers, the lads that D-Day dodged.

Palermo and Cassino were taken in our stride,

We did not go to fight there, we just went for the ride.

Anzio and Sangro are just names,

We only went to look for dames,

For were the D-Day Dodgers, in sunny Italy.

On our way to Florence, we had a lovely time,

We drove a bus from Rimini, right through the Gothic Line,

Then to Bologna we did go,

And went bathing in the River Po,

For were the D-Day Dodgers, the lads that D-Day dodged.

We hear the boys in France are going home on leave,

After six months service such a shame theyre not relieved.