Editing Battle of Monte Cassino (section)

===Plans===
For the third battle, it was decided that, while the winter weather persisted, fording the Garigliano river downstream of Cassino town was an unattractive option (after the unhappy experiences in the first two battles). The "right hook" in the mountains had also been a costly failure, and it was decided to launch twin attacks from the north along the Rapido valley: one towards the fortified Cassino town and the other towards Monastery Hill. The idea was to clear the path through the bottleneck between these two features to allow access towards the station on the south and so to the Liri Valley. The [[78th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 78th Infantry Division]], which had arrived in late February and been placed under the command of the New Zealand Corps, would then cross the Rapido downstream of Cassino and start the push to Rome. Freyburg had taken on board Tuker's exhortations that an assault on Cassino needed saturation with artillery and bombs beforehand (though not that an attack on Cassino was irrational and that the attacks should be either side: on Monte Castellone and crossing the Rapido). He planned a saturation of the town of Cassino itself, already ruined and devoid of civilians, after which the  New Zealand division would be in effect carrying out a "mopping up operation".{{refn|group="nb"|The artillery assembled for the task far outweighed that available to the Germans. It was described in the official history as  "216 field guns of the three divisions had to be added more than 150 field and medium guns of 2 AGRA, as well as the medium and heavy artillery of 2 United States Corps."<ref>{{Cite book |title= Italy Volume I: The Sangro to Cassino |last=  Phillips |first= N. C |publisher= Historical Publications Branch |date= 1957 |location = Wellington |series = The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945 |page=258}}</ref>}} To guard the New Zealanders flank the Indian division would take the route up to the monastery.<ref>{{Cite web |last=James Holland & Al Murray |title=Cassino '44 - Cassino Town (Part 6) |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/cassino-44-cassino-town-part-6/id1457552694?i=1000650349878 |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk: (via Apple Podcasts) |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The bombing plan was for "ten groups of heavy bombers and six groups of mediums, nearly 500 aircraft in all" working in relays to attack an area 1400 yards by 400 though "Late arrivals would be diverted to targets outside the town".<ref>Phillips 1957 p263</ref> Immediately following the bombing, at 12 o'clock, 6 Brigade was to advance, preceded by a creeping barrage while concentrations{{refn|group="nb"|In a "concentration", many batteries would fire on a single target area rather than hi.{{clarify|date=April 2024}} The result was a greater density of fire than the 'barrage' where a line of shelling was generated.}} of artillery fire would hit German defences in the town and to the south and escorted by tanks of  19 Armoured Regiment with the intention of capturing the town north of Route 6 by 2 pm. Then 6 Brigade would continue south through the town to the railway. At the same time 5 Indian Brigade would be working step by step along the eastern slopes of Monte cassino and turning uphill to capture Hangman's Hill (Point 435) The 7 Indian Brigade would be maintaining pressure on the defenders in the monastery ruins.<ref>Phillips 1957 p265</ref>

None of the Allied commanders were very happy with the plan, but it was hoped that an unprecedented preliminary bombing by heavy bombers would prove the trump. To avoid taking vehicles across waterlogged ground, three clear days of good weather were required, and for twenty-one successive days the assault was postponed as the troops waited in the freezing wet positions for a favourable weather forecast. Things were not helped by the loss of Kippenberger who while on Mount Trocchio surveying the battlefield was wounded by an anti-personnel mine and as a result lost both his feet. The news depressed the morale of the New Zealand troops further.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harper |first=Glyn |author-link=Glyn Harper |title=Kippenberger: An Inspired New Zealand Commander |publisher=HarperCollins |year=1997 |isbn=1-86950-255-8 |location=Auckland, New Zealand |pages=262}}</ref> He was replaced by Brigadier Graham Parkinson; a German counter-attack at Anzio had failed and been called off.