Editing Battle of Monte Cassino (section)

==First battle==

===Plans and preparation===
{{Further|Battle of Monte Cassino order of battle January 1944}}

[[File:Cassino1944FirstPlan.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|left|First Battle: plan of attack]]

The plan of the Fifth Army commander, Lieutenant General Clark, was for the [[X Corps (United Kingdom)|British X Corps]], under [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant General]] [[Richard McCreery]], on the left of a thirty-kilometre (20&nbsp;mi) front, to attack on 17 January 1944, across the Garigliano near the coast ([[5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|5th]] and [[56th (London) Infantry Division|56th Infantry Divisions]]). The [[46th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 46th Infantry Division]] was to attack on the night of 19 January across the Garigliano below its junction with the Liri in support of the main attack by [[II Corps (United States)|U.S. II Corps]], under [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Geoffrey Keyes]], on their right. The main central thrust by the U.S. II Corps would commence on 20 January with the [[36th Infantry Division (United States)|U.S. 36th Infantry Division]] making an assault across the swollen Gari river {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} downstream of Cassino. Simultaneously, the [[French Expeditionary Corps (1943–44)|French Expeditionary Corps]] (CEF) led by General [[Alphonse Juin]] would continue its "right hook" move towards [[Monte Cairo]], the hinge to the Gustav and [[Hitler Line|Hitler defensive lines]]. In truth, Clark did not believe there was much chance of an early breakthrough,<ref>E.D. Smith, p. 26.</ref> but he felt that the attacks would draw German reserves away from the Rome area in time for the [[Battle of Anzio|attack on Anzio]] (codenamed Operation Shingle) where the [[VI Corps (United States)|U.S. VI Corps]] ([[History of the British 1st Division during the World Wars|British 1st]] and [[3rd Infantry Division (United States)|U.S. 3rd Infantry Divisions]], the [[504th Infantry Regiment (United States)|504th Parachute Regimental Combat Team]], [[United States Army Rangers|U.S. Army Rangers]] and [[British Commandos]], [[Combat command|Combat Command 'B']] of the [[1st Armored Division (United States)|U.S. 1st Armored Division]], along with supporting units), under Major General [[John P. Lucas]], was due to make an amphibious landing on 22 January. It was hoped that the Anzio landing, with the benefit of surprise and a rapid move inland to the [[Alban Hills]], which command both routes 6 and 7, would so threaten the Gustav defenders' rear and supply lines that it might just unsettle the German commanders and cause them to withdraw from the Gustav Line to positions north of Rome. Whilst this would have been consistent with the German tactics of the previous three months, Allied intelligence had not understood that the strategy of fighting retreat had been for the sole purpose of providing time to prepare the Gustav line where the Germans intended to stand firm. The intelligence assessment of Allied prospects was therefore over-optimistic.<ref>E.D. Smith, p. 27.</ref>
[[File:Grupa niemieckich spadochroniarzy na froncie włoskim (2-2131).jpg|thumb|[[Fallschirmjäger|German paratroopers]] from the 3rd FJR "Green Devils" taking part in the battles for Monte Cassino, March 1944]]
The Fifth Army had only reached the Gustav Line on 15 January, having taken six weeks of heavy fighting to advance the last {{convert|7|mi|km|spell=in}} through the [[Bernhardt Line]] positions, during which time they had sustained 16,000 casualties.<ref>{{harvnb|Majdalany|1957|p=30}}</ref> They hardly had time to prepare the new assault, let alone take the rest and reorganisation they really needed after three months of [[Attrition warfare|attritional fighting]] north from Naples. However, because the Allied [[Combined Chiefs of Staff]] would only make [[landing craft]] available until early February, as they were required for [[Operation Overlord]], the Allied [[Invasion of Normandy|invasion of Northern France]], Operation Shingle had to take place in late January with the coordinated attack on the Gustav Line some three days earlier.

===First assault: X Corps on the left, 17 January===
[[File:The Crossing of the Garigliano River by the Fifth Army, Lauro, Italy, 19 January 1944 TR1522.jpg|thumb|right|British [[Royal Engineers]] of the [[46th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|46th Infantry Division]] cross the Garigliano river, 19 January 1944]]

The first assault was made on 17 January. Near the coast, the British X Corps (56th and 5th Divisions) forced a crossing of the Garigliano (followed some two days later by the British 46th Division on their right) causing General [[Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin]], commander of the [[XIV Panzer Corps|German XIV Panzer Corps]], and responsible for the Gustav defences on the south western half of the line, some serious concern as to the ability of the [[94th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|German 94th Infantry Division]] to hold the line. Responding to Senger's concerns, Kesselring ordered the [[29th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|29th]] and [[90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|90th Panzergrenadier Divisions]] from the Rome area to provide reinforcement. X Corps did not have the extra men, and the battle plan remained unchanged. However, there would certainly have been time to alter the overall battle plan and cancel or modify the central attack by the U.S. II Corps to make men available to force the issue in the south before the German reinforcements were able to get into position. As it happened, Fifth Army HQ failed to appreciate the frailty of the German position and the plan was unchanged. The two divisions from Rome arrived by 21 January and stabilised the German position in the south. In one respect, however, the plan was working in that Kesselring's reserves had been drawn south. The three divisions of Lieutenant General McCreery's X Corps sustained some 4,000 casualties during the period of the first battle.<ref>{{harvnb|Majdalany|1957|p=90}}</ref>

===Main attack: II Corps in the centre, 20 January===
{{Further|Battle of Rapido River}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-312-0998-27, Monte Cassino, Panzerreparatur während Kampf.jpg|thumb|right|A German tank crew attempts to restore their [[Panzer IV]]'s mobility after battle damage inflicted during the fighting]]

The central thrust by the U.S. 36th Division, under Major General [[Fred L. Walker]], commenced three hours after sunset on 20 January. The lack of time to prepare meant that the approach to the river was still hazardous due to uncleared mines and booby traps, and the highly technical business of an opposed river crossing lacked the necessary planning and rehearsal. Although a battalion of the [[143rd Infantry Regiment (United States)|143rd Infantry Regiment]] was able to get across the Gari on the south side of San Angelo and two companies of the [[141st Infantry Regiment (United States)|141st Infantry Regiment]] on the north side, they were isolated for most of the time and at no time was Allied armour able to get across the river, leaving them highly vulnerable to counter-attacking tanks and self-propelled guns of ''[[Generalleutnant]]'' [[Eberhard Rodt]]'s [[15th Panzergrenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|15th Panzergrenadier Division]]. The southern group was forced back across the river by mid-morning of 21 January. Keyes pressed Walker to renew the attack immediately. Once again, the two regiments attacked but with no more success against the well dug-in 15th Panzergrenadier Division: the 143rd Infantry Regiment got the equivalent of two battalions across, but, once again, there was no armoured support, and they were devastated when daylight came the next day. The 141st Infantry Regiment also crossed in two battalion strength and, despite the lack of armoured support, managed to advance {{convert|1|km|mi}}. However, with the coming of daylight, they too were cut down and by the evening of 22 January, the 141st Infantry Regiment had virtually ceased to exist; only 40 men made it back to the Allied lines.

[[Rick Atkinson]] described the intense German resistance:

{{blockquote | [[Artillery]] and [[Nebelwerfer]] drumfire methodically searched both [[bridgehead]]s, while [[machine gun]]s opened on every sound&nbsp;... [[G.I. (military)|GIs]] inched forward, feeling for trip wires and listening to German gun crews reload&nbsp;... to stand or even to kneel was to die&nbsp;... On average, soldiers wounded on the Rapido received "definitive treatment" nine hours and forty-one minutes after they were hit, a medical study later found&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Atkinson|2007|pp=344–354}}}}

The assault had been a costly failure, with the 36th Division losing 2,100<ref>E.D. Smith, p. 59.</ref> men killed, wounded and missing in 48 hours. As a result, the army's conduct of this battle became the subject of a [[Congressional inquiry]] after the war.

===II Corps try north of Cassino: 24 January===
[[File:Santa Maria Infante001.jpg|thumb|US soldiers with a [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder|57mm M-1 anti-tank gun]] fighting near Monte Cassino during the initial assault]]
The next attack was launched on 24 January. The U.S. II Corps, with [[34th Infantry Division (United States)|34th Infantry Division]] under Major General [[Charles W. Ryder]] spearheading the attack and French colonial troops on its right flank, launched an assault across the flooded Rapido valley north of Cassino and into the mountains behind with the intention of then wheeling to the left and attacking Monte Cassino from high ground. Whilst the task of crossing the river would be easier in that the Rapido upstream of Cassino was fordable, the flooding made movement on the approaches each side very difficult. In particular, armour could only move on paths laid with steel matting and it took eight days of bloody fighting across the waterlogged ground for 34th Division to push back General [[Friedrich Franek|Franek's]] [[German 44th Infantry Division]] to establish a foothold in the mountains.

===French Corps halted on the right flank===
On the right, the Moroccan-French troops made strategical initial progress against the [[German 5th Mountain Division]], commanded by General [[Julius Ringel]], gaining positions on the slopes of their key objective, Monte Cifalco. Forward units of the [[3rd Algerian Infantry Division]] had also by-passed Monte Cifalco to capture Monte Belvedere and Colle Abate. General Juin was convinced that Cassino could be bypassed and the German defences unhinged by this northerly route but his request for reserves to maintain the momentum of his advance was refused and the one available reserve regiment (from 36th Division) was sent to reinforce 34th Division.<ref>E. D. Smith, pp. 63–64 & 68.</ref> By 31 January the French had ground to a halt with Monte Cifalco, which had a clear view of the French and U.S. flanks and supply lines, still in German hands. The two Moroccan-French divisions sustained 2,500 casualties in their struggles around Colle Belvedere.<ref name="Majdalany, p. 91">{{harvnb|Majdalany|1957|p=91}}</ref>

===II Corps in the mountains north of Cassino===
[[File:Cassino1stNorth en.svg|thumb|left|First Battle: Northern Sector 24 January – 11 February 1944]]
It became the task of the U.S. 34th Division (joined temporarily by the [[142nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|142nd Infantry Regiment]] of the 36th Division, which had been held in reserve and unused during the Rapido crossing) to fight southward along the linked hilltops towards the intersecting ridge on the south end of which was Monastery Hill. They could then break through down into the Liri valley behind the Gustav Line defences. It was very tough going: the mountains were rocky, strewn with boulders and cut by ravines and gullies. Digging [[Defensive fighting position|foxholes]] on the rocky ground was out of the question and each feature was exposed to fire from surrounding high points. The ravines were no better since the [[gorse]] growing there, far from giving cover, had been sown with mines, booby-traps and hidden barbed wire by the defenders. The Germans had had three months to prepare their defensive positions using dynamite and to stockpile ammunition and stores. There was no natural shelter, and the weather was wet and freezing cold.

By early February, American infantry had captured a strategic point near the hamlet of San Onofrio, less than {{convert|1|mi}} from the abbey and by 7 February a battalion had reached Point 445, a round-topped hill immediately below the monastery and no more than {{convert|400|yd}} away. An American squad managed a reconnaissance right up against the cliff-like abbey walls, with the monks observing German and American patrols exchanging fire. However, attempts to take Monte Cassino were broken by overwhelming machine gun fire from the slopes below the monastery. Despite their fierce fighting, the 34th Division never managed to take the final redoubts on Hill 593 (known to the Germans as Calvary Mount), held by the 3rd Battalion of the [[2nd Parachute Regiment (Germany)|2nd Parachute Regiment]], part of the [[1st Parachute Division (Germany)|1st Parachute Division]], the dominating point of the ridge to the monastery.

===Aftermath===
On 11 February, after a final unsuccessful 3-day assault on Monastery Hill and Cassino town, the Americans were withdrawn. U.S. II Corps, after two and a half weeks of battle, was worn out. The performance of the 34th Division in the mountains is considered to rank as one of the finest feats of arms carried out by any soldiers during the war.<ref>{{harvnb|Majdalany|1957|p=87}}</ref> In return they sustained losses of about 80 per cent in the Infantry battalions, some 2,200 casualties.<ref name="Majdalany, p. 91"/>

At the height of the battle in the first days of February von Senger und Etterlin had moved the 90th Division from the Garigliano front to the north of Cassino and had been so alarmed at the rate of attrition, he had "mustered all the weight of my authority to request that the Battle of Cassino should be broken off and that we should occupy a quite new line.&nbsp;... a position, in fact, north of the Anzio bridgehead".<ref>E.D. Smith, p. 69.</ref> Kesselring refused the request. At the crucial moment von Senger was able to throw in the [[71st Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|71st Infantry Division]] whilst leaving the 15th Panzergrenadier Division (whom they had been due to relieve) in place.

During the battle, there had been occasions when with more astute use of reserves, promising positions might have been turned into decisive moves. Some historians{{who|date=December 2018}} suggest this failure to capitalise on initial success could be put down to Clark's lack of experience. However, it is more likely that he just had too much to do, being responsible for both the Cassino and Anzio offensives. This view is supported by the inability of Major General [[Lucian Truscott]], commanding the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, as related below, to get hold of him for discussions at a vital juncture of the Anzio breakout at the time of the fourth Cassino battle. Whilst General Alexander, C-in-C of the AAI, chose (for perfectly logical co-ordination arguments) to have Cassino and Anzio under a single army commander and splitting the Gustav Line front between the U.S. Fifth Army and the British Eighth Army, now commanded by Lieutenant General [[Oliver Leese|Sir Oliver Leese]], Kesselring chose to create a separate [[14th Army (Wehrmacht)|14th Army]] under General [[Eberhard von Mackensen]] to fight at Anzio whilst leaving the Gustav Line in the sole hands of General [[Heinrich von Vietinghoff]]'s [[10th Army (Wehrmacht)|10th Army]].

The withdrawn American units were replaced by the newly formed New Zealand Corps ([[2nd New Zealand Division|2nd New Zealand]] and [[4th Infantry Division (India)|4th Indian Divisions]]), commanded by Lieutenant General [[Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg|Sir Bernard Freyberg]], from the Eighth Army on the Adriatic front.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=General Francis Tuker and the Bombing of Monte Cassino – James Holland's Griffon Merlin |url=https://griffonmerlin.com/2008/08/05/general-francis-tuker-and-the-bombing-of-monte-cassino/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=griffonmerlin.com}}</ref>