Editing Battle of Monte Cassino (section)

===Alexander's strategy===
Alexander's strategy in Italy was to "force the enemy to commit the maximum number of divisions in Italy at the time the cross-channel invasion [of Normandy] is launched".<ref>{{harvnb|Majdalany|1957|p=221}}</ref> Circumstances allowed him the time to prepare a major offensive to achieve this. His plan, originally inspired by Juin's idea to circle around Cassino and take the Aurunci with his mountain troops to break the Gustav Line, was to shift the bulk of the British Eighth Army, commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir [[Oliver Leese]], from the Adriatic front across the spine of Italy to join Clark's Fifth Army and attack along a {{convert|20|mi|km|adj=on}} front between Cassino and the sea. Fifth Army (U.S. II Corps and French Expeditionary Corps) would be on the left, and Eighth Army ([[XIII Corps (United Kingdom)|British XIII Corps]] and [[II Corps (Poland)|Polish II Corps]]) on the right. With the arrival of the spring weather, ground conditions improved, and it would be possible to deploy large formations and armour effectively.