Re: Monte Casino
Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2023 5:55 am
Hello to all ; more...........................
The offensive battles against Cassino.
Attack of the NZ Corps February 13-18, 1944.
The completely exhausted II AC was replaced by the New Zealand AC. This consisted of the 2nd New Zealand Division and the 4th Indian Division.
Plan: February 15 air bombardment of the monastery. 4th Ind Div advances N past Cassino over the hill towards the monastery. The 2nd Div approaches the city from the Pastinelle area. In order to avoid observation, attacks should be carried out especially at night.
Execution. On February 15 the monastery was bombed: 240 bombers, B-17, B-25 and B-26, dropped 500 tons of bombs (500 and 250 kg each) on the monastery and largely destroyed it. (Alleged losses: 20 German soldiers and 300-400 civilians.) A German counterattack into the deployed 4th Ind Div caused heavy casualties and forced the attack to be postponed. So the monastery had to be constantly held down until the 18th, as the 2nd NZ Div had begun its attack on the 15th. This came to the train station, but had to go back because the Germans destroyed every bridge with artillery, so that heavy supplies failed to arrive.
During the period February 13-30 a number of night attacks were successful, but each time the positions became untenable during the day. Several regroupings took place during these days, but there was no success. The Liri valley remained closed. The action of the 4th Ind Div, which was deployed over the heights north of the monastery, also made relatively good progress during the night, but not as far as the monastery. Here too, the positions achieved could not be maintained during the day.
Reasons for failure:
The destruction of the monastery failed to destroy the German defenses. Apparently only a small number of them had taken cover in the monastery's cellars. For the most part they were scattered across the terrain and on the rear slope ready for a short-range counterattack.
The British's night attacks were always met by German defensive fire, which could be triggered in time and was well positioned. Actions during the day were, if not impossible, then only conceivable with larger support resources (German observation capabilities). The forces of two divisions were not numerous enough to advance on the city and the heights north of it.
In addition to the corps' own artillery, the artillery groups of the withdrawn II US Corps, the artillery of the CEF and 3 additional medium caliber Art Rgt fired in support of the two divisions of the NZ Corps. But direct support of the infantry was usually not possible because the Germans fought at short distances.
The difficulties in supplying the shock troops were too great due to the enemy's visibility into the supply columns and the bridges as well as due to the bad weather and ground conditions. The motor trucks had to be replaced by pack animals.
Source: Die Angriffsschlachten gegen Cassino. Schuler, Ernst. ASMZ Allgemeine schweizerische Militärzeitschrift. Band (Jahr): 117 (1951). Heft 5
Cheers. Raúl M .
Feliz Navidad - Feliz Natal - Frohe Weihnachten - Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas - Wesołych Świąt!
The offensive battles against Cassino.
Attack of the NZ Corps February 13-18, 1944.
The completely exhausted II AC was replaced by the New Zealand AC. This consisted of the 2nd New Zealand Division and the 4th Indian Division.
Plan: February 15 air bombardment of the monastery. 4th Ind Div advances N past Cassino over the hill towards the monastery. The 2nd Div approaches the city from the Pastinelle area. In order to avoid observation, attacks should be carried out especially at night.
Execution. On February 15 the monastery was bombed: 240 bombers, B-17, B-25 and B-26, dropped 500 tons of bombs (500 and 250 kg each) on the monastery and largely destroyed it. (Alleged losses: 20 German soldiers and 300-400 civilians.) A German counterattack into the deployed 4th Ind Div caused heavy casualties and forced the attack to be postponed. So the monastery had to be constantly held down until the 18th, as the 2nd NZ Div had begun its attack on the 15th. This came to the train station, but had to go back because the Germans destroyed every bridge with artillery, so that heavy supplies failed to arrive.
During the period February 13-30 a number of night attacks were successful, but each time the positions became untenable during the day. Several regroupings took place during these days, but there was no success. The Liri valley remained closed. The action of the 4th Ind Div, which was deployed over the heights north of the monastery, also made relatively good progress during the night, but not as far as the monastery. Here too, the positions achieved could not be maintained during the day.
Reasons for failure:
The destruction of the monastery failed to destroy the German defenses. Apparently only a small number of them had taken cover in the monastery's cellars. For the most part they were scattered across the terrain and on the rear slope ready for a short-range counterattack.
The British's night attacks were always met by German defensive fire, which could be triggered in time and was well positioned. Actions during the day were, if not impossible, then only conceivable with larger support resources (German observation capabilities). The forces of two divisions were not numerous enough to advance on the city and the heights north of it.
In addition to the corps' own artillery, the artillery groups of the withdrawn II US Corps, the artillery of the CEF and 3 additional medium caliber Art Rgt fired in support of the two divisions of the NZ Corps. But direct support of the infantry was usually not possible because the Germans fought at short distances.
The difficulties in supplying the shock troops were too great due to the enemy's visibility into the supply columns and the bridges as well as due to the bad weather and ground conditions. The motor trucks had to be replaced by pack animals.
Source: Die Angriffsschlachten gegen Cassino. Schuler, Ernst. ASMZ Allgemeine schweizerische Militärzeitschrift. Band (Jahr): 117 (1951). Heft 5
Cheers. Raúl M .
Feliz Navidad - Feliz Natal - Frohe Weihnachten - Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas - Wesołych Świąt!