Monte Cassino 1944 | Line of Fire | Full Documentary

This is the story of the bitter battles fought in the shadow of the imposing sixth century Italian Benedictine monastery that dominated the heavily defended German positions known as the Gustav Line. The Allies had tried unsuccessfully to breakthrough at Cassino during 1943 – a failure that cost many thousands of lives. In 1944, General Alexander planned for a renewed offensive, combined with an amphibious assault at Anzio and attacks on the Gustav line at the Garigliano River.

Although the attempts to dislodge the elite German Parachute Division from their positions behind the monastery have become the stuff of legend, the fighting there was some of the most ferocious of the entire war. The US 2nd Corps, the New Zealand 2nd Corps and the 4th Indian Division all made heroic but unsuccessful attempts to breakthrough the German positions.

A massive artillery bombardment – which destroyed the monastery itself – also failed to expel the Germans. It was only in May, after six months of the hardest fighting, that the breakthrough came; a major Allied spring attack code-named the Diadem Offensive finally gave them their victory. During the savage fighting that characterised the final battles for Monte Cassino, the Polish Corps under General Anders won their distinguished place in the history of World War Two.

The victory at Monte Casino won back the initiative for the Allies after the debacle at Anzio, paving the way for the successful advance on Rome itself.

Line Of Fire Series:

New perspectives on history’s great battles

About The Series

Even at this great distance, the stories behind the battles that shaped the history of the world continue to captivate people everywhere. It is not difficult to see why. The sheer scale of the fighting on military history’s great battlefields boggles the imagination and tales of courage on those same bloody fields make the heart beat a little faster. To think of the fate of nations being decided by a single stroke of military genius or by sheer ineptitude or by the vagaries of fortune tingles the spine…to imagine ourselves faced with the same dangers as those confronted by soldiers throughout the years makes the blood run cold.

All of these things go some way to explaining why military history holds such an enduring place in the popular imagination – and the time has come to tell the stories of these great episodes from the past in a completely new way.

Licensed Through Mercury Studios

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