Monte Cassino

Monte Cassino

A poor quality oblique aerial photograph of the abbey at Monte Cassino. It is captioned with details of the operations to recapture the hill and abbey.
The aerial photo is captioned '[indecipherable] ADB 3PG: 15 -Mar-44 :1120 : 6" 1000'

1944-03-15

One b/w photograph

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PClaptonG20010007

[photograph]
[inserted] The abbey [symbol], [symbol] To Rome, 64, Tunnel Cave Entrance [/inserted]
[vertical] [indecipherable wording] 15-MAR-44:1120:6”:1000 [/vertical]

0385. Churchill ibid, p.394. ‘Preparations for the third battle of Cassino were begun soon after the February failure, but the weather delayed it until March 15. This time Cassino town was the primary objective. After a heavy bombardment in which nearly 1000 tons of bombs and 1200 tons of shells were expended, our infantry advanced. “It seemed inconceivable”, said Alexander, “That any troops should be left alive after eight hours of such terrific hammering”. But they were. The 1st German Para: Div: fought it out amid the heaps of rubble with the New Zealanders and Indians. By nightfall the greater part of the town was in our hands. 0385 shows some of the effects of that first day’s bombing, taken that same day. (Quality of the photocopy poor, but it gives the right apocalyptic effect!).