Abbey at Monte Casino

Thanks Erich,

he has some good books to offer!

 

This video was shown before but as the Original Wochenschau it is ,hmmm how should i say, more interesting because of the newsreader.

[video=youtube;rT64thCbOhM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT64thCbOhM&feature=related[/video]

 

firstly, Ulrich hopeful that ebay link can help yes he has at least 3-4 books on the Fallschirmtruppen

secondly where is the original poster of this thread ? he has not responded for some time............

 

Erich, i´ll contact the guy and see what he can do with the prices if i buy 4-5 books.

Sadly i didn´t heard of donsor. He could be a part of a good discussion and a great thread!

 

Great research Fred. Much appreciated. Monte Cassino is hallowed ground to be sure.

This is the better part of General Alexander's letter to P.M. Churchill regarding the situation at Cassino 20 Mar. 1944. P. 508-509 Closing the Ring, W. S. Churchill

A menacing and daunting task during the best of times. Many thanks to the brave men who perished there for freedom's sake.

Ulrich,

It feels like maybe your Grandfather is an observer for one of these guns O.P.s and is maybe seen here in this film.
[video=youtube;5lU4D_2OuCc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lU4D_2OuCc[/video]

 

Thanks for posting, Erich..

Here is a great series, 6 parts I ran across today. Fred Wilson posted it earlier in the thread (2nd tab).
Monte Cassino: A Soldier's Story (in six parts)

One interesting note they discuss is how the U.S. took exception with the English command for
using some intrigue and pressuring to get the U.S. involved ("duped") in this meat grinder. I'm sure this
finger pointing was rampant after the campaign got so bogged down (literally).

They were still debating Overlord v. Anvil, at this point, as well as where to get additional
landing craft and lst's.

Good interviews with Allied and German participants.

 

[video=youtube;3uVeuRYFUGQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uVeuRYFUGQ&feature=related[/video]

Includes lost but recovered Allied reconaissance photos superimposed on a 3D map.

The Lost Evidence: Monte Cassino

 

Richard, with a bit of fantasy he could be the guy at 3:38 in the Green Devils video.

 

Ulrich, I know ehh. Tough, smart fighting men. Did you notice the rank of the young, officer seated at the table in the ruined building? There was an NCO with his back to the camera in frame. That officer looked in complete control of the situation as he rained destruction down to the valley floor.

The clip with the Allied tanks moving up and getting picked off from 1,000 - 1,500 yards is mind boggling. The first guys never even saw it coming and then the second group must have had an oh s*^t moment. What an epic struggle that was!!

 

Richard, can´t decipher his rank insignias exactly but it could be somewaht between Oberleutnant and Hauptmann.

Yes, that was a epic struggle!

 

I can't remember if it was before or after the deadly crossing of the Rapido by the 141st and the 143rd, but some members of the 111th Combat Enginners dressed as shepards and herded 200 or so sheep along the banks of the Rapido in a fact finding mission. If I remember they were discovered and shot at by the Germans in the hills. They were awarded The Silver Star. It was a unique and a very dangerous mission.

This comes from General Walkers book of the 36th ID, "From Texas To Rome". This book is out of print, but I read it about 10 years ago from a loan from a Texas A&M military historian.

 

Wow, what a crazy mission and a senseless way to die! It must have been a strange place in a weird time.

 

Read something back in the 1960's of LW Fallschirms doing something similar heading down the mountain with donkeys dressed as civilians just to test the offenses recon lines.
after viewing the 5 clips from the History channel it is a wonder anyone came away especially the LW Fallschirms off that crappy point. almost senseless but again to protect the retreating elements the 200 or so paras taking on thousands of advancing Polish troops and to be able to deliver such carnage.........terrible.

 

donsor, Gen. Feldmarschall Albert Kesselring has the use of the Abbey for German troops absolutely forbidden. The closest troops had their foxholes in 300m distance to the Abbey. General Freyberg ordered the bombing for the heavy losses they had at Cassino. Kesselring sent a depeche to the allied headquarter to tell them that there were no troops in the Abbey.
There is no evidence ti today that the Wehrmacht has used the Abbey, but some more that it wasn´t like the allieds said. And to tell you the truth, the bombing of the Abbey and the town of Cassino was a strategical desaster for the New Zealanders, but that noticed Bernard Freyberg a bit to late. Sorry for the sarcasm, but sometimes are Generals really stupid persons no matter at which Army they served.

 

I heard that Kesselring was somewhat of a monk himself, a Benedictine, I think... From what I researched it was Freyberg who kept insisting that the abbey be flattened down, so that our troops could march over it, not around it. Gen. Clark did all he could to avoid and even slow down the attack. it took about 280 flying fortresses and other aircraft, and still the walls held. From what I have found, I can confirm the fact that the Germans moved into the ruins after the attack, and held the Allied forces off for another month.

 

Correct. The artillery and air missions were not timed and coordinated with the assault troops, allowing the Germans to use the delay to take up new defensive positions in the rubble.

 

I am curious as to your Kesselring reference above about his religious practices. Did you get these from local sources?

 

That was the commander of the 14th Panzer Division, General Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin, he was a lay member of the Benedictine Order.

 

Hmm. Interesting. The Hunt Begins...

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Kesselring
"Matriculating from the Christian Ernestinum Secondary School in Bayreuth in 1904." https://gce-bayreuth.de/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gymnasium-Christian-Ernestinum/502013829918544?rf=355630534496513

"A 1945 Allied investigation reported that Italian cultural treasures had suffered relatively little war damage.
Kesselring received regular updates on efforts to preserve cultural treasures and his personal interest in the matter contributed to the high proportion of art treasures that were saved."

Going to have to dig up a copy of: Soldat bis zum letzten Tag (A Soldier to the Last Day) Albert Kesselring

 

plus the high ground, and defense advantages...the Germans did well in Italy....weren't supplies also easier to stage in defense??