Churchill's 'History Of The Second World War'. Why It Still Matters. Part 2.

brucebond007 · Sep 1, 2011

Hi everyone - here is the second installment, looking at the relevance of Churchill's History to events of today...

The Writer's Lament: Churchill's 'History Of The Second World War'. Why It Still Matters. Part 2.

Regards. Z.

rkline56 · Sep 1, 2011

I like Churchill's History of the Second World War for excerpts such as this one. Very insightful information indeed studying the logistic machinations of such a great Army Commander.

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

I reply to your telegram of March 20. Along the whole main battlefront from the Adriatic to the south coast there is only the Liri Valley leading direct to Rome which is suitable terrain for development of our superiority
of our artillery and armour. The main highway known as Route Six, is the only road, except cart tracks, which leads from the mountains where we are into the Liri Valley over Rapido River. This exit into
the plain is blocked and dominated by Monte Cassino, on which stands the Monastery. Repeated attempts have been made to outflank Monastery Hill from the north, but all these attacks have been unsuccessful, owing to deep ravines, rocky escarpments and knife edges which limit movements to anything but comparatively small parties of infantry, who can only be maintained by porters and to a limited extent by mules where we have managed under great difficulties to make some mule tracks.

Further, Monastery Hill is cut off almost completely from north by a ravine so steep and deep that so far it has proved impossible to cross it. A wider turning movement is even more difficult , as it has to cross Mount Cairo, which is a precipitous peak now deep in snow. The Americans tried to outflank this bastion from the south by an attack across the Rapido River, but this, as you know, failed, with heavy losses to the 34th and 36th Divisions. The Rapido is difficult to cross south of Cassino owing to flood-water, soft, marshy ground which adds to problems of bridging, lack of any roads to bring up bridging material and to the strength of the enemy's position on the far bank. A crossing of the Rapido R. south of Casino comes under very heavy enfilade artillery fire from German gun positions tucked away at the foot of mountains immediately behind or west of Cassino, and also from foothills of mountains to the south of Liri Valley.

Freyberg's attack was designed as a direct assault on this bastion, success depending on crushing enemy resistance by surprise and an overwhelming concentration of fire power. The plan was to rush Cassino town and then flow around to the east and southern slopes of Monastery Hill and take the bastion by storm from a direction where the enemy's artillery could not seriously interfere with our movement. It very nearly succeeded in its initial stages, with negligible losses to us. We got, and still have, two bridges over the Rapido River, one on Hwy. Six and the other over the railway bridge; both are fit for tanks. The Ghurkas got and are still within two to three hundred yards of the Monastery. That we have not succeeded in taking our objective within the first 48 hours may be summarised as follows:

The destruction caused in Cassino to roads and movement by bombing was so terrific that the employment of our tanks or any other fighting vehicles has been seriously hampered. The tenacity of these German Paratroops is quite remarkable considering they were subjected to the whole Mediterranean Air Force plus the better part of eight hundred guns under the greatest concentration of fire-power which has ever been put down and lasting for six hours.
I doubt if there are any other troops in the world who could have stood up to it and then gone on fighting with the ferocity they have. I am meeting with Freyberg and the Army Commanders tomorrow to discuss the situation.

If we call it off, we shall hold on to the two bridges and adjust our positions so as to hold advantageous key points already gained. The Eighth Army's plan for entering the Liri Valley in force will be undertaken when regrouping is completed. The plan must envisage an attack on a wider front and with greater forces than Freyberg has been able to have for this operation. A little later when the snow goes off mountains, the rivers drop, and the ground hardens, movement will be possible over terrain which at present is impassable.
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Churchill's 'History Of The Second World War'. Why It Still Matters. Part 2.

brucebond007 Member

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