Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Indians

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Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Indians: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

During the Second World War, the Indian divisions in Italy played a predominant role in many battles fought as part of what is generally known in military history as the Italian Campaign. Keeping a grand strategy in mind, they assisted the Allied invasion of France by engaging and holding a large number of German divisions in Italy. Although limited to the strength of the 4th, 8th, and 10th Indian Divisions, the Indian forces distinguished themselves through courage and tenacity in the battles fought in Italy

The Pignataro Interamna memorial is dedicated to the Indian troops of the 6/13 Frontier Force Rifles and the 3/8 Punjab, part of the 8 Indian Division, with the support of the Calgary and Three Regiments Rivers of the 1st Canadian Division.

Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Indians

Almost 50,000 Indian troops fought for the liberation of Italy, of whom 5,782 gallant soldiers made the supreme sacrifice. The heroic actions and fighting spirit of Indian soldiers were fully recognized by the Allied generals. Lieutenant General Mark Clark said, “The 4th, 8th, and 10th Indian Divisions will forever be associated with the fighting at Cassino, the capture of Rome, the Arno Valley, the liberation of Florence, and the breaking of the Gothic Line. I salute the brave soldiers of these three great Indian Divisions.”

Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Indians

The 4th Indian Division left the Eighth Army at the end of January 1944 and joined the Fifth Army. It was placed under the command of the New Zealand Corps, particularly under Brigadier H.W. Dimoline. General Freyberg was confident that the Indians’ experience in mountain warfare would be very useful in the hilly terrain around the Monte Cassino area. The 7th Indian Infantry Brigade concentrated in the Monte Castello area, near Caira village, to relieve the Americans of the 36th Division. The exhausted Indian troops moved to their planned positions at nightfall on the 13th.

Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Indians

The road was named after the Indian city of Roorkee in Uttarakhand, which is the headquarters of the Bengal Engineers Group. Roorkee was where the 4th Indian Division was stationed before the war. Route Roorkee served as the reserve route from Caira up to the top of Snakeshead in case Cavendish Road was closed.