Name: Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Germans
Brand: Monte Cassino War Tour
SKU: Germans
Price: 90 Eur
Availability: InStock

Table of Contents

Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Germans: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Germans: the Germans point of view in Italy

Hitler saw the fall of his ally Mussolini as the first step toward Italy’s capitulation, and he was right. After a few months, Italy switched to the Allied side, and the Allies landed first in Sicily, then on the Italian mainland. The man in charge of stopping the Allies was Albert Kesselring. He knew that a defensive position could not be held for long against an enemy with the numerical and material superiority of the Allies. So, he established several defensive lines in areas that would help his soldiers resist. His goal was to delay Alexander’s advance for as long as possible in southern Italy.

Cassino Battlefield Tour for Germans german headquarter Liri valley — German headquarter Liri valley

Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Germans: the importance of the Gustav Line

Kesselring had particular confidence in the Gustav Line, a special defensive line following the courses of the Garigliano, Gari, and Rapido rivers, then stretching over the Abruzzi mountains to Castel di Sangro and the Adriatic coast. The core of this defense was the six-mile-wide Liri Valley, anchored by two key points: Monte Cassino on one side and Monte Maio on the other. In front of the Gustav Line was the Reinhard Line, known to the Allies as the “Winter Line”, which was based around the Mignano Gap, Monte Camino, and Monte Sammucro.

Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Germans: the Building of the Gustav Line

During the autumn, the Todt Organization, with the help of Italian labor battalions, created a strong network of modern defensive positions. Villages were transformed into massive strongpoints, caverns were carved into the mountainsides, minefields were laid along the Rapido and Garigliano rivers, and the rivers themselves were deliberately flooded.

Monte Cassino Battlefield Tour for Germans: the Germans divisions on the Gustav Line

On the Winter Line, built only to delay the Allies’ advance to the Gustav Line, two divisions distinguished themselves: the 29th Panzergrenadier Division and the 26th Panzer Division. After losing Monte Lungo and Monte Sammucro, General von Senger retreated to the Gustav Line. In the mountains, the 5th Mountain Division, under the command of General Ringel, controlled the Colli-Atina road and faced the French Expeditionary Corps. The 29th Panzergrenadier Division, with the help of the Hermann Göring Division, had to withdraw to San Vittore and Mount Porchio, while the Hoch- und Deutschmeister Regiment returned to support the same line.

WW2 German stories

Werner Eichler was a member of the 3rd Company of Fallschirm-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 1. He was captured at the Hotel Continental in Cassino town on 18 May 1944. Wounded, he was treated in a British ambulance. While having his wounds dressed, he was offered his first cup of tea and a bacon sandwich. After the war, he settled in the UK.