The Bombing of Monte Cassino Abbey

The Bombing of Monte Cassino Abbey

Martha Gellhorn wrote in her report on the first attack on Monte Cassino: “I remember the exact moment of the bombing of Monte Cassino. I was sitting on a stone wall of a bridge, watching the planes arrive and release their bombs. Then the monastery transformed into a cloud of dust, and I heard great explosions. Like all the other fools, I was impressed enough to applaud.”

At 1:00 pm on 14th February, some heavy 105 mm guns fired 25 shells toward Monte Cassino. These shells contained no explosives but leaflets instead.

The Bombing of Monte Cassino Abbey: the flyers used to ask the civilians to leave

On these leaflets, the Allies wrote the following message:

Italian friends, BEWARE!

Until now, we have been especially careful to avoid shelling the Monte Cassino Monastery. The Germans have taken advantage of this restraint. But now the fighting has drawn closer and closer to its sacred precincts. The time has come when we must train our guns on the Monastery itself.

We give you this warning so that you may save yourselves. We urge you: leave the Monastery. Leave it at once. Respect this warning—it is for your own benefit.

The Bombing of Monte Cassino Abbey: the civilians of Cassino

The civilians who had arrived at the Abbey days earlier—fleeing the dangerous Liri Valley in search of refuge in the quiet monastery atop the hill—were filled with fear about what might come, but they had nowhere else to go. So, they remained in the Abbey alongside the monks.

Among them were Abbot Gregorio Diamare, his secretary Martino Matronola, and others: Eusebio Grossetti, Oderisio Graziosi, Nicola Clemente, Agostino Saccomanno, Carlomanno Pelagalli, Giacomo Ciaraldi, Pietro Nardone, Romano Coletta, Zaccaria di Raimo, Francesco Falconio, and Giuseppe Cianci.

The Bombing of Monte Cassino Abbey

On Tuesday, 15th February 1944, at 9:25 a.m., as the monastic community sang the final notes of the antiphon Ave Regina Caelorum, everything changed. Evans Bradford, squadron commander of the planes assigned to bomb the monastery, gave the order to open the bomb bay doors. In an instant, 500 tons of bombs rained down, devastating the sacred Abbey of Montecassino—one of Europe’s most important and revered religious sites.

Fifty years later, Evans Bradford returned to Cassino, carrying with him the dispatch he had received before taking off on that fateful day.

The target of Cassino bombing

The name of this military operation was #341. The dispatch read:

“The target is a huge ancient monastery which the Germans have chosen as a key defensive position and have heavily fortified with artillery. It stands about one mile west of Cassino on a hilltop, making it a prime target for heavy bombers.

The crew members, many of whom served in the African campaign, will recall how we avoided bombing mosques out of respect for religious and humanitarian principles instilled in us by our families and education. Because of this respect, the enemy—both the Krauts and the Eyeties—used these mosques as shelter, knowing we would not attack them.”

The dispatch continued with the following words

The Germans continue to exploit the belief that we avoid bombing churches and hospitals. In recent days, this monastery has been the cause of the deaths of over 2,000 American soldiers who, like us, respected sacred places. They paid the ultimate price because the Germans do not value anything humane when it comes to total war.

This monastery must be destroyed, along with everyone inside it—because there is no one there but Germans.

—Mario Canciani, Il fronte di Cassino

The Bombing of Monte Cassino Abbey described by the American pilots

According to the mission report written by the pilots, the results were clear: MONASTERY NOW MISSING – AREA AROUND BUILDINGS ALSO HIT – SMOKE AND EXPLOSIONS OBSERVED.

The planes assigned to bomb the Abbey were Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. They took off from Foggia, flew over Benevento, and reached Cassino. The first bomb was dropped by plane number 666 of the 96th Red Devil Squadron, followed by the other B-17s, and then the Mitchells and Marauders.

Inside the monastery, the Abbot and the monks who had chosen to stay witnessed, after about twenty minutes of relentless bombing, their beloved Abbey completely destroyed.

The numbers of the Bombing

142 bombers fortress dropped 287 tons of 500 lb. General purpose bombs and 660 1/2 tons of 100lb incendieres, follower by 47B b (bombers) -25’s and 40 b 26″s which dropped another 100 tons of H.E bomb. (Complessive 453.5 tons of bombs)

Any reasons to bomb Monte Cassino abbey

The Allied believed that the monastery was full of Germans, but in the afternoon the Abbot Gregorio Diamare had already written a declaration about the absence of German soldiers inside the Abbey. But it was too late. The Abbot remained inside the holy walls of his Abbey, and his monks remained with him. Then only rabbles, dust and deaths. During our tours, we usually show pictures and videos of the bombing.