Monte Cassino: Nine Months in Hell

The Benedictine abbey of Monte Cassino, halfway between Rome and Naples, was one of the most important monuments in the whole of Christianity, dating back to the 6th century. During the Second World War, Allied forces bombed the Abbey of Monte Cassino in an unyielding assault, resulting in one of the bloodiest battles of the war, with the death of 50,000 from the multinational contingent of the Allied forces, 20,000 German soldiers, plus thousands of Italian civilians, in a battle that went on well into the spring. Was it really necessary to conquer Monte Cassino to free the road for the conquest of Rome? Why did the Anzio landings not avoid a bloodbath at Monte Cassino? Why didn’t the Allies head immediately for Rome? This engrossing narration reconstructs the political and military background behind the dreadful stalemate of the Anglo-American military campaign in Italy in the winter of 1944, the dramatic leadership errors and the mutual lack of trust between the Allied partners.