Italy Prior to the Third Battle of Monte Cassino
In July 1943, the Allies began the Italian Campaign by attacking Sicily. By August 1943, Sicily was occupied, and the invasion of the Italian Peninsular began. Since the Campaign begun, the Allies had slowly but surely been making their way up the Italian Peninsular. The Allies had several reasons for invading Italy and attacking Monte Cassino.
One of these reasons was to open up a new front for the Germans to fight and defend on, spending more resources and man power where they could have been spent elsewhere. It is common knowledge that fighting a war on two fronts is often difficult. Knowing that the Germans were already fighting the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front and the African Campaign had recently drawn to a conclusion, closing that front, the Allies thought that by attacking Italy they would not only open up a new front, but distract the German forces in Western Europe away from the Western Allies’ main incentive, to invade France at Normandy.
Part of the reason that the Italian Campaign turned out to be so slow and indecisive was because the Americans and British were both debating and disagreeing over the importance of Italy to the War. The British for the most part were in support of the Italian Campaign while the Americans were mostly against pouring many resources into Italy, when France next to Britain was still occupied by Germany. In the end, the Italian Campaign became a bit of a distraction for the German army, while keeping the pressure on the Germans after the Germany’s defeats in North Africa.
In 1943, Germany was still allied to Italy, and Italy still had soldiers and power that posed a threat, however small to the Allies. If Italy was to be taken out of the War, not only would it remove a major ally of the Germans from the Axis forces, but it would also lower the morale of the Axis civilians and soldiers, benefiting the fighting forces of the Allies.
Another factor in the Italian Campaign, pushing it along, was politics. During the War, the Allies were split into two distinct groups, the East and the West, Communist and Capitalist. Despite being allies against Nazi Germany, a rivalry still existed and a rivalry that had the potential to escalate with Europe’s borders changing rapidly. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister hoped to quickly march up Italy into Northern Italy with the intention of invading Austria. With Northern Italy under the Allies’ grasp, he hoped that the “soft underbelly of Europe” would be reached, and in doing so, easily occupy countries before the Soviet Union could do the same, and spread their own influence, by setting up new Communist governments. Therefore using Churchill’s theory, speed was of the essence in the Italian Campaign. The Allies also needed to start a new campaign in the West to show the Russians that they were pulling their own weight in the War while Russia was facing a large number of German soldiers on their own land. Therefore by invading Italy, the Western Allies were showing the East that they were making a contribution to the War, and not forcing the Russians to take the brunt of the German army.
On a more immediate level, a major incentive to take Cassino and Monte Cassino was to relieve the Allied soldiers fighting at Anzio. Anzio was a beachhead just north of the Cassino battleground, where the Allies hoped to bypass the Gustav Line and march into Rome. When the Allies landed on the 22nd of January 1944, the assault did not prove to be the quick breakthrough that they had hoped for and over the next few weeks, the battle turned into a stalemate. The American and English forces were trapped on the coast and if the Germans were to break through the Allied lines, Anzio would be a terrible defeat. The assaults on Cassino proved as double purpose to both take the Liri Valley securing the route to Rome and also relieve Anzio.
At this stage in the Italian Campaign, it seemed that the Allies needed a breakthrough. At Cassino, the Allies had twice attacked Monte Cassino in January and February, failing both times, and added to the grave situation at Anzio, they were stalling in the Italian Campaign. Breaking through the Gustav Line would be ideal to get the campaign moving again. Although if the Allies main intention for the Italian Campaign was to distract the Germans from the Eastern Front and the upcoming invasion of France in Operation OVERLORD, Monte Cassino was key to getting Germany’s attention. For if Monte Cassino, one of the best defendable places in Europe and Italy, was taken or passed, the rest of Italy would in theory fall relatively quickly. With Italy gone from the War, another front in Central Europe would open up and Austria would probably be lost.
One of these reasons was to open up a new front for the Germans to fight and defend on, spending more resources and man power where they could have been spent elsewhere. It is common knowledge that fighting a war on two fronts is often difficult. Knowing that the Germans were already fighting the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front and the African Campaign had recently drawn to a conclusion, closing that front, the Allies thought that by attacking Italy they would not only open up a new front, but distract the German forces in Western Europe away from the Western Allies’ main incentive, to invade France at Normandy.
Part of the reason that the Italian Campaign turned out to be so slow and indecisive was because the Americans and British were both debating and disagreeing over the importance of Italy to the War. The British for the most part were in support of the Italian Campaign while the Americans were mostly against pouring many resources into Italy, when France next to Britain was still occupied by Germany. In the end, the Italian Campaign became a bit of a distraction for the German army, while keeping the pressure on the Germans after the Germany’s defeats in North Africa.
In 1943, Germany was still allied to Italy, and Italy still had soldiers and power that posed a threat, however small to the Allies. If Italy was to be taken out of the War, not only would it remove a major ally of the Germans from the Axis forces, but it would also lower the morale of the Axis civilians and soldiers, benefiting the fighting forces of the Allies.
Another factor in the Italian Campaign, pushing it along, was politics. During the War, the Allies were split into two distinct groups, the East and the West, Communist and Capitalist. Despite being allies against Nazi Germany, a rivalry still existed and a rivalry that had the potential to escalate with Europe’s borders changing rapidly. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister hoped to quickly march up Italy into Northern Italy with the intention of invading Austria. With Northern Italy under the Allies’ grasp, he hoped that the “soft underbelly of Europe” would be reached, and in doing so, easily occupy countries before the Soviet Union could do the same, and spread their own influence, by setting up new Communist governments. Therefore using Churchill’s theory, speed was of the essence in the Italian Campaign. The Allies also needed to start a new campaign in the West to show the Russians that they were pulling their own weight in the War while Russia was facing a large number of German soldiers on their own land. Therefore by invading Italy, the Western Allies were showing the East that they were making a contribution to the War, and not forcing the Russians to take the brunt of the German army.
On a more immediate level, a major incentive to take Cassino and Monte Cassino was to relieve the Allied soldiers fighting at Anzio. Anzio was a beachhead just north of the Cassino battleground, where the Allies hoped to bypass the Gustav Line and march into Rome. When the Allies landed on the 22nd of January 1944, the assault did not prove to be the quick breakthrough that they had hoped for and over the next few weeks, the battle turned into a stalemate. The American and English forces were trapped on the coast and if the Germans were to break through the Allied lines, Anzio would be a terrible defeat. The assaults on Cassino proved as double purpose to both take the Liri Valley securing the route to Rome and also relieve Anzio.
At this stage in the Italian Campaign, it seemed that the Allies needed a breakthrough. At Cassino, the Allies had twice attacked Monte Cassino in January and February, failing both times, and added to the grave situation at Anzio, they were stalling in the Italian Campaign. Breaking through the Gustav Line would be ideal to get the campaign moving again. Although if the Allies main intention for the Italian Campaign was to distract the Germans from the Eastern Front and the upcoming invasion of France in Operation OVERLORD, Monte Cassino was key to getting Germany’s attention. For if Monte Cassino, one of the best defendable places in Europe and Italy, was taken or passed, the rest of Italy would in theory fall relatively quickly. With Italy gone from the War, another front in Central Europe would open up and Austria would probably be lost.