Monte Cassino

The peaks around the town of Cassino, which overlooked the road to Rome, were controlled by the Germans. The town of Cassino was bombed to rubble by the Allies but the surrounding peaks were difficult to capture. The 600 year-old monastery of St Benedict stood on one of these peaks, Monte Cassino, overlooking the town. The Allies were convinced that the Germans were using the monastery as an observation post to spy on Allied troop movements in the valley below - though they could provide no proof that this was happening. The German commander denied that he had any men there.

On 15 February 1944, the Americans bombed the monastery, after dropping warning leaflets the day before to the monks and civilians inside. Nonetheless, 300 civilians died in the bombing. The Germans had not been using the monastery, but after the bombing they quickly set up positions inside what was left of the building. The bombing of such an old and sacred monastery immediately became a controversial issue. The Germans accused the Allies of barbaric behaviour. They, in turn, blamed the Germans for using the monastery for military purposes.

Neil Demarco: The era of the Second World War; Oxford University Press, 1993/2000, page 42