Victory in Italy

The bombing of the monastery did not lead to an immediate breakthrough. It was not until the middle of May 1944 that the Germans' defensive line, the Gustav Line, was broken. The Allies then moved on quickly to capture Rome in June, but soon found themselves facing another German defensive position, the Gothic Line, running from coast to coast through Florence. Only in April 1945 did the Allies manage to break through the Gothic Line. The German forces in Italy surrendered at the end of April.

Mussolini had entered the war in June 1940 on Germany's side so that he could share in Hitler's victory. To achieve this, he told his generals, a 'few thousand' Italian dead would be needed. In the end, 330,000 Italian soldiers had died, together with 93,000 civilians. Instead of the promised victory, there was only defeat and destruction. One thing that the war did bring about for the Italians was the destruction of Fascism.

Neil Demarco: The era of the Second World War; Oxford University Press, 1993/2000, page 43