Cassino, Battles of

In World War II, series of costly but ultimately successful Allied assaults January–May 1944 on heavily fortified German positions blocking the Allied advance to Rome. Both sides sustained heavy losses in the operation. Cassino is in southern Italy, 80 km/50 mi northwest of Naples, at the foot of Monte Cassino.

Cassino was attacked by the British 10th Corps, US 2nd Corps, and the French Corps 17 January–12 February 1944 but these assaults were all repulsed. The Allies thought the Germans had fortified the monastery above the town and so it was heavily bombed 15 February. Following this attack, the 4th Indian Division made some progress attacking Monastery Hill, and the 2nd New Zealand Division captured the town railway station but lost it three days later. An air raid combined with an artillery bombardment thoroughly wrecked the town 15 March, after which the railway station and Castle Hill were captured in three days of intense fighting.

The final battle began 11 May 1944 when 2,000 guns bombarded the German positions, the Polish 2nd Corps isolated Monastery Hill, the British crossed the River Liri to cut the road west of Cassino, and US and French corps attacked south of the river. The German positions were taken despite being vigorously defended and by 18 May the town and monastery were in Allied hands.