The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Poles at Cassino (5/11-5/18 1944) - Feb. 12th, 2004

www.battleofmontecassino.com ^ | R.Berezni

[SAMWolf]

Events of May 16--The 5th Kressowa Front

General Sulik decided to attack in battalion-sized waves, capture the northern part of Phantom Ridge, Colle San Angelo, and Hill 575 and then advance towards Highway 6 until contact was made with the British 78th Division. A special group comprising the 5th Wilno Brigade (without the 14th Battalion), the 17th and 18th Battalions of the Lvov Brigade, the 3rd Tank Squadron of the 4th Armoured Regiment, the Corps' engineers, and a Commando company reinforced by assault troops of the 15th Poznan Lancers was assembled and put under the command of Major General Rudnicki.


Wladyslaw Anders,
Lieutenant General, Second Polish Corps

On the night of the 16th, a sudden unexpected bit of good luck happened. While making a reconnaissance patrol of Phantom Ridge, a company of the 16th Battalion managed to capture a number of German emplacements in the northern sector. By 11 pm, the whole battalion set up an artillery observation post. Later, these troops successfully repelled a German counter-attack.


Events of May 17--5th Kressowa Front


View of the Monte Cassino and surrounding hills. Red areas: combat zones of the 2nd Polish Corps.

At 7:22 am, after an artillery barrage, the Polish tanks climb the southern slopes of Phantom Ridge, but only reach a point about a hundred yards below the summit. These tanks were able to provide covering fire for the advancing infantry. The 17th Battalion quickly captures most of the Colle San Angelo, except for some pill boxes on the western side. They immediately come under heavy artillery attack from the Pizzo Corno and S. Lucia areas. Also, the 17th Battalion manages to repel a German counter-attack. By 2 pm, the Battalion runs out of ammunition and a third German counter-attack succeeded in recapturing the southern peak of Colle San Angelo.


Faces of these German P.O.W's tell the story of ferocity of the fighting.

General Rudnicki sends in the 16th and 18th Battalions and the Commando company and by 6:05 pm they have recaptured the southern peak of Colle San Angelo, which was now to remain indefinitely in Polish hands.


Polish Dead at Cassino

The 5th Kressowa Division suffered heavy casualties and the only option left was to build up a reserve of three half-battalions from the "B" echelon troops and others who had not been directly involved in the battle up to this point.

Meanwhile, the forward company now runs out of ammunition, just as the Germans were preparing to launch a counter-attack. The men sing Polish national songs to bolster their spirits and some throw rocks at the hated enemy.


Polish troops advance under fire

Back in H.Q., General Rudnicki began to panic. He says to General Anders, "I've got nothing left to throw in." To which Anders replies, "Don't worry. I know the situation on the whole front. The Germans are beaten."

Events of May 17--3rd Carpathian Front

The Division had been ordered to cut off the enemy's withdrawal from the Monastery by linking up with the British 13th Corps on Highway 6. Tanks were to be used to neutralize the hamlet and the western slopes of Hill 593, so as to draw the enemy's attention away from the 5th Division's attack on Phantom Ridge. The actual attack was to commence only after the 5th Kressowa had gained a foothold on the Ridge. The attack on Massa Albaneta was entrusted to the 2nd Carpathian Brigade, supported by the 2nd Tank Squadron and anti-aircraft guns. The plan involved having the 6th Battalion (with a single company) neutralize and then hold the gorge, then pass the tanks through, so that they could fire on Massa Albaneta and Hill 593. As soon as Colle San Angelo had been secured, the two companies were to be sent to seize Massa Albaneta. The 4th Battalion would then be in a position to capture Hills 593, 569, and 476 (in that order).


Taking care of one of the bunkers.

At 7:10 am, the gorge was cleared of enemy troops, while the sappers began clearing the minefield. The tanks proceed through the gorge and on to the open area before Massa Albaneta, allowing the them to to fire not only on enemy troops in that location, but also on German troops located on Hill 593.

By the afternoon, the 6th Battalion, supported by tank fire, managed to push one company forward to within two hundred yards of Massa Albaneta. At this point, however, the assault is slowed down because of the presence of cleverly concealed German pill boxes, which could only be cleared by bitter hand to hand fighting.


Fallen 3DSK soldier, still holding the grenade.

At 9:23 am, the 4th Battalion began their assault on Hill 593. The Germans counter-attack from Hill 476 and it takes all three companies of the 4th Battalion two hours of hard, bloody fighting to regain possession. Casualties were high as the Poles were bombarded by mortar fire from the Monastery and raked with automatic gun fire from Hills 569 and 575.

The fighting ebbed and flowed. The battalion came close to reaching the top of Hill 569, but were suddenly pushed back and came very close to losing their tenuous hold on Hill 593. A company from the 5th Battalion reserve secured the Poles' grip on Hill 593's northern, eastern, and southern slopes. The casualties were heavy. Even the commander, Lt. Colonel Fanslau was killed. As dusk approached, further attacks were canceled and the soldiers dig in on the ground they have already captured.

Situation on the evening of May 17


Dead 3DSK soldiers in front of a German bunker on the Hill 593.

After a very hard day of fighting, the Polish Second Corps had come close to breaking the enemy's northern defence ring.The Phantom Ridge, Colle San Angelo, and Hill 593 were in Polish hands. Although not under complete control, Massa Albaneta had been neutralized and some tanks were within two hundred yards, but were stopped short because of mines.


3DSK troops examine the halls of the Monastery

The German garrison occupying the Monastery and Hill 569 was now hanging on to Hill 575 by a slim thread. The Germans fought stubbornly and counter-attacked frequently. Many pillboxes could only be taken after vicious hand-to-hand fighting, in some cases involving the use of knives. Much of the day's success could be attributed to the capture of the Phantom Ridge prior to the attack's commencement.



There were two hundred air sorties flown in support of the Corp's attack. The headquarters of the 1st Parachute Division and the 90th Division were bombed. Also, bombs were dropped on the enemy troops preparing to attack from the Villa S. Lucia area and on enemy mortar and artillery positions in the following areas--Villa S. Lucia, Pizzo Corno, and Piedimonte-Roccasecca.


One of the first troops (a lieutenant of 3DSK) on the Monte Cassino Hill

During the Poles' attack, both the British 13th Corps and the 1st Canadian Corps made substantial progress in the Liri Valley. In the east, the 4th Division had crossed Highway 6 and was approaching the southern slopes of Monastery Hill. The British 78th Division was within 500 yards of the railway line in the C. d' Anguano and the C. Tarquino area.



A gaping hole had been torn in the enemy's defences, which had blocked and frustrated all Allied attempts to reach Rome. The Monastery was now isolated. During the night of May 17-18, the German 1st Parachute Division (click here to see a 169K Jpeg of the paratroopers) withdrew from the now ruptured Gustav Line and headed towards the Hitler Line

The Defeat and Withdrawal of the Enemy



The retreating Germans now had two possible escape routes: Highway 6 or the Monte Cassino-Massa Albaneta ridge. The Poles sent out reconnaissance patrols to find out which route the Germans intended to take. On Hill 575, 569, and 593, the Germans left detachments of troops to guard the remaining soldiers as they withdraw from the Monte Cassino massif.


Captured German Paratroopers.

At dawn on May 18, the 5th Battalion, with remnants of the 4th Battalion, mopped up the remainder of the uncaptured sections of Hill 593; and, by 10 am, they have taken Hill 569; and 6th Battalion has seized Massa Albaneta by noon. Enemy fire was getting weaker and more sporadic. The 3rd Carpathian now advanced quickly.

Some 30-odd German wounded were all that remained of the now withdrawn garrison to greet the Poles when they arrived at the top of the Monastery Hill. At 10:15 am, the Lancers hoist their regimental colours over the shattered ruins of the monastery and the Polish national flag was hoisted later that morning.

Results


Polish national flag and a Union Jack raised on the ruins of the Monastery

The capture of Monte Cassino has an important impact on the Allied offensive in Italy. Once the Germans were deprived of their positions overlooking the Liri Valley, they were forced to pull back to the Hitler Line, which itself was now in danger of being outflanked from the south by the French Corps under the command of General Juin. The Gustav Line was broken; the battle for the Hitler Line was about to begin.

[SAMWolf]

MESSAGE
OF THE HOLY FATHER
JOHN PAUL II
FOR THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF MONTE CASSINO



1. Monte Cassino... What does this word say to all of you, present here today in this cemetery? It says a great deal: it speaks of the victory won there; it also speaks of the price Poles paid for it, fighting as the allies of other nations. This alliance was the consequence of events that began on September 1939. The Polish Republic was then seeking allies in the West, aware that it would be unable to face the invasion of Hitler's Germany alone. But perhaps this was not the only reason. Poles were aware of the fact that the conflict they were forced to face was not only demanded by patriotism, to defend the independence of the State they had so recently regained, but also had broader implications for the whole of Europe. Europe had to defend itself from the same threat as Poland. The national socialist system was opposed - if this can be said - to the "European spirit". And this problem could not be dealt with by endless attempts at apparent solutions. These attempts resulted in further victims with the invasion of Czechoslovakia. It was clear that other similar consequences would have occurred had Europe not decided to take a firm stand in the military sense as well. The decision taken by the Polish Republic in 1939 was therefore right. Indeed, it clearly appeared that Europe could not be defended without deciding on a defensive war, whose first phase was precisely Poland in 1939.

Poles fought for their country's independence



2. The victory of Monte Cassino took place five years later on 18 May 1944. The end of the terrible World War was now not far off. Not only had it raged through almost all of Europe, but it had also drawn non-European States into its vortex, the United States first, into the ranks of the Allies, and then Japan, into those of the so-called Axis. To understand what happened in Monte Cassino, it is necessary again to reflect on another date of the past: 17 September 1939, when Poland, desperately defending herself against invasion from the West, was attacked from the East. And this jeopardized the course of events in that Polish September, leading to a double occupation, with Hitler's concentration camps in the West and those of the Soviets in the East. The tragedy of Katyn, still today a unique testimony of the struggle undertaken at the time, took place in the East.



In order to understand the events that occurred at Monte Cassino, we also need to have this Eastern chapter of our history before our eyes, because the army commanded by General Wladyslaw Anders, which played such an important role in the battle of Monte Cassino, consisted largely of Poles deported to the Soviet Union. In addition, there were soldiers and officers who, from occupied Poland, had secretly reached the West through Hungary, with the intention of continuing the fight there for the independence of their homeland. Monte Cassino was an important milestone in this struggle. The soldiers involved in that battle were convinced that by helping to solve the problems concerning the whole of Europe, they were on the way to an independent Poland.


Wladyslaw Anders,
Lieutenant General, Second Polish Corps

3. Those of you who fought here treasure in your hearts the memory of all your fellow soldiers. You have come here to visit the Polish military cemetery at Monte Cassino, where General Wladyslaw Anders and Archbishop Józef Gawlina, the faithful chaplain to the Polish army on the battlefield, also repose. Many of your companions rest here: soldiers and officers with names that are not only Polish but also Ukrainian, Belarusian and Jewish. They all fought in the battle for the same great cause, as the cemeteries attest: those of Monte Cassino, Loreto, Bologna and Casamassima. Our thoughts and prayers are addressed to those who fell, who, departing life, were thinking of their loved ones in Poland. Their death was a witness to the readiness that marked all society at the time: to give one's life for the holy cause of one's homeland.


View from Polish cemetery towards the Monte Cassino and the Abbey

We cannot forget that a few months later, in that same year of 1944, the Warsaw Uprising took place, an episode which corresponded to the battle of Monte Cassino. The Poles in their homeland felt that they had to fight this battle, in order to stress the fact that Poland had been fighting from the first day to the last, not only to defend her own freedom, but for the future of Europe and the world. They were convinced that the Soviet army, already close to Warsaw, together with the Polish battalions from the territory of the Soviet Union, would contribute decisively to the success of the Warsaw Uprising. But unfortunately this was not the case. We know that Poland paid very dearly for the Warsaw Uprising: not only with the death of so many thousands of Polish men and women of my contemporaries' generation, but even with the almost total destruction of the capital.

New life has risen from the ruins


Polish cemetery . Hill 569 in the background

4. While we have the image of 50 years ago before our eyes, we must once more repeat the word Monte Cassino, a name that has a far older meaning than the one attributed to it in 1944. We must go back 15 centuries to the time of St Benedict. Precisely at Monte Cassino one of those Benedictine abbeys that was to initiate the formation of Europe arose. Historians show that on the basis of the Benedictine principle "ora et labora", after the decline of the Roman Empire of the West and after the migrations of peoples, this Europe began to emerge, whose civil and cultural foundations have been preserved to this day. This is Christian Europe. It was St Benedict in the West, like Saints Cyril and Methodius in the East, who contributed to the Christianization of Europe in the first millennium. Moreover, the European nations are indebted to them for the very beginnings of their own culture and of this Western civilization, which has continued to develop over the centuries and has also spread to other continents.


MONTE CASSINO MONASTERY AFTER THE BATTLE

From this standpoint, what does the battle of Monte Cassino represent? It was the clashing of two "projects": one, both in the East and in the West, aiming at uprooting Europe from its Christian past linked to her Patrons, and in particular to St Benedict, and the other, striving to defend the Christian tradition of Europe and the "European spirit". The fact that the Abbey of Monte Cassino was destroyed has a symbolic value. Christ said: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jn 12:24). Evidently, the ancient Abbey of Monte Cassino had to be destroyed so that a new life for all of Europe could rise from its ruins. And in a certain sense, this is what happened. On the ruins of the Second World War, a united Europe began to be built, and those who were its first builders staunchly clung to the Christian roots of European culture.



5. We Poles were unable to participate directly in the rebuilding of Christian Europe undertaken in the West. We were left with the ruins of our capital. Although we had been allies in the victorious coalition, we found ourselves in the situation of the defeated, upon whom the domination of the East, within the Soviet Bloc, was imposed for more than 40 years. Hence for us the struggle did not end in 1945; we were forced to take it up all over again. Furthermore, the same thing happened for our neighbours. Commemorating the Monte Cassino victory, it is therefore essential today to add the truth about all Polish men and women, who in an apparently independent State, became the victims of a totalitarian system. In their homeland, they gave their lives for the very cause for which Poles had died in 1939, then throughout the occupation and finally at Monte Cassino and in the Warsaw Uprising. We must also remember how many were killed at the hand of the Polish institutions and security services that served the system imposed by the East. They must al least be remembered before God and before history, in order not to veil the truth about our past at this decisive moment in history. The Church commemorates her martyrs in martyrologies. We cannot allow that in Poland, especially Poland today, the martyrology of the Polish nation should not be recomposed.

We pray for a good use of freedom



6. This is the price we paid for our current independence. If after the First World War it was necessary to fight to put Poland back on the map of Europe, after the Second World War no one could harbour any doubts on this score. The Polish nation had paid such a high price, had claimed its right to exist as a State with such tremendous efforts and suffering, that even our enemies - let us say, the dubious "friends" of the East and the West - could not question this right. This too must be said today, on the occasion of the great anniversary of the battle of Monte Cassino, because it has fundamental significance for our Polish and European present. If it is impossible to detach the "today" from the past, from all our history and especially from the past 50 years, it is impossible to forget that every human "today" is the introduction to a human future. What will the future of Poland and Europe be like? There are many promising elements for this future. Apparently Europe has detached herself from the dangerous systems that have prevailed in the 20th century, and the desire for peaceful co-existence among nations is rather general. Is this also the desire to build our own future in the spirit of Monte Cassino? Monte Cassino represents a symbol proven by the experience of history. But should we not fear that we might be unable to draw the right conclusions from this experience, letting ourselves be misled by other "spirits" that have little in common with Monte Cassino, or are even opposed to it, perhaps to the point of being responsible for its systematic destruction?


Monte Cassino monastery as it looked in mid May 1944.

Thus we cannot conclude our meditation on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the victory of Monte Cassino without adding a similar warning for the future and together beseeching God to remain with us and we with him. We must pray that we may be able to make good use of the freedom purchased at such a high price: because we are returning to the heritage of St Benedict and of Sts Cyril and Methodius, co-patrons of Europe in the West and in the East.



At the end of the second millennium and on the eve of the third, I recommend all those present and the whole of our country to them, as well as to all the patrons of our nation, especially to the one who is the symbol of our century, the martyr saint of Auschwitz, Maximilian Maria Kolbe, as well as to Our Lady of Jasna Góra, Queen of Poland.

May almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, bless you.

Additional Sources:

www.andersarmy.com
www.members.shaw.ca/carpathiandiv
www.futura-dtp.dk
www.virtuti.com/order
www.polandsholocaust.org
members.tripod.com/polcon
www.multied.com
www.museum-security.org
www.ina.fr/voir_revoir/guerre
www.kki.krakow.pl/piojar/brygad
www.nasm.si.edu
www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil
college.hmco.com/history
www.lib.utexas.edu
www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches

[SAMWolf]

'In this great campaign against the German Army, the Poles played a part which gained them the admiration of their comrades and the respect of their enemies. They fought many victorious battles alongside their Allies, but their greatest was at Monte Cassino. Only the finest troops could have taken that well prepared and long defended fortrees.

When the Polish standard floated proudly from the ruins of the Monastery it signaled the march to Rome. Soldiers of the Allied armies will long remember the Polish Corps at Monte Cassino and in other fields, where they served as comrades in a great cause.'

Field Marshall Alexander,
Allied Commander in Italy

'Generals long remember in the most admiring terms, the units under their command, which could always be counted on to achieve any objective assigned them - the Polish Corps was such a unit in my 5th Army during the ragged fighting in Italy during World War II. At Cassino that Corps fought so splendidly under Gen. Wladyslaw Anders, that it accomplished the nearly impossible - it took Monte Cassino.'

General Mark Clark,
commanding general of the 5th U.S. Army

Gen. Anders, commander of the 2nd Corps, before he died in London in 1972, expressed his wish to be laid to rest with his fallen soldiers near the monastery. After the war a cemetery was built at the foot of the Abbey by surviving soldiers of the 2nd Corps.

At its entrance, the engraved epitaph depicts their bravery and dedication to Poland.

In four languages it reads:

"We, Polish soldiers
For our freedom and yours
Have given our souls to God
Our bodies to the soil of Italy
And our hearts — to Poland"

Most Americans know nothing about the World War II Battle of Monte Cassino, in which the Polish 2d Corps battled valiantly to open the route to Rome for the Allies. Sitting atop a strategic promontory, the abbey at Monte Cassino was surrounded by Nazi artillery and snipers. After unsuccessful attempts by Allied forces to take the abbey, the Poles dug in, threw wave after wave of men at the Nazi position and on May 18, 1944, raised their red and white flag atop their prize.

In the week's fighting the 2nd Corps had suffered appalling losses; there were 4,199 casualties, 25 percent (over 1,150 ) of these dead. One of the holiest places on Earth may be that Polish Military Cemetery on Monte Cassino. Buried there are the pure of heart -- they fought to victory and then had to wait another 40 years for freedom. And this is something you have probably never heard about from your Polish friends.

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

---

Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

---

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

---

Iraq Homecoming Tips

~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

---

[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Thursday Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

P-3 Orion

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[snippy_about_it]

General Wladyslaw Anders talks with British officials near a bunker

Captured by the Russians after the partition of Poland in 1939, Anders was released from the Lubianka prison in 1941 to lead the Polish POWs from Russia into Persia, where the British had offered to arm and equip them to fight against the Germans in the Western Desert. The resulting corps, Polish II Corps, became one of the most redoubtable military formations of the war. Its principal, and unforgettable, achievement was to capture Monte Cassino, 17-18 May 1944, after three attempts by others had failed. Anders subsequently led it in the battles up the Adriatic Coast and in the clearance of the Po Valley. Most of II Corps chose exile at the end of the war, and Anders remained leader of their community in England until his death.

Gen. Anders, commander of the 2nd Corps, before he died in London in 1972, expressed his wish to be laid to rest with his fallen soldiers near the monastery. After the war a cemetery was built at the foot of the Abbey by surviving soldiers of the 2nd Corps.

At its entrance, the engraved epitaph depicts their bravery and dedication to Poland.

In four languages it reads:

"We, Polish soldiers
For our freedom and yours
Have given our souls to God
Our bodies to the soil of Italy
And our hearts — to Poland"



Thank you Sam. Poland has proven they are truly an ally we owe much more to than we have given.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Aeronaut. I'm familiar with the Orion because of knowing about freeper Long Cut and his deployment. Sub-hunter!

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. I updated my Windows and Norton thanks to your reminder. :-)

[The Mayor]

O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. —Psalm 104:24

All creation sings God's praise

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Matthew, good afternoon in Poland. I hope your cold is gone and you are feeling better today. Thank you for the song.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Mayor.

[stainlessbanner]

Good morning folks! Grits and coffee for all (no substitutions please).

[stainlessbanner]

When a Pole listens to it, he or she usually stands upstraight.

Many folks still do that for Dixie!

[snippy_about_it]

Grits and coffee!! No substitutions needed! Yummy.

[snippy_about_it]

Many folks still do that for Dixie!

As it should be!

[CholeraJoe]

And in September of 1944, the Polish Parachute Brigade would jump into Arnhem, Holland. But that is another story.

Good job, SAM.