This week saw a world heritage site attacked. We find that especially upsetting because one of the things we care about most at TimeGhost is understanding our collective past, something that world heritage sites represent. Join our mission to educate on the collective past by joining us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/join/timeghosthistory
Walker saw the plans and compared it to an action in 1918 where he lead 1st Batt of the 30th infantry with 1200 against the 10,000 strong 10th German division at the Marne. Writing on Jan 17 he says “It appears to me that the defeat of the Germans on the Marne on July 15th, 1918, is about to be repeated in reverse on the Rapido in January, 1944.”
Indy starts takling about the Battle for Monte Cassino. Indy realizes that this will be a protracted battle. Indy then looks pleadingly at Astrid because he realizes that he didn't pack a lunch.
My great uncle was a SGT. In company G of the 143rd. Never really said alot of his time in the war. Kept a lot of his personal experiences to himself. I always remember he seemed to distance himself from certain questions. Wasn't until I did some research I found he was in the thick of the fighting. RIP William Katilus.
Heard this one before, both my gramps and most GIs were eager to kill as many Japanese as possible. After what they did, shlt they should have been sacked more thuroughly.
An interesting thing to note on January 11 1944 is that B-17 Flying Fortress bomber *Spirit of '44* will be involved in what is thought one of the greatest air battles of the war during its sixth and final mission. While returning from a raid on Oschersleben in Germany while on two engines, Spirit of ’44, which was piloted by 1st Lieutenant Eldridged V. Greer, flew as low as possible and flew over towns and villages using trees as cover from pursuing enemy fighters, while the gunners strafed the houses and any troops they saw. They were flying so low that German flak towers were actually firing down at them, and enemy fighters were not engaging as they would be strafing their own towns. They would ultimately be credited with ten enemy fighters destroyed and surprisingly they managed to land back in England with no crew casualties.
Either you have given the wrong date or this is a piece of fiction. There was no raid by the 8th AF on this date and the 15th AF wasn't bombing targets that far north in Germany. There was, however, a raid on Oschersleben on January 11th. I suspect that that is your mission. On that day, the 8th Air Force lost 60 B-17s and five fighters, and the Luftwaffe lost 58 fighters in contesting the raid. Bomber gunners claimed 227-45-136 German fighters, whereas their fighter escort claimed 31-12-16 (the figures represent destroyed-probably destroyed-damaged). 8th AF fighter claims were usually fairly reasonable, and if that were the case on that day, it well illustrates how preposterous American bomber gunner claims generally were. It's therefore highly unlikely that the featured crew downed ten fighters. Of course, the most remarkable feature of their mission isn't the number of enemy aircraft downed but rather that they managed to return with only two functioning engines.
@@ramonzzzz Noted, let me go and check on this again. It could be possible that you could be right on this one. Will edit the correct date accordingly. Thank you for the heads up! 🙏
Damn the scale of eastern front fighting is difficult to even imagine, divisions and armies being thrown at like squads and platoons and casualties in days like we have in entire conflicts in modern days
IKR? Even taking into account the 'actual size' of Soviet combat units, we're still looking at dozens of army sized and scores of corps sized formations across thousands of miles from the Baltic to the Black sea. Madness...
One of my fathers mentors was a Sergeant in the 36th and fought near Cassino. He never spoke about his experiences but his daughter showed us pictures of his back after he passed away. At some point in 1944 he was shot in the back 8 times and almost lost his right arm. RIP Mr. Newman.
in all the commentaries, there's barely a word about the courage of Combat Photographers who carried cameras instead of weapons and without whose work MOST war videos would NOT exist. Lets SEE and HEAR some praise for these brave persons !!!
@@felipepereira214 for some reason I do it too sometimes... too many montes in Italy 😅. But it will be great to see the FEB on the map and hear about their battles in this channel!
Almost 9 years watching and yall finally ran late on an episode release..I'm super impressed with the continued excellence and standard the entire staff has been able to keep especially the difficulties of transitioning the wars (2 completely different tragedies)...you are all rock stars to me
I think they were a day late on the first Battle of Kurst episode last year, but the fact that they’ve been on time every week for this long 99% of the time is no mean feat
A footnote this week on January 21 1944 is that the governments of Australia and New Zealand will sign the Canberra Pact (also known as the ANZAC Pact) to promote national interests in the post war Pacific world. The Pact would be opposed by the United States as it was made without their consultation and saw it as imposing on their sphere of influence.
Your description of the German preparations for the 36th Division's attack 4:00 really reminded me of how much WWII was an *industrial* war. Armies were terraforming the landscape as a routine part of defensive operations. How much manpower must have been used to make a simple sentence like "the Germans had deforested the landscape on both sides of the river"! Awful and chilling stuff. The fact that this was such an unremarkable moment is what's so interesting to me.
@ethanmagnuson2988: I too was surprised at how the little detail of deforesting both sides of a river channel was mentioned only in passing as if it was the work of a handful of axemen. With 1940s technology it must have been a major task which required a ton of manpower to accomplish it on time.
My great uncle was an artillery observer in the 3rd infantry division. I have letters and a post war record of his service he wrote discussing his experience at the landings of Anzio. I really appreciate what you guys are doing and keeping this memory alive!
An interesting side note as well. "Wild Bill" Guarnere, one of the Band of Brothers. His older brother Henry Guarnere was killed at Monte Cassino. Bill found out about his brother's death shortly before his D-Day jump into Normandy.
The name of the German night fighter ace is actually Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (not Wittenberg). Here he can be seen in a German newsreel (which mentions his death): th-cam.com/video/Zukq-Mfyg0M/w-d-xo.html
Also this week in Italy the Canadian 5th Armoured Division goes into action. Although they arrived in Italy in November they have been occupied with updating and repairing the equipment they inherited from the British 7th Division (Desert Rats). On the 12th, George Kitching's 11th Brigade moves to the front to relieve the 1st Division's 3rd Brigade. In front of them is the 1st Parachute Regiment, probably the most formidable German troops in all of Italy. They spend their first few days at the front in a holding and patrolling role, but on the 17th, 11th Brigade is ordered to cross the Riccio River and make attacks along the road to Tollo. This is a diversion to take attention away from operations at Casino and Anzio and make the Germans think a major operation is underway into the Arielli valley. First to go in is the Perth Regiment starting with an artillery barrage at 5:30 am. The Perths quickly ford the Riccio, but the enemy alerted by the barrage are quick to react. The Germans have pre-registered their targets and the Perths come under withering machine gun and mortar fire. Company 'C' commander Maj. MacDougall leads a small party "in a gallant effort" to storm a house, the source of the most damaging fire, but they are completely wiped out. The lead platoon under Lt. Chamberlain is split by the intense fire, but he leads one section, in silencing a machine post and taking the Company's objective. This small group hold on throughout the day, repelling all attempts to dislodge them. At 12:45 Kitching sends in the Cape Breton Highlanders who make good progress at first, but are then cut down by deadly crossfire. None of their supporting tanks are able to cross the river. By nightfall Kitching orders the withdrawal of both battalions. Among the troops that make it back is Lt Chamberlain and his section. He will later be awarded the Military Cross. This diversionary attack known as the "Arielli Show" is costly. The Canadians lose 8 officers and 177 other ranks including 27 taken prisoner. The Germans report 27 killed and 36 wounded. To add insult to injury, the Germans are not fooled, they know it was just a diversion.
This is the battle my late grand uncle talked of while I grew up. Many times I heard his story. Of his 2 brothers, he came out of the war the best. He was proud of his time in the Army. I know I spoke of him here many times. I miss him very much.
I had a great uncle who was there at the Rapido. He was a company commander and went in with a full company, came out with two men left. He was never the same afterwards, and died young.
So much for the weak underbelly. I've always maintained that the Allies won WW2 despite having Churchill, not because of him. Considering how successful his grand schemes invariably turned out, it's strange that anybody listenened to him. I'm Canadian, my mum lost a cousin in Italy.
Thank you! A well-known Russian cultural scientist D. Likhachev described ancient Novgorod (a city-monument of ancient Russian culture) after the liberation: "In January-February, Novgorod was liberated. In May, the road to Novgorod was restored, and Viktor Andronikovich suggested that I go to Novgorod - to see what was preserved there ... The train stopped in a field. This field was Novgorod now... I saw the St. Sophia Cathedral and some churches. The rampart on the Sofia side was all pitted with trenches and German dugouts. The Kremlin, compared to everything else, was almost intact. Behind Sophia on one of the houses there was an inscription: "El Viva Salamanca" - a Spanish division was stationed here. I went into some houses of the Kremlin. Everything was thrown with packages from chemical heating pads that heated the German soldiers, and some other packages - either from lice, or from bedbugs. Our troops did not shell the Kremlin, so the Germans equipped here an officers' club, the walls were covered with some kind of German inscriptions. The stones from the churches were used to pave a street on the Sofia side: the Germans dismantled it for the construction of not only a road, but also for their fortifications. Stables were made in the St. George's Monastery: there was an Estonian cavalry unit. Behind the St. George's Cathedral, a place for a gun was built. There were remains of fires on the upper platform and the walls were heavily smoked. On the walls of the stairs, the Spaniards, eager for art, painted naked women: right on the remains of frescoes of the 12th century. In the Church of the Savior on Ilyina, the observation post was especially dangerous for our troops advancing from the east. A single Russian shell was fired at the observation post, but, alas, it damaged the frescoes of Theophan the Greek at the point of impact. Of course, this is not the bombing of Milan by American aircrafts, when the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie was destroyed and Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper survived only by some miracle. But it's still sad to know the loss."
Man this whole series takes you through so many emotions. The start of the war where everything seems total chaos and hopeless with the axis breaking through on all fronts with lightning speed. Breaking the order of things that's expected. Then the dread continues with an seemingly unstoppable march forward. And then you get the happiness when you realize the back of the axis is broken and the pendulum is swinging. But the actual victory? It takes so damn long, even when the advantage lies with the allies. So many people (even the 'victors') must sit inside their home just wishing for all of this to finally be over.
@@zainmudassir2964 perhaps his biggest mistake. Like the major cause of almost all of the foreign policy setbacks in Asia in the latter half of the twentieth century.
@@Justplaying478 The Polish II Corps was involved in the battle of Monte Cassino where it sustained heavy casualties, but captured Piedimonte San Germano, which along with a Canadian victory their flanks achieved the allied breakthrough. In short they play a central role in the eventual Allied victory.
Years ago I watched a documentary on Monte Cassino. At the end one of the narrators said when he was at West Point they were going to watch a film on the battle. An old sergeant, who was there said, before starting the film, "what you are about to see is legalized murder." The lieutenant running the class, and too young to have born then, was about to open his mouth, caught the angry glare from the sergeant, and walked out sheepishly. Butcher shops have less destructive meat grinders.
My FIL fought in Italy. Years later he and my future wife took a tour of Italy whcih passed by Monte Cassino. My wife said there were quit a few WWII veterans on the bus. She said there wasn’t a dry eye among all the vets.
As a Combat Engineer in the 80s we practiced crossing a river in rubber inflatable rafts. My main concern was my M60 machine gun, perched precariously in front, would be perched overboard.
It was fun Most of the boats leaked Weren’t allowed to take weapons on the water Put them in back of a. Duce Supply clerks dumped them in a unguarded Pile on the other side
The detail put into the map making when you’re describing the Sant Angelo attack carried out by the two American regiments was excellent. It is incredible to see how everything have come so far in the 4+ years to date.
now i'm starting to wonder why they dudnt land on the coast right outside Rome (Ostia etc south of the Tiber,, or north of the Tiber where the airport now is). Unlike Anzio etc NOT a swamp based on my memory, just miles from Rome.....
@@ericcarlson3746 My guess is that they were thinking that while it would be easier for THEM to get to Rome it would also be easier for the Germans to counter attack. Also, they were hoping to block the flow of arms and men south to the front.
To be fair if you’re leaving the planning of an offensive to a politician you get what you deserve. Churchill can want to attack something but if the generals don’t plan it get new generals.
Look Operation Iroclad (Landings on Madagascar) Operation Torch (North West Africa landings) , Operation Husky (Sicily) and Operation Avalanche-Baytown (Salerno , Calabria , Bari landings on Italy) Al Churchill's initiatives
@@troystaunton254 This was one of the reasons why he lost the elections in the Summer 1945, the British army didn't liked the way he managed the war in some situations... And even if the Royal Navy like Churchill, the army didn't...
Excellent job as always. Please make a special episode about the gallant men of General Frank Merrill’s Marauders”. Vinegar Joe Stillwell was the cause of all of their miseries, and Lord Louis Mountbatten even remarked that No Allied Forces had to deal with more difficulties, and yet gave more than anyone in the CBI (China, Burma, India) theatre of war! It truly was a horrible war for everyone.
My grandfather served as a sergeant major in N Africa Army Air Corps in Tunisa, Sicily and Italy campaigns through the end of 1944. A vital bombing, convoy attacking and infantry and providing armored divisions support in Sicily and Italy was performed by the N Africa air command under Spaetz and then Twinning (grandfather served under both) when the air forces in N Africa were reorganized in December 1943. Their planes were used when weather or other issues limited flights from UK.
@4:27 Battle of San Pietro, an Army film by John Houston presented as filmed during the fight is available to watch on TH-cam Later researchers found the film was a recreation of the battle with the soldiers who had just fought it
On 21 January 1944, the French Expeditionary Corps assaulted the Gustav line by attacking Monte San Croce (1184 m) and Monte Carella (1071 m). General Juin decided to cross the Rapido in its shallowest part and to progress on Atina by the line of crests south of San Biagio valley (Colle Della Arena, Monte Carella, Monte Rotolo and Monte Bianco). His intention is to break the enemy position in its center, up to Monte Bianco, and then, by simultaneous pincer to the north and south, to encircle the enemy position. The offensive will be led by two regiments of the 2nd DIM (the 4th and 5th RTM) and a regiment of the 3rd DIA (the 7th RTA) with support from the artillery of the two divisions. Once Monte Bianco had been reached and the enemy position completely breached, the 2nd DIM will then operate to the north in the direction of Piscinesco. The 3rd DIA will move to the west on Villa Latina and Atina. At the foot of Monte Carella stand two hills: the Colle Della Arena and the Pedicone. It seemed that one cannot, from these steps, climb the Carella under the flanking fire from Monte San Croce, pivotal point of the enemy line. It is therefore the San Croce which will first have to be completely taken and secured. The maneuver consist of three phases: 1st phase: conquest of the hills near Monte San Croce (west of the Colle Della Arena and Pedicone. 2nd phase: rupture of the "Gustav" line on the Colle Della Arena-Carella-Rotolo axis. 3rd phase: deep exploitation of the 2nd DIM on Piscinesco (by widening the front to the north on Monte Monna) and of the 3rd DIA on Atina. The 5th RTM must secure the San Croce (1st phase). The 4th RTM and 7th RTA have to each take Colle Della Arena and the Pedicone and attack the Carella, when the San Croce will be cleaned, then push on the Rotolo. To the north of this attack group, the 8th RTM will guard the Costa San Pietro facing the north, ready to push a detachment on Monte Monna in the third phase. To the south, the 4th RTT will support and cover the action of the 34th US ID by launching light elements at Il Lago and Valle Luce. On January 21, The day of the offensive, the attack launched at 5:30 am looked favorable to the south. From 6:15 am the 7th RTA took the Pedicone without too much difficulty, while on its right the 4th RTM rushed on the Colle Della Arena and seized it. However to the north, on the San Croce, it quickly turned out that it was not a simple cleaning. After crossing 600 meters, the French were stopped by a violent fire in the immediate vicinity of the ridge. The losses were immediately significant. The enemy's defense system was still unknown, thus the artillery was forced to cover large areas, at the expense of effectiveness. On the other hand, the slopes to be climbed were steep and the progress of the infantry was slow. The enemy had time to regroup and reacted with very violent mortar and artillery fire. A few captured prisoners confirmed that an entire battalion of the 8th Panzer-Grenadier Regiment held the San Croce. At 2 pm the Germans launched a counter-attack that was repeled thanx to artillery support, but which exhausted the French infantry. At the end of the day the situation was unchanged. French elements were still blocked 150 meters from the summit. The order was then given to postpone the attack on the Carella, which had been planned for the 22nd. On January 22 at daybreak, attempts by the 5th RTM to advance remained unsuccessful. The exceptionally difficult ground favored the defenders. The colonel commanding the 5th RTM considered that they needed 155mm guns to resume the attack. General Juin approved of this halt in the north, but decided that the attack on Monte Carella will no longer rely on taking the San Croce first and will be executed on the 23rd in the morning. The 7th RTA was tasked with capturing the Carella while the 2nd DIM had the task of covering its right flank and supporting it as much as possible. The attack was then resumed the 23rd. The 7th RTA had to, initially, clear the Carella, then widen the breach on the Rotolo to the west and on the Martino to the southwest. It will be supported and covered on the right by a company of the 4th RTM. The attack must trigger at 6 o'clock. But before zero hour, a serious event occurred to the north on the San Croce. Around 4 o'clock in the morning, a strong German counter-attack occupied the first French line and rejected them beyond the Rapido. The attack of the 7th RTA was launched anyway. Emerging after a half an hour artillery barrage, they reached the bottom of the Carella slopes without too much difficulty. But around 7 am, just a hundred meters from the ridge, a battalion of the 7th RTA was suddenly stopped by a violent fire of automatic weapons, hidden under casemates, and mines and is pushed back down the slope. Around 12:30 pm, Colonel Chappuis decided to engage his reserve company, which will try to reach the ridge from the right, slipping into a small ditch. The company had hardly begun this maneuver when it was pinned to the ground. The afternoon passed, the battalion remaining dangerously nailed to the southern slopes of the Carella. At 5:30 pm, a new action was launched. The battalion was still stopped a few meters from the ridge. Several infantrymen reached it, but only to die there a few meters from the German company's HQ. At nightfall the order was given to the French battalion to fall back, its position allowing no action on the enemy. While these fights were taking place on the Carella, something happened on the San Croce. Artillery pounded its summit and in the afternoon of the 23rd at 5:25 pm, the reserve company of the 5th RTM went on the attack. Not only did it reached the first French line evacuated in the morning, but in its momentum, it reached the top of Monte San Croce and established itself there. On the evening of the 23rd the San Croce was in French hands, but the elements of the 5th RTM held it in precarious conditions. The weather, clear until then, deteriorated quickly. An icy rain began to fall. Supplies arrived with difficulty, both because of the state of the tracks and German bombardments. While the enemy have been relieved and reinforced, there was, behind the exhausted African infantry, no reserves to consolidate and exploit the San Croce breach. Order was given to stop and keep the conquered ground. But like the San Pietro a week before, the San Croce is part of the Gustav line. So on the 24th, the enemy launched a first counter-attack to retake it, during which stopping fire was requested three times to the artillery support groups. The second counter-attack was again repelled, but during the third, accompanied by very violent mortar fire, French elements were thrown back 300 meters from the summit where they would now stay. Subsequent counter-attacks, that of January 27 in particular, will be further shattered by the artillery. The summit of San Croce remained to the enemy. The CEF offensive towards Atina therefore failed. But this attack was planned by the Allied Command only as a covering action for the main offensive on the Liri valley, Cassino's first offensive, which ended in failure. But it fulfilled its role of diversion for the benefit of the Anzio landing, by attracting German reserves from the Rome region, in particular the 3rd Panzer Grenadiere Division. It was indeed on January 21 that this landing took place and it was on the 19th that the 3rd Panzer- Grenadier, one of the best German Divisions in Italy, previously stationed in the Rome region, began to make its appearance before the 2nd DIM. The desired result having been achieved, it was mad to persist. No major operation will be then undertaken by the 2nd DIM in the Abruzzo sector. General Clark, commanding the 5th US army thanked General Juin for the French participation in these terms: “Through a carefully prepared and coordinated plan of operations, you launched and supported a series of attacks which achieved, with remarkable success, their main goal, namely: fix by hard fights the greatest possible number of enemy forces and prevent them from intervening against our landing and against the establishment of the bridgehead of Anzio. While doing this, you threw the enemy back across the full extent of your front and you have inflicted severe losses on its troops. I would be happy if you passed on to your unit commanders and, through them, to all your men, my satisfaction and my gratitude for the way in which they accomplished this task. »
I remember reading Rick Atkinson's account of the Battle of Rapido River in THE DAY OF BATTLE. I just re-read it. He lists 430 Americans killed, 770 captured, and 934 wounded. I remember thinking that this was the equivalent of the entire male class of a big city high school being exterminated in one battle on one day and night that accomplished nothing. One battle on one day of a long and dismal war with the heaviest fighting to still to come from June 1944 to the end of the war in Germany.
If memory serves, many men from that division were from the same general area of Texas and that there is a memorial in Texas to the men lost in that attack.
143 killed; 663 wounded; and 875 missing during the 48 hour operation according to the US war memorials site on the Sant Angelo memorial in Italy, but either way huge numbers from one division in one attack. Walker writes in his diary on Feb 21 that the 36th is only about 25% Texan at that point from losses at Salerno, San Pietro and Rapido.
That rapido attack brings back memories of TGW when it comes to men running single file (with minefields instead of barbed wire) into machine gun fire with no armor or artillery support
I'm satisfied to say that during the interactivity between this channel and me I've learned more English (mainly words)than I could hope for needless to say that they were good enough before
My father was involved in the North Africa and Italian campaigns, this is all very interesting to me. I wish he were still here to tell me what he saw going on.
Ah yes. Lt. Waters. Started the war as a conscientious objector with a bit a red streak. Could’ve sat out the whole thing out after that, but then he “changed” his mind when he saw how bad it was going, went right back to draft board and asked them to sign him up. Crazy daft bastard, but with the heart of a lion. I’m sure he’ll pull through. It’s a large landing force. And the diversionary attacks to the south have surely drawn away all the German armor…
Informative and interesting introducing...thanks time Ghost Army channel... During the 2nd half of 1943 manpower, weaponry lacking of Nazism military efforts was spotted due to logistical problems while USSR counterattacks was too fast mobilized its troops to ward's German border...from three launching centered
This really shows how the Italian Campaign doomed Hitler. He could NOT afford to have to divert troops to a second European front. Defeating the Soviets would have taken every army unit Germany could free up, and only in a single front war. The Nazis made the same mistake as Napoleon: NEVER invade Russia if you're going to likely be fighting on another front (in the French case it was Spain).
Not invading the USSR would not be an option considering they needed the oil, food and other raw materials or they would end up in the same situation as in 1918.
@@stc3145 Which is why Hitler should NEVER, EVER have declared war on the United States in December 1941. That single action cost him the entire war. Beyond the unmatched American industrial machine, it all but guaranteed that somewhere a second European front would be opened (since the British in the west or south would have a powerful ally with a large amount of troops to try and break in again).
@Thunderbird 1 I don't think it would have made much of a difference if he declared war on the US or not,the Americans were supplying so much aid to the UK they were basically cobilligerant at this point
@@HamburgerTime209 The only one I could see is that somehow the Germans beat the Soviets back by the end of 1942 (possible if they captured Azerbaijan's oil fields and avert the disaster at Stalingrad) and never declare war on the US. Also, if Hitler wasn't a complete genocidal maniac and promised liberation to the Slavic Soviet peoples, he could have broken up the USSR rather easily IMHO. Remember how cruel Stalin had been to many of them.
Anzio needed a guy like Patton to make this succeed. To drive deep and fast. Clark and Lucas were defeated mentally before they even started. "I thought I was turning a Wildcat loose in their rear. Instead I beached a Whale"! ......Winston Churchill
Hi Indy Awesome week. Read about monte cassino. It was bloodiest fight. And been waiting for your video yesterday. Finally able to see today sunday. Thanks.
@@jjb2004mk2 he doesn't care, he is doing it again anyway :D like he said, the way to success is going from failure to failure without loosing your enthousiasm
The 36th's attack on the Rapido was such a disaster that it was the subject of a postwar Congressional investigation. All things considered, the 36th didn't stand a single chance of success in that venture.
Walker said as much before the attack, and was denied moving it to the north of Cassino where they will eventually have to try later; the river was fordable there.
Monte Cassino was an important battle for New Zealand( especially the Māori battalion) the Free French (especially the colonial troops, ie Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians) the Indians and the Polish.
13:14 Excellent video 📹 The Soviets can mass their tanks / artillery at any single point to give superiority but the Germans have all their forces strung along a 3000 mile line. Even ancient generals didn't string out their forces everywhere .
The Germans don’t have much choice do they ? Given their invasion aims were not achieved they were stuck where they were halted. They could have done the sensible thing and left but that would have required sensible leadership and root and branch the Germans did not have any. Similar to the invasion of Ukraine today.
I am reminded of a Willy and Joe cartoon I saw once. Willy (or Joe) has just hauled himself to the top of a ridge or berm or something like that. He comes face to face with a German soldier who is obviously every bit as tired and dirty and hangdog as he is. Willy says to him, "Didn't I see you at Monte Casino?"
He won the Pulitzer for the cartoon of a disheveled Willie and Joe escorting an equally disheveled German prisoner in the rain and the caption read, "Fresh spirited American troops flush with victory are bringing in thousands of ragged, hungry, battle weary enemy prisoners"
My Grandfather took part of the Anizo landings as part of the 984th Tank Destroyers attached to the Fifth Army. My Grandfather before passing away told of that battle and said that they were almost pushed back into the sea and had to fight elite Italian Mountain Troops.
Someone in my family fought in Monte Cassino on the German side. At some point he deserted and made his way towards Spain where he apparently sat out the war till its bitter end. Today we have a shell of him in our bathroom that he brought home.
cue Sabaton: As a turn of the tide It is our turn to rise The force of a union at war March over the mountains On our way to the north On the road that will lead us to Rome Our way will not be easy It will take us through hardship and pain Hill after hill breaking their lines of defense head on north Mile after mile our march carries on No army may stop our approach Fight side by side Many nations unite At the shadow of Monte Cassino We fight and die together As we head for the valley of death Destiny calls We'll not surrender or fail To arms! Under one banner As a unit we stand and united we fall As one! Fighting together Bringing the end to the slaughter Winds are changing head on north Head on north Head on north Times are changing Head on north
And by tomorrow: Crosses grow on Anzio, Where no soldiers sleep, and where hell's six feet deep; That death does wait, there's no debate; So charge and attack, Going to hell and Back!
This week saw a world heritage site attacked. We find that especially upsetting because one of the things we care about most at TimeGhost is understanding our collective past, something that world heritage sites represent.
Join our mission to educate on the collective past by joining us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/join/timeghosthistory
What site was that?
Cassino. No wonder you were held up on the mountain.
@@newnewdaniel you thought it was a site that was attacked in modern times nowadays, it's ok I did too
@@alexs_toy_barn me too
@@alexs_toy_barn I searched the news to see which site it was.
I love how indy doesn't fail to mention 'Smiling Albert Kesselring' even during a serious passage of narration
Yeah, where did the 'smiling' part even came from?
He's smiling in that photo maybe?
It's Guderian's nickname for Kesselring. Albert Kesselring never smiles and Guderian likes to make jokes about that.
@@aaroncabatingan5238 American Press I believe. The German nickname for him was "Uncle Albert".
He's still smiling to this day
the push for the Rapido gives me real "You launch the 6th battle for the Isonzo river" vibes.
Walker saw the plans and compared it to an action in 1918 where he lead 1st Batt of the 30th infantry with 1200 against the 10,000 strong 10th German division at the Marne. Writing on Jan 17 he says “It appears to me that the defeat of the Germans on the Marne on July 15th, 1918, is about to be repeated in reverse on the Rapido in January, 1944.”
Indy starts takling about the Battle for Monte Cassino.
Indy realizes that this will be a protracted battle.
Indy then looks pleadingly at Astrid because he realizes that he didn't pack a lunch.
My great uncle was a SGT. In company G of the 143rd. Never really said alot of his time in the war. Kept a lot of his personal experiences to himself. I always remember he seemed to distance himself from certain questions. Wasn't until I did some research I found he was in the thick of the fighting. RIP William Katilus.
Rip Uncle
Where did he fight?
@Amirr Bah During this time in the video? around Monte Cassino. Battle of Rapido river just North of Cassino.
Fred Walker’s diary “From Texas to Rome” is an enlightening read on the matter.
Heard this one before, both my gramps and most GIs were eager to kill as many Japanese as possible. After what they did, shlt they should have been sacked more thuroughly.
We don't mind a little delay when we get videos of such high quality.
This is true!
I can definitely survive not being one of the Top 5 commentators. You are most definitely correct.
I don't even mind a big delay so much as what kind of trouble might cause a big delay.
Talk for yourself. I do mind.
There is no higher production-quality then Time Ghost History.
11/10 Art takes time to create & escape.
An interesting thing to note on January 11 1944 is that B-17 Flying Fortress bomber *Spirit of '44* will be involved in what is thought one of the greatest air battles of the war during its sixth and final mission. While returning from a raid on Oschersleben in Germany while on two engines, Spirit of ’44, which was piloted by 1st Lieutenant Eldridged V. Greer, flew as low as possible and flew over towns and villages using trees as cover from pursuing enemy fighters, while the gunners strafed the houses and any troops they saw. They were flying so low that German flak towers were actually firing down at them, and enemy fighters were not engaging as they would be strafing their own towns. They would ultimately be credited with ten enemy fighters destroyed and surprisingly they managed to land back in England with no crew casualties.
Either you have given the wrong date or this is a piece of fiction. There was no raid by the 8th AF on this date and the 15th AF wasn't bombing targets that far north in Germany. There was, however, a raid on Oschersleben on January 11th. I suspect that that is your mission. On that day, the 8th Air Force lost 60 B-17s and five fighters, and the Luftwaffe lost 58 fighters in contesting the raid. Bomber gunners claimed 227-45-136 German fighters, whereas their fighter escort claimed 31-12-16 (the figures represent destroyed-probably destroyed-damaged). 8th AF fighter claims were usually fairly reasonable, and if that were the case on that day, it well illustrates how preposterous American bomber gunner claims generally were. It's therefore highly unlikely that the featured crew downed ten fighters. Of course, the most remarkable feature of their mission isn't the number of enemy aircraft downed but rather that they managed to return with only two functioning engines.
@@ramonzzzz Noted, let me go and check on this again. It could be possible that you could be right on this one. Will edit the correct date accordingly. Thank you for the heads up! 🙏
I was going to ask why strafe the houses, then I remembered that the whole point of a bomber is to murder civilians
@@brenokrug7775 Remember, when strafing women and children don't lead them so much.
Get Some!
Damn the scale of eastern front fighting is difficult to even imagine, divisions and armies being thrown at like squads and platoons and casualties in days like we have in entire conflicts in modern days
IKR? Even taking into account the 'actual size' of Soviet combat units, we're still looking at dozens of army sized and scores of corps sized formations across thousands of miles from the Baltic to the Black sea.
Madness...
One of my fathers mentors was a Sergeant in the 36th and fought near Cassino. He never spoke about his experiences but his daughter showed us pictures of his back after he passed away. At some point in 1944 he was shot in the back 8 times and almost lost his right arm. RIP Mr. Newman.
Yikes
in all the commentaries, there's barely a word about the courage of Combat Photographers who carried cameras instead of weapons and without whose work MOST war videos would NOT exist. Lets SEE and HEAR some praise for these brave persons !!!
Monte Cassino: one of the most important military operations in Brazil's history!
Thanks for confirming my thoughts that Brazil was active on the Italian front. I read it somewhere but wasn't 100% sure anymore
You mean Monte Castello. Brazil wouldn't be active in the Italian front until september 1944.
@@brenokrug7775 Oh, you're right. I always confuse those battles.
@@felipepereira214 for some reason I do it too sometimes... too many montes in Italy 😅. But it will be great to see the FEB on the map and hear about their battles in this channel!
Almost 9 years watching and yall finally ran late on an episode release..I'm super impressed with the continued excellence and standard the entire staff has been able to keep especially the difficulties of transitioning the wars (2 completely different tragedies)...you are all rock stars to me
I think they were a day late on the first Battle of Kurst episode last year, but the fact that they’ve been on time every week for this long 99% of the time is no mean feat
A footnote this week on January 21 1944 is that the governments of Australia and New Zealand will sign the Canberra Pact (also known as the ANZAC Pact) to promote national interests in the post war Pacific world. The Pact would be opposed by the United States as it was made without their consultation and saw it as imposing on their sphere of influence.
Your description of the German preparations for the 36th Division's attack 4:00 really reminded me of how much WWII was an *industrial* war. Armies were terraforming the landscape as a routine part of defensive operations. How much manpower must have been used to make a simple sentence like "the Germans had deforested the landscape on both sides of the river"! Awful and chilling stuff. The fact that this was such an unremarkable moment is what's so interesting to me.
@ethanmagnuson2988: I too was surprised at how the little detail of deforesting both sides of a river channel was mentioned only in passing as if it was the work of a handful of axemen. With 1940s technology it must have been a major task which required a ton of manpower to accomplish it on time.
My great uncle was an artillery observer in the 3rd infantry division. I have letters and a post war record of his service he wrote discussing his experience at the landings of Anzio. I really appreciate what you guys are doing and keeping this memory alive!
Finally caught up with a 6 week binge of this excellent series , now starting on the specials!
🙌🙌🙌
Thank you for your dedication! Hope you're enjoying!
Awesome coverage of Monte Cassino starting
3:08 I think the Battle of the Sabis is an example where Caeser crossed the river to defeat the Gauls.
An interesting side note as well. "Wild Bill" Guarnere, one of the Band of Brothers. His older brother Henry Guarnere was killed at Monte Cassino. Bill found out about his brother's death shortly before his D-Day jump into Normandy.
The name of the German night fighter ace is actually Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (not Wittenberg). Here he can be seen in a German newsreel (which mentions his death): th-cam.com/video/Zukq-Mfyg0M/w-d-xo.html
And here the Wikipedia entry: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Prinz_zu_Sayn-Wittgenstein
Also this week in Italy the Canadian 5th Armoured Division goes into action. Although they arrived in Italy in November they have been occupied with updating and repairing the equipment they inherited from the British 7th Division (Desert Rats). On the 12th, George Kitching's 11th Brigade moves to the front to relieve the 1st Division's 3rd Brigade. In front of them is the 1st Parachute Regiment, probably the most formidable German troops in all of Italy. They spend their first few days at the front in a holding and patrolling role, but on the 17th, 11th Brigade is ordered to cross the Riccio River and make attacks along the road to Tollo. This is a diversion to take attention away from operations at Casino and Anzio and make the Germans think a major operation is underway into the Arielli valley. First to go in is the Perth Regiment starting with an artillery barrage at 5:30 am. The Perths quickly ford the Riccio, but the enemy alerted by the barrage are quick to react. The Germans have pre-registered their targets and the Perths come under withering machine gun and mortar fire. Company 'C' commander Maj. MacDougall leads a small party "in a gallant effort" to storm a house, the source of the most damaging fire, but they are completely wiped out. The lead platoon under Lt. Chamberlain is split by the intense fire, but he leads one section, in silencing a machine post and taking the Company's objective. This small group hold on throughout the day, repelling all attempts to dislodge them. At 12:45 Kitching sends in the Cape Breton Highlanders who make good progress at first, but are then cut down by deadly crossfire. None of their supporting tanks are able to cross the river. By nightfall Kitching orders the withdrawal of both battalions. Among the troops that make it back is Lt Chamberlain and his section. He will later be awarded the Military Cross. This diversionary attack known as the "Arielli Show" is costly. The Canadians lose 8 officers and 177 other ranks including 27 taken prisoner. The Germans report 27 killed and 36 wounded. To add insult to injury, the Germans are not fooled, they know it was just a diversion.
This is the battle my late grand uncle talked of while I grew up. Many times I heard his story. Of his 2 brothers, he came out of the war the best. He was proud of his time in the Army. I know I spoke of him here many times. I miss him very much.
I had a great uncle who was there at the Rapido. He was a company commander and went in with a full company, came out with two men left. He was never the same afterwards, and died young.
So much for the weak underbelly. I've always maintained that the Allies won WW2 despite having Churchill, not because of him. Considering how successful his grand schemes invariably turned out, it's strange that anybody listenened to him. I'm Canadian, my mum lost a cousin in Italy.
@@Conn30Mtenor he did a lot for the war effort, but should have left the planning to others.
Thank you!
A well-known Russian cultural scientist D. Likhachev described ancient Novgorod (a city-monument of ancient Russian culture) after the liberation:
"In January-February, Novgorod was liberated. In May, the road to Novgorod was restored, and Viktor Andronikovich suggested that I go to Novgorod - to see what was preserved there ... The train stopped in a field. This field was Novgorod now... I saw the St. Sophia Cathedral and some churches. The rampart on the Sofia side was all pitted with trenches and German dugouts. The Kremlin, compared to everything else, was almost intact. Behind Sophia on one of the houses there was an inscription: "El Viva Salamanca" - a Spanish division was stationed here. I went into some houses of the Kremlin. Everything was thrown with packages from chemical heating pads that heated the German soldiers, and some other packages - either from lice, or from bedbugs. Our troops did not shell the Kremlin, so the Germans equipped here an officers' club, the walls were covered with some kind of German inscriptions. The stones from the churches were used to pave a street on the Sofia side: the Germans dismantled it for the construction of not only a road, but also for their fortifications. Stables were made in the St. George's Monastery: there was an Estonian cavalry unit. Behind the St. George's Cathedral, a place for a gun was built. There were remains of fires on the upper platform and the walls were heavily smoked. On the walls of the stairs, the Spaniards, eager for art, painted naked women: right on the remains of frescoes of the 12th century. In the Church of the Savior on Ilyina, the observation post was especially dangerous for our troops advancing from the east. A single Russian shell was fired at the observation post, but, alas, it damaged the frescoes of Theophan the Greek at the point of impact. Of course, this is not the bombing of Milan by American aircrafts, when the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie was destroyed and Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper survived only by some miracle. But it's still sad to know the loss."
Man this whole series takes you through so many emotions. The start of the war where everything seems total chaos and hopeless with the axis breaking through on all fronts with lightning speed. Breaking the order of things that's expected. Then the dread continues with an seemingly unstoppable march forward. And then you get the happiness when you realize the back of the axis is broken and the pendulum is swinging. But the actual victory? It takes so damn long, even when the advantage lies with the allies. So many people (even the 'victors') must sit inside their home just wishing for all of this to finally be over.
Somehow I feel like this is Ukraine right about now
We’ve basically got a year and a half left of this, give or take a few weeks, once June rolls around it’s pretty much over for Germany
My great grand dad fought there, he was in the wehrmacht at the time as a unteroffizier.
Yes, Marshall picked Eisenhower he also picked Mark Clark and Lloyd Fredendall and he seemed to never have seriously tried to depose MacArthur.
@@zainmudassir2964 perhaps his biggest mistake. Like the major cause of almost all of the foreign policy setbacks in Asia in the latter half of the twentieth century.
Improvements in quality and detail of everything (especially maps) throughout the years is massive. Hats off to the team
Many thanks on behalf of the map team!
Hello, watching this from Warsaw Poland, as every week since The Great War series! Waiting for Polish II Corps to entar action in Italy
did it historiccally?
@@Justplaying478joke or true question?
I’m waiting for the Brazilians to come in
@@Justplaying478 The Polish II Corps was involved in the battle of Monte Cassino where it sustained heavy casualties, but captured Piedimonte San Germano, which along with a Canadian victory their flanks achieved the allied breakthrough. In short they play a central role in the eventual Allied victory.
How much about the war is taught in Poland? Did you learn about the China-Pacific Theater in school?
"Crossing the Rapido" by Duane Schultz is a good one about the sacrifice of the 36th Division. It's a heartbreaking story
At Anzio they had the element of surprise but too cautious of a commander.
Yep, should have at least pushed off the beach.
Years ago I watched a documentary on Monte Cassino. At the end one of the narrators said when he was at West Point they were going to watch a film on the battle. An old sergeant, who was there said, before starting the film, "what you are about to see is legalized murder."
The lieutenant running the class, and too young to have born then, was about to open his mouth, caught the angry glare from the sergeant, and walked out sheepishly.
Butcher shops have less destructive meat grinders.
17:38 there should have been a batman (aide de camp) beside Winston saying to him: "Remember Gallipoli".
My FIL fought in Italy. Years later he and my future wife took a tour of Italy whcih passed by Monte Cassino. My wife said there were quit a few WWII veterans on the bus. She said there wasn’t a dry eye among all the vets.
Can't get tired of Indy's narration. Amazing delivery, always on point.
This opening was one of my favorites! Keep up the great work!
I had an uncle at Anzio. Veteran, with extensive combat experience. When he spoke of it, seldom, it was with great bitterness.
As a Combat Engineer in the 80s we practiced crossing a river in rubber inflatable rafts. My main concern was my M60 machine gun, perched precariously in front, would be perched overboard.
It was fun
Most of the boats leaked
Weren’t allowed to take weapons on the water
Put them in back of a. Duce
Supply clerks dumped them in a unguarded Pile on the other side
@@tomhenry897 I was resolved to drown before I lost my M60
Again, this regular is one of your best-offs in this series since the beginning, in my opinion. Keep up the great work, WWTwo crew!
Excellent episode as always! I'm anxious to see what happens to the lads on their way to Anzio!
The detail put into the map making when you’re describing the Sant Angelo attack carried out by the two American regiments was excellent. It is incredible to see how everything have come so far in the 4+ years to date.
Thank you on behalf of the map team!
If I had been in any of those meetings about Anzio with Churchill I think I would have consistently referred to it as "Gallipoli" by "mistake."
now i'm starting to wonder why they dudnt land on the coast right outside Rome (Ostia etc south of the Tiber,, or north of the Tiber where the airport now is). Unlike Anzio etc NOT a swamp based on my memory, just miles from Rome.....
@@ericcarlson3746 My guess is that they were thinking that while it would be easier for THEM to get to Rome it would also be easier for the Germans to counter attack. Also, they were hoping to block the flow of arms and men south to the front.
Nearly time to hear about the Purple Heart Battalion.
Don’t worry, Winston has plenty of experience planning amphibious landings. Just look at Gallipoli, oh wait…
To be fair if you’re leaving the planning of an offensive to a politician you get what you deserve. Churchill can want to attack something but if the generals don’t plan it get new generals.
But Normandy!!!
Look Operation Iroclad (Landings on Madagascar) Operation Torch (North West Africa landings) , Operation Husky (Sicily) and Operation Avalanche-Baytown (Salerno , Calabria , Bari landings on Italy) Al Churchill's initiatives
There must of been 50 large and famous, and little remembered landings. Further UK navy history all over the world had landings everywhere.
@@troystaunton254 This was one of the reasons why he lost the elections in the Summer 1945, the British army didn't liked the way he managed the war in some situations... And even if the Royal Navy like Churchill, the army didn't...
Excellent job as always. Please make a special episode about the gallant men of General Frank Merrill’s Marauders”. Vinegar Joe Stillwell was the cause of all of their miseries, and Lord Louis Mountbatten even remarked that No Allied Forces had to deal with more difficulties, and yet gave more than anyone in the CBI (China, Burma, India) theatre of war!
It truly was a horrible war for everyone.
This attack is the reason Mark Clark would not survive a visit to Texas if he attempted one.
My grandfather served as a sergeant major in N Africa Army Air Corps in Tunisa, Sicily and Italy campaigns through the end of 1944. A vital bombing, convoy attacking and infantry and providing armored divisions support in Sicily and Italy was performed by the N Africa air command under Spaetz and then Twinning (grandfather served under both) when the air forces in N Africa were reorganized in December 1943. Their planes were used when weather or other issues limited flights from UK.
All I can say for this week is “oh Mga!”
My wife's uncle was a combat engineer at the Rapido River battle he was always a hero in my book.
Fantastic! Great to see you producing the same excellent quality WW2 coverage that you started with. Keep up the good work!
@4:27 Battle of San Pietro, an Army film by John Houston presented as filmed during the fight is available to watch on TH-cam
Later researchers found the film was a recreation of the battle with the soldiers who had just fought it
On 21 January 1944, the French Expeditionary Corps assaulted the Gustav line by attacking Monte San
Croce (1184 m) and Monte Carella (1071 m).
General Juin decided to cross the Rapido in its shallowest part and to progress on Atina by the
line of crests south of San Biagio valley (Colle Della Arena, Monte Carella, Monte Rotolo and Monte Bianco). His intention is to break the enemy position in its center, up to Monte Bianco, and then, by
simultaneous pincer to the north and south, to encircle the enemy position. The offensive will be led
by two regiments of the 2nd DIM (the 4th and 5th RTM) and a regiment of the 3rd DIA (the 7th RTA)
with support from the artillery of the two divisions. Once Monte Bianco had been reached and the
enemy position completely breached, the 2nd DIM will then operate to the north in the direction of
Piscinesco. The 3rd DIA will move to the west on Villa Latina and Atina.
At the foot of Monte Carella stand two hills: the Colle Della Arena and the Pedicone. It seemed that
one cannot, from these steps, climb the Carella under the flanking fire from Monte San Croce, pivotal
point of the enemy line. It is therefore the San Croce which will first have to be completely taken
and secured.
The maneuver consist of three phases: 1st phase: conquest of the hills near Monte San Croce (west of the Colle Della Arena and Pedicone. 2nd phase: rupture of the "Gustav" line on the Colle Della Arena-Carella-Rotolo axis. 3rd phase: deep exploitation of the 2nd DIM on Piscinesco (by widening the front to the north on Monte Monna) and of the 3rd DIA on Atina.
The 5th RTM must secure the San Croce (1st phase). The 4th RTM and 7th RTA have to each take Colle Della Arena and the Pedicone and attack the Carella, when the San Croce will be cleaned, then push on the Rotolo. To the north of this attack group, the 8th RTM will guard the Costa San Pietro facing the north, ready to push a detachment on Monte Monna in the third phase. To the south, the 4th RTT will support and cover the action of the 34th US ID by launching light elements at Il Lago and Valle Luce.
On January 21, The day of the offensive, the attack launched at 5:30 am looked favorable to the
south. From 6:15 am the 7th RTA took the Pedicone without too much difficulty, while on its right the
4th RTM rushed on the Colle Della Arena and seized it. However to the north, on the San Croce, it
quickly turned out that it was not a simple cleaning. After crossing 600 meters, the French were
stopped by a violent fire in the immediate vicinity of the ridge. The losses were immediately
significant. The enemy's defense system was still unknown, thus the artillery was forced to cover large areas, at the expense of effectiveness. On the other hand, the slopes to be climbed were steep
and the progress of the infantry was slow. The enemy had time to regroup and reacted with very
violent mortar and artillery fire. A few captured prisoners confirmed that an entire battalion of the
8th Panzer-Grenadier Regiment held the San Croce. At 2 pm the Germans launched a counter-attack that
was repeled thanx to artillery support, but which exhausted the French infantry. At the end of the
day the situation was unchanged. French elements were still blocked 150 meters from the summit. The
order was then given to postpone the attack on the Carella, which had been planned for the 22nd.
On January 22 at daybreak, attempts by the 5th RTM to advance remained unsuccessful. The
exceptionally difficult ground favored the defenders. The colonel commanding the 5th RTM considered
that they needed 155mm guns to resume the attack. General Juin approved of this halt in the north,
but decided that the attack on Monte Carella will no longer rely on taking the San Croce first and
will be executed on the 23rd in the morning. The 7th RTA was tasked with capturing the Carella while
the 2nd DIM had the task of covering its right flank and supporting it as much as possible.
The attack was then resumed the 23rd. The 7th RTA had to, initially, clear the Carella, then widen
the breach on the Rotolo to the west and on the Martino to the southwest. It will be supported and covered on the right by a company of the 4th RTM. The attack must trigger at 6 o'clock. But before
zero hour, a serious event occurred to the north on the San Croce. Around 4 o'clock in the morning, a
strong German counter-attack occupied the first French line and rejected them beyond the Rapido. The
attack of the 7th RTA was launched anyway. Emerging after a half an hour artillery barrage, they
reached the bottom of the Carella slopes without too much difficulty. But around 7 am, just a hundred
meters from the ridge, a battalion of the 7th RTA was suddenly stopped by a violent fire of automatic
weapons, hidden under casemates, and mines and is pushed back down the slope.
Around 12:30 pm, Colonel Chappuis decided to engage his reserve company, which will try to reach the ridge from the right, slipping into a small ditch. The company had hardly begun this maneuver when it
was pinned to the ground. The afternoon passed, the battalion remaining dangerously nailed to the
southern slopes of the Carella. At 5:30 pm, a new action was launched. The battalion was still
stopped a few meters from the ridge. Several infantrymen reached it, but only to die there a few
meters from the German company's HQ. At nightfall the order was given to the French battalion to fall
back, its position allowing no action on the enemy.
While these fights were taking place on the Carella, something happened on the San Croce. Artillery
pounded its summit and in the afternoon of the 23rd at 5:25 pm, the reserve company of the 5th RTM
went on the attack. Not only did it reached the first French line evacuated in the morning, but in
its momentum, it reached the top of Monte San Croce and established itself there. On the evening of
the 23rd the San Croce was in French hands, but the elements of the 5th RTM held it in precarious
conditions. The weather, clear until then, deteriorated quickly. An icy rain began to fall. Supplies
arrived with difficulty, both because of the state of the tracks and German bombardments. While the
enemy have been relieved and reinforced, there was, behind the exhausted African infantry, no
reserves to consolidate and exploit the San Croce breach. Order was given to stop and keep the
conquered ground.
But like the San Pietro a week before, the San Croce is part of the Gustav line. So on the 24th, the
enemy launched a first counter-attack to retake it, during which stopping fire was requested three times to the artillery support groups. The second counter-attack was again repelled, but during the
third, accompanied by very violent mortar fire, French elements were thrown back 300 meters from the
summit where they would now stay. Subsequent counter-attacks, that of January 27 in particular, will
be further shattered by the artillery. The summit of San Croce remained to the enemy.
The CEF offensive towards Atina therefore failed. But this attack was planned by the Allied Command
only as a covering action for the main offensive on the Liri valley, Cassino's first offensive, which
ended in failure. But it fulfilled its role of diversion for the benefit of the Anzio landing, by
attracting German reserves from the Rome region, in particular the 3rd Panzer Grenadiere Division. It
was indeed on January 21 that this landing took place and it was on the 19th that the 3rd Panzer-
Grenadier, one of the best German Divisions in Italy, previously stationed in the Rome region, began
to make its appearance before the 2nd DIM. The desired result having been achieved, it was mad to
persist. No major operation will be then undertaken by the 2nd DIM in the Abruzzo sector.
General Clark, commanding the 5th US army thanked General Juin for the French participation in these
terms: “Through a carefully prepared and coordinated plan of operations, you launched and supported a
series of attacks which achieved, with remarkable success, their main goal, namely: fix by hard
fights the greatest possible number of enemy forces and prevent them from intervening against our
landing and against the establishment of the bridgehead of Anzio. While doing this, you threw the
enemy back across the full extent of your front and you have inflicted severe losses on its troops. I
would be happy if you passed on to your unit commanders and, through them, to all your men, my
satisfaction and my gratitude for the way in which they accomplished this task. »
To quote Sabaton: HEAD ON NORTH!
The Rapido attacks were an insanely bad idea.
seems like everything they did after the liberation of Naples was a bad idea......
I remember reading Rick Atkinson's account of the Battle of Rapido River in THE DAY OF BATTLE. I just re-read it. He lists 430 Americans killed, 770 captured, and 934 wounded. I remember thinking that this was the equivalent of the entire male class of a big city high school being exterminated in one battle on one day and night that accomplished nothing. One battle on one day of a long and dismal war with the heaviest fighting to still to come from June 1944 to the end of the war in Germany.
If memory serves, many men from that division were from the same general area of Texas and that there is a memorial in Texas to the men lost in that attack.
143 killed; 663 wounded; and 875 missing during the 48 hour operation according to the US war memorials site on the Sant Angelo memorial in Italy, but either way huge numbers from one division in one attack. Walker writes in his diary on Feb 21 that the 36th is only about 25% Texan at that point from losses at Salerno, San Pietro and Rapido.
@@vincentdracen Thanks. I've toured that area and MC itself. Very tough terrain fron an attacking force.
Thank you for the lesson.
it's okay, Indy..they issued genuine Vulcanizer patch kits..with the rubber boats.
Thank You for member of the week! At Your disposal The Ghost Army!!
Excellent and interesting presentation, World War Two team. I enjoy how the documentary takes place in "the present".
For more on Rabaul I can recommend Ron Spector's Eagle Against the Sun
That rapido attack brings back memories of TGW when it comes to men running single file (with minefields instead of barbed wire) into machine gun fire with no armor or artillery support
I'm satisfied to say that during the interactivity between this channel and me I've learned more English (mainly words)than I could hope for needless to say that they were good enough before
BTW, the river near Cassino is pronounced “RAH-pee-doe”, a proparoxytone. It means fast in Italian for a good reason.
Currently reading The Battle of Ten Armies by Peter Caddick-Adams on Monte Cassino
My father was involved in the North Africa and Italian campaigns, this is all very interesting to me. I wish he were still here to tell me what he saw going on.
On his way to Anzio is Eric Fletcher Waters, father of a five month old son named Roger.
Daddy’s flown across the ocean, leaving just a memory.
Ah yes. Lt. Waters. Started the war as a conscientious objector with a bit a red streak. Could’ve sat out the whole thing out after that, but then he “changed” his mind when he saw how bad it was going, went right back to draft board and asked them to sign him up. Crazy daft bastard, but with the heart of a lion. I’m sure he’ll pull through. It’s a large landing force. And the diversionary attacks to the south have surely drawn away all the German armor…
Great work as always! :)
Informative and interesting introducing...thanks time Ghost Army channel... During the 2nd half of 1943 manpower, weaponry lacking of Nazism military efforts was spotted due to logistical problems while USSR counterattacks was too fast mobilized its troops to ward's German border...from three launching centered
This really shows how the Italian Campaign doomed Hitler. He could NOT afford to have to divert troops to a second European front. Defeating the Soviets would have taken every army unit Germany could free up, and only in a single front war. The Nazis made the same mistake as Napoleon: NEVER invade Russia if you're going to likely be fighting on another front (in the French case it was Spain).
Not invading the USSR would not be an option considering they needed the oil, food and other raw materials or they would end up in the same situation as in 1918.
@@stc3145 Which is why Hitler should NEVER, EVER have declared war on the United States in December 1941. That single action cost him the entire war. Beyond the unmatched American industrial machine, it all but guaranteed that somewhere a second European front would be opened (since the British in the west or south would have a powerful ally with a large amount of troops to try and break in again).
@Thunderbird 1 I don't think it would have made much of a difference if he declared war on the US or not,the Americans were supplying so much aid to the UK they were basically cobilligerant at this point
@@thunderbird1921 not that single action bro, the whole thing. There really just isn’t any believable scenario where Germany wins this
@@HamburgerTime209 The only one I could see is that somehow the Germans beat the Soviets back by the end of 1942 (possible if they captured Azerbaijan's oil fields and avert the disaster at Stalingrad) and never declare war on the US. Also, if Hitler wasn't a complete genocidal maniac and promised liberation to the Slavic Soviet peoples, he could have broken up the USSR rather easily IMHO. Remember how cruel Stalin had been to many of them.
Anzio needed a guy like Patton to make this succeed. To drive deep and fast. Clark and Lucas were defeated mentally before they even started. "I thought I was turning a Wildcat loose in their rear. Instead I beached a Whale"! ......Winston Churchill
Instead of the great offensive to take Rome, it turned into a stalemate that lasted until Italy was regulated to the secondary front in Europe
Just for fun - In 1944 Churchill turns 70
Stalin 66
MacArthur 64
Roosevelt 62
Kesselring, Nimitz, Patton 59
Manstein, Montgomery 57
Hitler 55
Eisenhower 54
Rommel 53
Goring, Bradley 51
Zhukov, Clark 48
Goebbels 47
Himmler 44
Well, has Churchill ever horribly screwed up an amphibious landing in an attempt to knock a combatant out of a world war before? Never, I'm sure.
The sad irony being Lucas does pretty much the same thing as in 1915. Tik History does a great piece on the decision making of the operation.
This series still goes strong
Hi Indy
Awesome week.
Read about monte cassino.
It was bloodiest fight.
And been waiting for your video yesterday. Finally able to see today sunday.
Thanks.
Thank you! Apologies for the delay on this one, we had a couple hangups related to the editing department this week.
Wasn't that German night fighter ace called Heinrich Prinz Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein?
Kuchler should had consulted his cohorts, Fran and Ollie.
Ah, one for us oldies! HAHA
Good old winston "gallipoli" churchill is doing it again!
It's easy to make all the correct decisions 80 years later when we know what happened and it's been studied to death.
@@jjb2004mk2 he doesn't care, he is doing it again anyway :D like he said, the way to success is going from failure to failure without loosing your enthousiasm
The last days of Vatutin's life. He was a good one.
Excellent and Outstanding!!!
The 36th's attack on the Rapido was such a disaster that it was the subject of a postwar Congressional investigation. All things considered, the 36th didn't stand a single chance of success in that venture.
Walker said as much before the attack, and was denied moving it to the north of Cassino where they will eventually have to try later; the river was fordable there.
This is extremely interesting. My Grandfather fought at Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino was an important battle for New Zealand( especially the Māori battalion) the Free French (especially the colonial troops, ie Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians) the Indians and the Polish.
I have several Kiwi friends who spoke Monte Cassino batttles in awe.
Fred Walker forgetting about the Battle of Ebro and its river crossing.
13:14
Excellent video 📹
The Soviets can mass their tanks / artillery at any single point to give superiority but the Germans have all their forces strung along a 3000 mile line.
Even ancient generals didn't string out their forces everywhere .
That is mad Hitler's "Hold the Line at all cost" strategy for you...
The Germans don’t have much choice do they ? Given their invasion aims were not achieved they were stuck where they were halted. They could have done the sensible thing and left but that would have required sensible leadership and root and branch the Germans did not have any. Similar to the invasion of Ukraine today.
Excellent, as always
Great video!
My dad was at Cassino but apart from saying he was there, he wouldn't speak further about it but I suspect it contributed to his eventual alcoholism.
Crosses grow on Anzio, where no soldiers sleep and Hell's six feet deep
There seems to have slipped a non-historic coffee mug past the Astrid's watchful eye...
So it begins.
The infamous Cassino and its effect on both sides
Now I had to go listen to ‘Slopes of St. Benedict’
Winds are changing, head on North!
thanks
I am reminded of a Willy and Joe cartoon I saw once. Willy (or Joe) has just hauled himself to the top of a ridge or berm or something like that. He comes face to face with a German soldier who is obviously every bit as tired and dirty and hangdog as he is. Willy says to him, "Didn't I see you at Monte Casino?"
He won the Pulitzer for the cartoon of a disheveled Willie and Joe escorting an equally disheveled German prisoner in the rain and the caption read, "Fresh spirited American troops flush with victory are bringing in thousands of ragged, hungry, battle weary enemy prisoners"
This was a nicely informative video. I always enjoy these charming video's.
My Grandfather took part of the Anizo landings as part of the 984th Tank Destroyers attached to the Fifth Army. My Grandfather before passing away told of that battle and said that they were almost pushed back into the sea and had to fight elite Italian Mountain Troops.
01:07 that looks a most uncomfortable perch...jessayin'
Great stuff!
Someone in my family fought in Monte Cassino on the German side.
At some point he deserted and made his way towards Spain where he apparently sat out the war till its bitter end.
Today we have a shell of him in our bathroom that he brought home.
cue Sabaton:
As a turn of the tide
It is our turn to rise
The force of a union at war
March over the mountains
On our way to the north
On the road that will lead us to Rome
Our way will not be easy
It will take us through hardship and pain
Hill after hill breaking their lines of defense
head on north
Mile after mile our march carries on
No army may stop our approach
Fight side by side
Many nations unite
At the shadow of Monte Cassino
We fight and die together
As we head for the valley of death
Destiny calls
We'll not surrender or fail
To arms!
Under one banner
As a unit we stand and united we fall
As one! Fighting together
Bringing the end to the slaughter
Winds are changing
head on north
Head on north
Head on north
Times are changing
Head on north
And by tomorrow:
Crosses grow on Anzio,
Where no soldiers sleep, and where hell's six feet deep;
That death does wait, there's no debate;
So charge and attack,
Going to hell and Back!
Thanks for your weekly episode!!👍The correct name of Luftwaffe-Pilot is Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein😉
Danke!