Tab Article

Editorial Reviews:

Synopsis:

"Monte Cassino" opens in the cold Italian winter of 1943-44. Germany would lose the war, it was clear; but they still held much of Italy and showed no signs of loosening their grip, leaving the Allies to fight their north through the mountains to capture Rome - a route that no army had taken since Hannibal traversed the Alps to avoid it. Sitting high on a hill overlooking the only possible passage to Rome stood the ancient abbey of Monte Cassino, established by St Benedict himself in 529. The Allies had agreed not to attack monuments, yet ranking officers were convinced that the abbey held hundreds of German soldiers with machine guns, waiting to eliminate thousands of American GI's. Were the Nazis really harboured there? Or was the abbey, filled with priceless art works and an order of monks who had preserved the history of Western civilization during the Dark Ages, no more than a refuge for Italy's suffering masses, abandoned after the government signed an armistice with the Allies?

One of the most controversial events of World War II, the bombing of Monte Cassino was also one of the most tragic -

after three more months of fighting to a stalemate in the frigid weather, with hundreds killed, Polish soldiers of the Allied army eventually took the hilltop after the the Germans retreated.

The authors examine the military operations and political machinations that led inevitably to the bombing, and delve into the personalities of those who made the ultimate decision as well as those on both sides of the Atlantic and the battlefield who struggled to save the Abbey of Monte Cassino.

About the Author:

David Hapgood has written for many publications, including the New York Times, and is the author of several books. He lives in New York City. David Richardson researched this book for ten years. He resides in McLean, Virginia.

Book Description:

In trade paperback for the first time, the gripping story of one of the greatest Allied blunders--the bombing and destruction of an ancient Italian abbey.

Monte Cassino opens in the cold Italian winter of 1943-44. Germany would lose the war, but they still held much of Italy, leaving the Allies to fight their way north to capture Rome--a route no army had taken since Hannibal traversed the Alps to avoid it. And overlooking the only possible passage stood the ancient Abbey of Monte Cassino. The ultimate decision to bomb Monte Cassino was one of the most controversial--and tragic--events of World War II. The combat that followed was just as tragic: Soldiers from more than a dozen nations fought through that savage winter in a ferocious battle that allowed no advance or retreat. Here Hapgood and Richardson examine the military operations and political machinations that led inexorably to the bombing, explore the personalities of all involved, and in a new afterword reflect on its lingering consequences. This is an epic tale of men--and monks--at war.