In April 2008, I had my first visit to the Italian battlefields of World War 2, focusing on the infamous war zones of Anzio and Cassino. I have to admit that I knew relatively little about the Italian  campaign before I went; it was described in some quarters as a mere 'sideshow' to the events unfolding in Normandy (just two days passed between the capture of Rome on 4th June 1944 and D-Day). But the men who took part in the Italian campaign, the so-called 'D-Day Dodgers' experienced conditions every bit as intense at Anzio and Cassino as their comrades on the beaches of Normandy. Anzio from the Nettuno road Churchill championed the Italian campaign and took great personal interest in its planning and strategy; he hoped that a successful amphibious landing with his seal of approval might atone for the Gallipoli debacle for which he was held responsible some thirty years earlier. Best case scenario was that the Anzio landings would open the door to a quick advance on Rome and perhaps deal a fatal blow to the German war effort even before the planned invasion of France got underway.  Looking towards Anzio from the British Cemetery Flying to Ciampino south of Rome, I made nearby Frascati my base for the next few days; Frascati, by coincidence, was the headquarters of Field Marshall Albert Kesselring, one of Hitler's most able and respected military commanders. The town is handily placed for reaching Anzio by car and is also situated just off the A1 Rome-Napoli motorway, making it easy to reach Cassino (which lies half way between the two cities). Having arrived in what can only be described as a monsoon - fortunately the weather was to clear up by the following morning - I hired a car at the airport and after much frustration I finally found the hotel. (note to self: must invest in sat. nav) DAY ONE: ANZIO-NETTUNO I anticipated a fairly leisurely drive from Frascati to Anzio the next day; the two towns are not that far apart on the map and I expected soon to be racing along quiet country roads, enjoying the Italian countryside - the reality turned out to be somewhat different! It took nearly two hours to get there, negotiating along the way numerous little towns and villages with confusing road junctions, impatient drivers and long lines of traffic filtering through rustic villages. The main road into Anzio - the Route 207 - was similarly  congested partly due to roadworks and building work on the outskirts of town. Anzio Beach Head Cemetery For the lack of a Holts' Battlefield Map (or similar) for the Italian battlefields, it was a case of driving around and hoping to find where I was looking for as best I could. Fortunately, my first stop - Beachhead CWGC Cemetery was straightforward enough to locate, signposted as it is directly to the left of the main road three or four kilometres before you reach Anzio. The name of the cemetery makes reference to the narrow beachhead the Allies established following the initial landings of 'Operation Shingle' on 22nd January 1944. Originally the site of a casualty clearing station, the cemetery contains 2,312 British & Commonwealth burials (291 of them unidentified). The cemetery is nicely-landscaped with hanging flowers arranged in neat frames overlooking the well-tended lawns. Two CWGC gardeners were busy at work as I added my name to the visitors' book, which showed a fair few visitors - mostly Italian and some British - had visited  recently. The backdrop to the cemetery is the Padiglione Woods that saw heavy fighting during the battle. Anzio British Cemetery Continuing along the 207, the outskirts of Anzio are soon reached. Another CWGC signpost points the way towards the second cemetery, simply called Anzio British Cemetery. This signpost is located on the far side of the road next to a busy junction and is partially obscured by other signs; it is therefore quite easy to drive past without spotting first time so you really have to look out for it. At the junction, turn off the main road and follow the minor road that angles sharply uphill to reach the cemetery. The local communal cemetery is also situated on the hillside here and there is plenty of car parking.This cemetery dates from the time of the initial landings and contains 1,056 British and Commonwealth burials. The Cross of Sacrifice looms above the hillside, looking down the slopes towards the town itself (which from this angle at least is something of an ugly array of high rise blocks and apartments)  with the sun-glinted sea shimmering brightly beyond. Anzio Beach Landings Museum From the cemetery, the road trundles into town where the Anzio Beach Landings Museum is well signposted and located down a thankfully quiet side lane away from the bustling main roads. The war museum shares a building with the municipal museum but is only open on certain days and has fairly restricted opening times out of season. Nearby is one of the few war memorials at Anzio, to the Sherwood Foresters who spearheaded the breakout from the beachhead and suffered terrible losses in the battle. Anzio today is a busy seaport and holiday resort with a population of around 50,000. It was the birthplace of Caligula and Nero, and it was famously at Anzio that Nero 'fiddled while Rome burned'. Along with neighbouring Nettuno, Anzio is a traditional seaside getaway for Romans, and with its built up streets and expanse of concrete reminded me in some ways of a smaller, less-glamorous version of Monte Carlo.  Around the marina, the seafront is thronged with shops, cafes and restaurants, ice cream sellers by the dozen and lots of people enjoying the spring sunshine. One of the beach landing sites at Anzio I found a more secluded part of the beach a little north of the town centre to try to get a feel for the landings. Like D-Day, Operation Shingle was a joint Anglo-American landing, with the American forces under the command of the bombastic Lieutenant General Mark Clark. At H Hour 0200 on 22 January, the landings began in three simultaneous assaults around Anzio and Nettuno. On the right, around Nettuno, the 3rd Division under Major General Lucian Truscott landed on X-Ray, Red and Green Beaches. In the centre, Rangers supported by paratroopers seized Yellow Beach adjacent to Anzio harbour with orders to seize the port and destroy any coastal defence batteries. On Peter Beach, north of Anzio, British troops  of the 1st Division, commanded by Major General Penney spearheaded the assault with commandos in support. American Memorial to the Missing of Salerno and Anzio at Nettuno Initial resistance was light with the key objectives quickly taken. By the 24th January, a beachead had been established several kilometres inland but the hesitancy that followed the initial success of the landings enabled Kesselring time to regroup his defences. It was not long before several Panzer Divisions - including the elite Hermann Goring Division - were diverted to meet the Allied assault. The real battle for Anzio lay beyond the beaches, in the vicinity of the Padiglione Woods and the Alban Hills; along the labyrinth of main roads, back roads and fa rm tracks with names as typically diverse as Dead End Road and the Bowling Alley; astride the railway embankment and Mussolini Canal; in the wrecked streets of Aprilia, ominously nicknamed 'The Factory'. It would take almost five months of bitter fighting in difficult terrian before Rome was finally liberated. Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial Before leaving Anzio-Nettuno, I visited the 'Sicily - Rome' American Cemetery & Memorial on the outskirts of Nettuno. Situated on the Plaza Kennedy, the cemetery spans 77 acres and contains American casualties from the Anzio, Sicily and Salerno campaigns. There are 7,861 individual burials, with the names of 3,095 'missing' remembered on the walls of the memorial. Inside the visitors' centre, there are some interesting displays relating to the campaign and photographs of some of the cemetery's distinguished (or undistinguished depending on your point of view) visitors - George Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Dick Cheney among them. DAY 2: MONTE CASSINO They say that all roads lead to Rome; not exactly true of the A1 s outhbound, that extends towards Napoli from the direction of the ancient capital. Like France, the 'Autostradas' are not over-congested thanks to the toll system and though the distance is greater (about 80 miles) it took half the time to reach Cassino than it had to reach Anzio the previous day. After little more than an hour, I was exiting for Cassino, surrounded by an impressive range of snow-topped mountains with the famous abbey rising high to my left. The dramatic road climbing towards the summit of Monte Cassino Being a major tourist attraction, Monte Cassino is well signposted; you have to negotiate through part of the town to get there but other than at peak times the traffic is busy without being too daunting. It is worth making sure you are not too low on fuel before beginning the ascent to the top as it is a long, steep climb which is heavy on gas! Fortunately, the road is well surfaced and after what seems an eternity, finally winds towards the top where the imposing monastery looms into view close up for the first time. There is plenty of coach and car parking here. Entry t o the monastery is free although there is a parking charge. Upon my arrival at around lunchtime, there were several coachloads of visitors and a few cars but it was not too crowded. View of Monte Cassino from near the Polish Cemetery The monastery of Monte Cassino more than lives up to expectations. It is a stunning building in every respect. Visually impressive from the outside, the interior is equally attractive; visitors can wander at leisure through most of the building, enjoying the pleasant gardens, fine art works and architecture. Time should also be taken to admire the stunning views across the surrounding mountain peaks. While the site has not been overly-commercialised, there is a small gift shop selling the usual array of postcards, books and souvenirs. I did not have very long inside the monastery as it was due to close for lunch (opening hours are restricted) but half hour or so was enough to get a feel for this beautiful and historic building. The monastery was  originally founded by St Benedict in 529AD and was dedicated to John the Baptist. Benedict remained here until his death, composing the Benedictine Rule, a code that still forms the basis for monastic life in Western Europe to this day. Far from being a place of sanctity, the abbey has been sacked, pillaged, ravaged by fire and even damaged by earthquake through the ages. Each time it has been risen from the rubble to take its rightful place as one of Europe's great historical and religious sites. Public entrance to the monastery In 1944, Monte Cassino formed part of the German 'Gustav Line' guarding the main approaches to Rome from the south. Because of its historical and cultural importance, a neutral zone had been placed around the abbey. The German commander, General Von Senger, had previously authorised the evacuation of the monks (although several refused to  leave) along with irreplaceable artwork, documents and manuscripts some of which was sent to the Vatican for safe keeping. However, while the American commander Mark Clark hoped to avoid damaging the building, the British under General Alexander refused to recognise the neutral zone and claimed that it was being utilised as a look out post. (in reality, German forces were entrenched in the slopes beneath the abbey and were not in command of the building itself). The monastery's central courtyard Despite appeals on all sides for its salvation, on February 15th, Monte Cassino was relentlessly bombed from the skies and the abbey was smashed to a pulp by Allied aircraft. The bombing was so imprecise that only 1 / 10 struck the intended target; one bomb almost accounted for General Clark, who had refused to witness the abbey's destruction and was doing paperwork in his jeep almost 30 kilometres away when a bomb exploded nearby. The only casualties within the monastery itself were Italian refugees wh o had sought refuge there. The Vatican indirectly issued a statement condemning the bombing as 'a piece of gross stupidity'. View of Cassino from the hillside below the monastery Survivors from the raid, including a handful of monks who had sought refuge in the deep underground vaults and tunnels, were tended by a German field hospital further down the slope before being evacuated. The Battle of Cassino that followed was said to be among the most brutal and bloody land battles of World War 2, compared in its ferocity to Stalingrad. Allied forces comprised an assortment of British, American, French, Italian, Polish, ANZAC and North African troops. Ice cold in winter and baking hot in summer, the mountains and valleys around Cassino were an inhospitable arena where an estimated quarter of a million men were killed, wounded or missing. Key points on the battlefield aquired sinister names such as Phantom Ridge, Snake's Head and Hangman's Hill. In some ways, it was more like a World War One battle of attrition which took over four months of hard fighting before German forces were finally compelled to retreat. The town of Cassino itself was completely destroyed along with all the surrounding farms and villages. The cruicial position of H ill 593, a secondary peak close to Monte Cassino and a 'back-door' to the monastery was the scene of heavy fighting throughout the battle for Cassino. Polish Cemetery beneath Hill 593 The position was finally taken by Polish troops in May 1944 and is today the setting for a Polish Monument; unfortunately, this can only be viewed from a distance as the monument lies on private grounds and is 'off limits' to the general public. In the past, intrepid battlefield explorers have occasionally managed to gain access to this part of the battlefield, however, it is now closed off and rendered inaccessable by high locked gates and video surveillance. Instead, I settled for a visit to the Polish Cemetery lying in a flat depression between the monastery and the crest of Hill 593. Twin eagles flank the entranceway to the cemetery, over a thousand Polish graves spread out across the steep terraces. After descending Monte Cassino once more, I drove around in search of the Cassino British CWGC Cemete ry. I had seen signs for it on the way in and now retraced my steps in order to find it; thanks to the signposts, the cemetery can be found on the outskirts of town without too much difficulty. Cassino British Cemetery Beautifully landscaped and enjoying a dramatic location beneath Monte Cassino, the Cassino British Cemetery must be among the most picturesque of any CWGC Cemetery. Spread out across immaculate lawns, the white headstones are complimented by several attractive features such as the bell-tower overlooking the entranceway and a centrepiece rectangular pond, surrounded by 12 memorial slabs where the names of 4,054 'missing' from the Battle of Cassino are remembered. The pathway around the pond is decorated by mosaics, adding to the 'Roman atrium' effect. After visiting the British Cemetery, I ventured into the countryside and spent the next two or three hours in search of other cemeteries and sites of interest. For want  of a battlefield map, this was not easy. The French and Italian Cemeteries proved elusive. 'Grieving Parents' at the German Cemetery The German Cemetery was also tricky to locate, however I did eventually stumble upon it in a secluded hillside village called Caira a few kilometres north-east of Cassino. The cemetery is accessed on foot via a little hump bridge; across the road is an information kiosk with a display of photographs, leaflets and postcards. The cemetery is one of seven German burial grounds on Italian soil and contains 20,057 war dead from the battles of Cassino and Salerno. A little pathway leads to a bell-tower with an eternal flame and sculpting reminiscent of the Vladslo 'grieving parents'. I spent a half hour or so wandering between the  Teutonic headstones, arranged around the crest of the hill overlooked by a large black cross. It was only on the way out that I noticed the sign: 'Warning: poisonous snakes - life-thretening. Entrance to the cemetery under your own responsability (sic).' Caira German Cemetery And on that slightly disconcerting note, with the sun rapidly setting and Monte Cassino a mere silhouette against a precipitous backdrop of mountainous terrain, it was time to return northwards to Rome. I felt a whole new respect and admiration for the men of both sides who fought in this beautiful - yet hostile - landscape through the winter and spring of 1944 and endured the most desperate hardships in the name of fulfilling the publicity-seeking General Clark's dream of entering the Eternal City before the commencement of Operation Overlord less than 48 hours later. The capture of Rome was greeted with great jubilation by Churchill but in truth it had little strategic value and as it transpired there was to be little time to celebrate anyway... |