Quote:
Originally Posted by redrat  im glad i found this post ,
"be on both the Kiwi's and the 4th Indian divs who went in twice !
Tomcan"
well tomcan im glad you said that , i re-enact the 4th indian division and know one knows who they are and who was in them . but about cassio ,
After the battle of cassio the 4th indain division who attacked the monestry and the castle ! claimbed to be first in (as did the polish), they had foward units who got with in several meters of the monestry and where lost contact with , there is a notable case of an indain NCO leading 3 other indians troops in a charge for the castle and dyeing very close to the walls, but when the polish troops finaly took the monestry they found webbing all over the monestry which was not theirs and it had indian markings on it . the german officer in charge of holding the monestry ( i forget his name) himself said that he had to get ride of several groups of indians several times from the monestry who had entered it . I belive that we can not even begin to talk about who fought the most there , as we were not there and it is not right we do so , also other battles around the monestry were just as improtant . everyone seems to forget about the surronding ridges the castle etc
the 4th indian division was also a montian division after north africa |
Redrat .....
well you see - some of us were there- and we know what went on as some obviously have read the wrong books -
The fourth battle - and the French mountain divisions went over the Aurunci Mountains to the WEST of Cassino from the British held bridgehead over the Rapido/Gariliano Rivers - where there was very little defences or German troops and thus were able to run over the hills etc and beat the 8th Army to above Agnani which was over their boundary - the 8th army meanwhile were still trying to batter down the main defences at both the Gustav and Hitler lines...ask Gerry Chester - he was knocked about at Pontecorvo/Aquino....so it could be said that the French were running through an open door and the 8th army were trying to unlock a bolted door - big difference !
This gave Kesselring pause for thought and he then ordered the German Commanders - Vingtenhoff and Etterlin to pull back and thus the Poles were able to enter the Monastery.
Meanwhile US Gen.Clark had instructed his V1 corps Commander - Truscott - to ignore Alexander's orders to head for Valmantone and attempt to cut off the retreating two German armies and head for Rome - so that he could cut down the sign for ROMA for his back garden in California !
Incidently 4th Indian did not become a Mountain Div in North Africa - but in Ethiopia's Keren Heights - which was another Cassino - when they were sent down there just before the Battle of Beda Fomm when as small British force under Gen. O'Conner wiped out a whole Italian army ! Each 4th Indian brigade had a British battalion. Camerons - Surrey's - West Kents etc.