'Aussie Rick'’s Comments (group member since Jun 12, 2009)

'Aussie Rick'’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

"Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils" - The end of the Battle for the German paratroopers:

"The 1st Parachute Division, battered but defiant, numbering less than 1,000 men, conducted a successful tactical retreat northward, leaving behind them the ruins of Monte Cassino and a legend to accompany them forever. For its part in the Battle of Monte Cassino the division was honoured with the award of twenty-two Knight's Crosses in total."

Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils by Angelos Mansolas

fourtriplezed wrote: "When General Tuker, commander of the 4th Indian Division learned from the Americans that Monastery Hill was the key to the Cassino position; when he saw with his own eyes how it dominated the battl..."

In my book on Monte Cassino the author mentions how Tuker was against the bombing of the Monastery on tactical grounds. The author failed to mention this memorandum that Tuker submitted which is an interesting document and very insightful! Thanks for providing those details 4ZZZ!

Very interesting article from the Guardian! Thanks for posting those links 4ZZZ. May have to keep an eye out for that book :)

"Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils" - The breakthrough battles and the fighting around the Hitler Line:

"There, the nineteen-year-old Gefreiter (Corporal) Herbert Fries, a member of the 1st Parachute Anti-tank Battalion, was fighting as a gunner inside an entrenched Panther turret, together with his three other crew members. Fries and his comrades, though trained as paratroopers and anti-tank troops, this was their first combat in a Pantherturm. While the rest of the German units headed north, Fries was holding the rear from his static position in the revolving turret, looking out across the Liri Valley for enemy armour coming their way. On 21 May, as Polish Shermans swarmed into the valley, Fries and his crew withheld their fire until the last moment before opening fire and disabling seven of them with their accurate 75-mm gun shots at a distance of 1,700 metres. The next day, he took out another six that ventured too close, at 600 metres. By then, he was left almost alone, yet he remained in position. On 24 May, he destroyed another four for a total of seventeen in just four days, thus enabling his comrades of the 1st Parachute Division to successfully withdraw to fight another day. That night, he received the order to quietly withdraw and follow the rest of his division. The next day, the Poles captured Piedimonte. For his gallant action, Herbert Fries was decorated with the Knight's Cross on 5 September. He lived long enough to attend many anniversaries of the Battle of Monte Cassino well into the next millennium, and died in 2014 at the age of eighty-eight."

Pantherturm - Germany's Last Ditch Tank Bunkers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PKhX...

fourtriplezed wrote: "The Battle for Cassino by Fred Majdalany. From II The First Battle.


"The opening phase of Anzio the landing and its immediate exploitation - can therefore be summarised as follows.

It was in th..."

Another excellent post 4ZZZ, especially your final paragraph!

Margaret wrote: "

I bought the 'Adriatic Naval War 1940-1945' Freivogel/Rastelli from Despot Infinitus books in Zagreb. A lot of money and waiting around for the ..."

Sounds like a pretty interesting book! I hope you enjoy it, keep us all posted :)

"Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils" - The breakthrough battles:

"As yet, the US II Corps had not accomplished much to be proud of. The attack against the village of Santa Maria Infante was set for 4.30 p.m. on 13 May. A furious fight ensured for its capture but the attacking 351 Regiment, 85th Division, was repulsed. Even exemplary acts of self-sacrifice like the one committed by the 2/351 Battalion's commander, Lt-Col. Raymond Kendall, failed to turn the tide. Personally leading one of his companies into the attack, he got his shaken men on the move calling them to advance: 'Come on, you bastards, you'll never get to Rome this way!' He then led a platoon against a small cluster of fortified houses, firing his rifle and then a bazooka at an enemy machine gun post. After firing three rockets on the house and destroying the machine gun, he stormed forward, killing the crew. He then paused to throw a grenade against another strongpoint, when a burst of machine gun fire hit him on the chest. As he fell mortally wounded, he clutched the grenade to his chest so the explosion did not kill any of the men around him. Late in the afternoon of the same day, the CO of the 351 Regiment reported to his divisional commander: 'Two years of training gone up in smoke ... my men ... almost all my leaders.' The US attack had stalled again."

Lt-Col. Raymond Kendall:
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/...

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4...

Good news indeed Carl!

Excellent posts 4ZZZ. I first read this book back in 1979 and from what I can recall it was a pretty decent account.

"Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils" - The Third Battle, 15 - 25 March 1944 - In regard to the Fallschirmjäger engineers at Monet Cassino:

"On 26 March, Freyberg's NZ II Corps was officially withdrawn from the front. On the same day, Heidrich issued a division order in which he praised Oberst Heilmann's FJR 3 and Major Ernst Froemming's 1st Parachute Engineer Battalion for their performance against numerically superior enemy. Referring especially to the later, he stated:

'There was practically no combat patrol or immediate counterattack in Cassino in which flamethrower sections, demolition parties or elements with bundled charges from the 1/Fallschirmjäger-Pionier-Battaillon 1 did not participate. I wish to extend special recognition to the company for its heroic operations and for its exemplary performance of duty.'

At full strength, Froemming's engineer battalion numbered about 600 men; only seventy-two would eventually survive the Cassino battles."

Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils by Angelos Mansolas

Two good books Komet and Marc, enjoy!

"Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils" - The Third Battle, 15 - 25 March 1944 - The fighting has not been going the Allies way so far:

"On 22 March, in a telegram to the Chief of the British General Staff, Alexander praised the stubborn defence of his opponents:

Unfortunately we are fighting the best soldiers in the world. The tenacity of these German paratroopers is quite remarkable, considering that they were subjected to the whole of the Mediterranean Air Force plus the better part of 800 guns under the greatest concentration of firepower which has ever been put down and lasting six hours. I doubt if there are any other troops in the world who could have stood up to it and then gone on fighting with the ferocity they have."

German Paratroopers at Monte Cassino:
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-...

Very interesting post MR9 - obviously a model that worked well for the Catholic Church, but at a different time in history.

Here is a new release that covers a very interesting subject; "Yukikaze's War: The Unsinkable Japanese Destroyer and World War II in the Pacific" by Brett L. Walker.

Yukikaze's War: The Unsinkable Japanese Destroyer and World War II in the Pacific by Brett L. Walker
Description:
Only one elite Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer survived the cruel ocean battlefields of World War II. This is her story. Brett Walker, historian and captain, delves into questions of mechanics, armaments, navigation, training, and even indoctrination, illustrating the daily realities of war for Yukikaze and her crew. By shifting our perspective of the Pacific War away from grand Imperial strategies, and toward the intricacies of fighting on the water, Walker allows us to see the war from Yukikaze's bridge during the most harrowing battles, from Midway to Okinawa. Walker uncovers the ordinary sailor's experience, and we see sailors fight while deep-running currents of Japanese history unfold before their war-weary eyes. As memories of World War II fade, Yukikaze's story becomes ever more important, providing valuable lessons in our contemporary world of looming energy shortfalls, menacing climate uncertainties, and aggressive totalitarian regimes.

"Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils" - The Third Battle, 15 - 25 March 1944 - The fighting in the town of Cassino was close-quarters, house-to-house combat:

"It was not uncommon for enemy troops to occupy the same ruined house, sometimes unaware of each other's presence. According to a veteran's description:

A platoon of forty Maoris shared the same house with the enemy for three days, occasionally exchanging fire through the openings in the walls. While the Germans could be heard moving about on the roof, nothing could be done as all exits were covered by a German strongpoint across the street in front and grenade-dropping snipers on the roof.

In another case, a British first-aid post located in the basement of a building had to be evacuated before a Sherman was called to bomb the first floor of the same building, as it housed a German machine gun."

Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils by Angelos Mansolas

Sounds like an interesting title!

Excellent post MR9, very interesting indeed!

"Monte Cassino January–May 1944: The Legend of the Green Devils" - The First Battle, 24 January - 11 February 1944:

"All attempts for a breakthrough to the Liri valley, only a mile beyond the last American position, had failed; after two and a half weeks of savage fighting, US II Corps had been fought out. Losses within the 34th Division totalled 49 per cent of the attacking forces - 319 killed, 1,641 wounded, and 392 missing. However, their efforts had brought them to within a few hundred yards of the crests of Monte Cassino and within 2,000m of via Casilina below. The deep penetration achieved by the 'Red Bull's' at the rear of the German defences and the capture of Colle Maiola and Monte Castellone are ranked among the finest feats of arms of the US Army. The ground won at the total cost of 2,200 US casualties - 80 per cent of the attacking forces - would thereafter remain in Allied hands as a valuable legacy to the subsequent divisions that would follow the bloody trail of the 34th during the next three battles for Monet Cassino."

https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/m...

Jonny wrote: "Heroic performance there Rick, right man in the right spot at the right moment."

A very brave fellow and sad to read how he was killed.

Marc wrote: "So, just finished this one:

The Fortress: A Diary of Anzio and After

Not as good as the author's other book, Rome '44..."

Nice review Marc, sorry to hear that it wasn't as good as "Rome '44".