When Concentrated Bombing Helped Lose A Battle

Chronicle (Levin), 15 March 1949, Page 4

When Concentrated Bombing Helped Lose A Battle

Cassino — the 2500-year-old guardian of the Liri Valley — was subjected to the greatest concentrated bombing in military history just five years ago today.

Preceded by the brief code message "Dickens is on," over 1200 tons of shells and 1000 tons of bombs crashed down into that small Italian village — an area of !ess than a mile square. Wave after wave' of bombers took part in the aperation, turning the village stronghold into a living heli, while from strategic points thousands of troops watched and waited. At noon the guns began, 610 in all, and shell after shell with thunderous explosion reduced still further the ruin that was Cassino. Smoke and dust billowed high over the battered toWn, turning. day into night until it appeared that no liv^ing soul could possibly have survived. Then the Army took over. First to begin the. advance under a creeping barrage, was the 6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade with the 25th (N.Z.) Battalion leading. Ppsitions on the outskirts of the town from which- all troops had been withdrawn before the bombing wero retaken without difiiculty. Then the trouble began. Streets and roads had either vanished or were gapped by giant bomb craters with the result that the infantry who found the going hard enough were lelt to

fight on unsupported by tanks. The finest and toughest German troops — the paratroopers — had placed their snipers well and the rubble from which they fought provided excellent shelter. Moonlight had been counted upon for the night operations. There was none. Heavy rain began after dusk and an inky blackness soon clpaked the battlefield. Communications were disrupted and companies lost touch with their neighbours in the waterfilled craters, twisted iron and masonry. The armoured divisions struggied hard to bridge the craters and come to the support of the infantry. It was a hopeless effort. The New Zealanders fought gallantly with heavy losses and in that first day 's operation they hadpenetrated into most parts of the town, but it was obvious that, despite their efforts, they could only hold such parts as could be reached by the tanks. Whatever the official reaction was to the value of high level "precision" bombing, the opinion of the troops who fought that day and who watched the bursting oi bombs sometimes three miles from the target area was most expressive. (.