Introduction

 Introduction

    This is not just another story about the Second World War. It is a story about a battle which took place in Italy over a period of three weeks from 17 January to 7 February 1944. The battleground covered an area of approximately 9km2 . This description of the Battle of Monte Natale brings together contemporary accounts showing war, not only at the strategic level involving Corps, Division, Brigade and Battalion, but also the individual level, by extensive use of War Diaries, personal accounts, missing person reports and awards for valour. This is a story of those who fought and died in the Battle of Monte Natale. Minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, it shows what happened in these three weeks, the mistakes that were made and the individual heroism and acts of courage and includes German views of the battle. Few books about the Second World War show a battle in such detail. The Battle of Monte Natale was part of the first battle of Monte Cassino. Monte Natale is 25km (15 miles) from Monte Cassino. It is 156m high, 750m in length and 300m wide, with outstanding views of the surrounding area. At this time Minturno, Tremensuoli and Monte Natale were the main battle objectives of 5 Infantry Division and were part of the German winter defensive position known as the Gustav Line.

    A small part of this story relates to my father, Ernest Strafford who died during this battle. He was with 1 York & Lancs. On 20 January 1944 a witness reported that he saw Pvt. Ernest Strafford ‘wounded in the head when a mortar bomb burst among us during our attack. I believe his wounds were serious.’ On 4 February the body of Ernest Strafford was ‘recovered, identified & buried by British Troops’. What happened to Ernest Strafford between these two dates?

    Allied objectives in Italy were to draw German troops from the Russian front and particularly from France, where an Allied offensive was planned for the following year. Progress through Southern Italy was rapid despite stiff resistance, but by the end of October 1943, the Allies were facing the Germans at the Gustav Line, which stretched from the River Garigliano in the West to the River Sangro in the East. The River Garigliano was crossed on 17 January 1944. 

    This book describes the Allies build-up of their forces to this date and what happened to 5 Infantry Division in the Southern sector of the Gustav Line in the three weeks after the River Garigliano was crossed. A beachhead at Anzio was established on 22 January 1944. By early February the Allies were in serious difficulties in maintaining the Anzio beachhead. A decision was taken to halt the advance of X (BR) Corps across the Gustav Line with the exception of Monte Cassino, so that some Battalions could be transferred to the Anzio beachhead. With strong support from the Americans, advance in the Southern sector of the Gustav Line did not begin again until 11 May 1944.

    1 Battalion, York & Lancaster Regiment was part of 15 Infantry Brigade, which was part of 5 Infantry Division, and took part in the Allies invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943. After the Sicilian campaign, on 3 September, the Allies invaded the Italian mainland – the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re-entered the war on the Allied side. Allied objectives were to draw German troops from the Russian front and more particularly from France, where an Allied invasion was planned for the following year. The York & Lancaster Regiment were among the first troops into Italy and for a time was the leading unit of the Eighth Army moving up the East coast. Progress through Southern Italy was rapid despite stiff resistance, but by the end of October, the Allies were facing the German winter defensive position known as the Gustav Line.

Ernest Strafford joined 1 Battalion York & Lancs. in early November 1943. By this time, the Battalion was battle hardened. They had fought their way through Sicily, taken part in the invasion of Italy and moved up Italy as part of Eighth Army, so Ernest Strafford was joining a Battalion experienced in battle. At the beginning of November 15 Infantry Brigade was in the mountain sector in the centre of Italy around Isernia. During the next fortnight the Brigade, in spite of very bad weather, made considerable progress. On 16 November 1943 1 York & Lancs. arrived at Rionero, near the upper reaches of the River Sangro. Whilst at Rionero the house used as the Battalion Orderly Room received a direct hit by a shell which killed four men. At the same time, the Battalion Second in Command, Major C.H. Nicholson MC was wounded.

1 KOYLI at Rionero. They are climbing a steep slope. Photo 5 Nov 43.

(Sgt Dawson, No 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit, TNA 8508

The advance of the Eighth Army in the east of Italy brought it roughly to the line of the River Sangro beyond which the Germans had constructed a very strong defensive position. The main attack on this was launched on 20 November 1943 by V (BR) Corps in the coastal sector, which had been reinforced with a vast amount of artillery for the purpose. It attempted to make the enemy believe that the real attack was coming in the mountain sector. V (BR) Corps, in one of the bloodiest battles of the war, fought in appalling weather, crossed the River Sangro, pierced the Gustav Line, and by the end of the year had reached the general line of Ortona-Orsogna.

A patrol of 1 KOYLI setting out towards Rionero, a village on the upper reaches of the River

 Sangro. 1 York & Lancs. were at Rionero at the same time, 5 Nov 43. (Photo IWM)

    After a spell in the hills and mountains, 1 York & Lancs. moved East to a line between Orsogna and Ortona, arriving at Crecchio on 10 December. Shortly before Christmas the weather became worse than ever and virtually brought all major operations to a standstill. Just before this, 5 Infantry Division had been moved from the mountain sector to the coastal zone, and 1 York & Lancs. relieved a unit of 8 Indian Division, in the line on 22 December. 1 York & Lancs. then moved on to Lanciano on the 31st. For three weeks it had remained in the line, but few attacks could be carried out owing to the weather. Constant patrolling, however, was maintained.

    Whilst in the hills between Orsogna and Ortona Geoffrey Winter of 1 York & Lancs described how his Platoon rushed a German machine-gun post, captured two wounded prisoners and their guns, wounded four more Germans, and put the rest to flight.

Lieut. Geoffrey Winter, 1 Yorks & Lancs. writes:

 ‘We were going forward with the company to take a series of hill features. While we waited to go into action we saw one of our planes swoop on a hill and five enemy machine guns opened up on it. We were half-way to the hill when bombs began to fall around us. We sprinted forward for about three hundred yards. We saw bare headed Germans on top of the hill. The position was taken at bayonet point when we reached the top. There we found a mortally wounded German Sergeant-major and a soldier hopping about saying in English “I’m wounded, I’m wounded”. The remainder of the Germans had fled leaving their guns but taking four wounded men with them. 

    ‘Rain, snow, slush, deep mud, plus hostile Germans. I was then a 21 year old infantry Platoon commander in a forward position west of Ortona. Things were fairly quiet at the time, and it was decided that each Company would be taken out of the line to some farm buildings to the rear out of enemy view, for Christmas dinner. Our turn came. There were three officers in the company, down from the usual five. Our bedrolls were brought up from “B” echelon so for one night we would be able to sleep under a roof in comparative comfort. Sitting in our barn that evening we heard cries for help.  Outside there was nothing to be seen but the cries continued. Then the soldier in distress shouted out his name and his location. It was down a well! Later it emerged that he had been returning to his overnight shelter after a jolly evening with my Platoon when he encountered a low stone wall which he had vaulted with ease only to fall down the well, which was encircled by the wall. 

    Rescue was the problem. No rope was available. However, officer’s bedrolls were secured by long leather straps with buckles. These fastened together were long enough to reach the shivering soldier and we managed to haul him out. If he had been well lubricated before his involuntary descent, he was stone cold sober when he was pulled out. 

    The following morning, we left and plodded through the slush and mud to our forward positions. For many of the men I knew in the 1st Battalion, the York & Lancaster Regiment, Christmas 1943 was to be their last.’ 

Ernest Shaw, 1 Yorks & Lancs. Christmas 1943

     ‘In Italy there was no official truce or anything like that, but we did get a couple of days when neither side fired at each other and that was Christmas day and Boxing day. We were in a little village, and we had had a bit of a sing song and a do in what might have been the village hall and we had come away, Ted Rimmer and I, to go back to the billet. There was a well in the village square and we heard a splash. It was an MT (motor transport) driver, Five feet four inches Ernie, I can’t remember his second name at the moment, it will come back to me, but Ernie fell over the wall. He was down the well. We heard the splash, and we ran. It was quite deep. I should think it was 12–14 feet deep to the water line. One of the natives, one of the local people, ran away and came back with a ladder. We got Ernie out and they said he had had a few drinks. He had been drinking vino, the Italian vino and one or two thought he was drunk but he wasn’t drunk when he came out of that well, he was sober as a judge. The cold water done him good, but he was a bit of a lad for the ladies was Ernie. There were rumours later that it was an irate Italian husband that chucked him down the well. Whether there is any truth in that I don’t really know, but he wouldn’t admit to anything like that.’

     Ernest Strafford was 5ft 5in tall. He might have been an MT driver as he had not been with the Battalion very long. Could it be that it was Ernest Strafford who fell down the well? In 1944 Ernest was not a common name! Christmas 1943 was Ernest Strafford’s first and last Christmas abroad.

    Also at Lanciano were 1 Green Howards. Private Roy Hamilton recorded in his diary: 

Pte. Roy Hamilton, 1 Green Howards 

‘The further North we got the difficulties increased. The weather deteriorated and the country became more mountainous. Supply by wheeled transport became extremely difficult and in places impossible because of lack of roads. Ammunition and food had to be carried by mule or even as manpacks. It was very cold and always wet. It was really grim, especially during the night when the wet snow and cold became even more intense. 

    Christmas Day 1943 was just another very cold, very wet, very grim day here. For dinner we had corned beef hash and the inevitable, so-called rice pudding. As it had been brought forward in containers to us, it was barely warm. Still, we did manage to say: “Happy Christmas” to each other.’

Albert Roper, Private Diary, 1 Green Howards

Christmas Day 1943

 Albert Roper, formerly a butcher, made sure that his platoon had a roast on Christmas Day.   He recalled:

“I went outside this shell battered farmhouse on Christmas Eve and saw by the light of a full moon that in the branches of the tree there were guinea fowl roosting.   My mate wanted to get his rifle and shoot one down, but I knew guinea fowl better.   They can be so docile and trusting.   I just shinned up the tree, caught hold of one by the legs and brought it down.   Then I went up again for a few more.   We spent the next hour or so plucking them and on Christmas Day got the farm oven heated  and had a fine old roast dinner – guinea fowl and biscuits washed down with red vino from a huge demijohn we found in one of the out houses”. 

C. Whiting and E. Taylor, Fighting Tykes, Christmas Day 1943

‘1 KOYLI spent the Christmas of 1943 up in the mountains beyond the little town of Luciano. They ate a miserable Christmas dinner which consisted of cold bully beef, luke-warm tea and hard ration biscuits. There was none of the traditional beer and very little Italian vino, for the supply routes were virtually impassable save for what could be brought by mules. On that day three foot of snow fell. Drifts of up to ten feet were common. They broke down the timber roofs of the dugouts. Men shivered on underground sheets or gas capes in freezing temperatures. Signallers had to sit at their sets in their dugouts up to their knees in icy water. Their flesh became wrinkled and pasty. Sometimes their boots had to be cut off them. To remove them otherwise would tear off the dead flesh. And all the time the men were under constant fire.

    German tanks started to appear and 1 KOYLI had few anti-tank weapons. Appeals for help were sent to Brigade Headquarters. Anti-tank gunners volunteered to bring up their cannon, each of which weighed 22 hundredweight. The guns were dismantled and then each gun was carried by means of porters up to the line. Ten men were needed to carry the barrel alone. On Boxing Day some of the men were taken out of the line for a few hours to watch the divisional concert party, The Low Gang, sitting shivering in their overcoats in an unheated opera house at Luciano where the back of the stage had been removed by a Herman shell to let in a freezing draught. But it was a welcome relief from the line, despite repeated German air attacks which had some of the performers leaving the show to man their guns.’

Antonio Lepone writes about the local situation near Minturno at Christmas 1943:

 Antonio Lepone 

‘Without gifts and without dinners, between bombs and pain.

 It is Christmas 1943, among the ruins, pains and hopes. The fighting is fierce along the Gustav Line which cuts the Aurunca area in two. The centres of Sud Ponti are half empty, the families going to the nearby countryside and hills to escape shell fire and air raids. It is not a time for dinners and gifts, but an attempt is made to remember the religious event with the hope of an early peace. 

    The Church of the Immaculate Conception of Scauri. At the end of the Mass of Mezanotte, celebrated by Dom Stephen, the unmistakable notes of “Silent Night” are heard in the small church of SELVACAVA not far from Spigno Saturnia, proposed by a group of Polish soldiers, stationed in the area, united with the faithful present, desiring to overcome the selfishness of war. 

    The Church shows the signs of the war: the roof has collapsed, and the bell tower is gone. The workers of the “Sieci” brick factory, led by the director Umberto Pasquini, Master Giuseppe Forte and Antonio Gagliardi, take days to rebuild the roof of the church using the “Marseillaise tiles” recovered from the walls damaged by the bombing.

    A stone’s throw away in a stable in Spigno, some families who had escaped from Scauri, surround the Scaurese factory and live with a Protestant group. This prophetically ecumenical group celebrate Christmas, in tendering at midnight the song “Tu scendi dalle stelle” and sharing sweetened bread.

New Year’s Day, 1 Green Howards near Lanciano, Italy. 1 Jan 44 (Photo TNA 10626)

: The Commander-in-Chief, Allied Armies in Italy, General Sir Harold Alexander, Commander 15 Army Group. (Photo Capt A.R.Tanner, IWM, TR 1777)

5 Infantry Division History

 Early in the New Year it was decided that the offensive by Eighth Army would be halted for the time being. As a result, the relatively intact 5 Infantry Division was available elsewhere and reinforcements from it were transferred from the Eighth Army, now under Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese, to join Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery‘s British X (BR) Corps. X (BR) Corps was stationed along the River Garigliano and was part of Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark’s US Fifth Army at the time. No. 5 Infantry Division was commanded by Major General G.C. Bucknall who was about to hand over command to Major-General Philip Gregson Ellis and had the veteran 201 Guards Brigade under its command. 5 Infantry Division was withdrawn from the line on 9 Jan 44 and moved in great secrecy across Italy to a concentration area behind the United States 5th Army’s front near the mouth of the River Garigliano, arriving there on 15 Jan 44.

    As at 17 Jan 44 the Supreme Commander for the Allied forces in the Mediterranean was General Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was responsible among other things for 15 Army Group commanded by General Harold Alexander, which consisted of the British Eighth Army under Lieutenant General Oliver Leese and the US Fifth Army under Lieutenant General Mark Clark. X (BR) Corp consisted of 5 Infantry Division, 46 Infantry Division, 56 Infantry Division and 7 Armoured Division.

1 York & Lancs. route through Italy 16 November 1943 to 14 January 1944

1 York & Lancs. was moved with the rest of 5 Infantry Division across Italy away from the Orsogna–Ortona line on the Adriatic coast, arriving at Isernia on 14 Jan 44 in readiness to attack across the River Garigliano and capture the Ausonia valley beyond the town of Minturno.

        The Battle of Monte Natale involved 5 Infantry Division and took place around four small towns/villages. They were Minturno, Santa Maria Infante, Tufo and Tremensuoli. All suffered extensive damage. The people of Minturno suffered greatly, finding themselves under German occupation and positioned on the very edge of the German Gustav Line. The population of Minturno had to endure persecution and reprisals by the Germans and also famine. In addition, the local villages endured heavy land and naval bombardments by the Allied forces, which resulted in catastrophic damage, and the deaths and casualties of many innocent civilians. Many Minturnesi were forced to flee to the mountains and surrounding countryside. Minturno, 2km west of Tufo and 5km beyond the River Garigliano was a prime Allied objective as it lay on one of the principal roads leading through the Aurunci mountains to the X (BR) Corps objective, Ausonia. The town fell to 1 Green Howards of 15 Infantry Brigade on 19 Jan 44.

Minturno town 16 Oct 2012 (Photo John Strafford)

W.A. Elliott, 2 Scots Guards, Esprit de Corps

‘Eventually, because of heavy casualties, the Allied Military Government forced the evacuation of the whole population of the little town of Minturno, that was now in the middle of no man’s land. This led to its wholesale looting by those of our troops who had motor transport. But this did not include the Infantry Companies.’

A Grenadier officer expressed the atmosphere of Minturno in early 1944:

Capt. Nigel Nicolson, The Grenadier Guards in the War of 1939-1945, Volume II 

Time to start, And with five anxious men behind me I will creep 

Full of cold fear down the old muddy track 

Past the burned tank outside the town, through the wet 

Vineyard where our forward sentries stay, wondering if we’ll come back. 

A peak-capped figure rises, falls: 

Hell wakes the night, 

 A wounded German calls. 

Now forward! End the fight. And back! 

Back to a dim light in Minturno. 

A candle flickering on a cellar floor, 

Glazed eyes, tired faces, sleeping shapes, signallers making tea. 

A weary Major, murmuring over maps and message forms, and we, 

Pushing aside the muddy blanket covering the door. 

Are now at home again, out of the night’s inferno.

Santa Maria Infante before the war

On 11 May 44 the Allies’ object was to capture the village of Santa Maria Infante. This was to be a particularly bitter and bloody battle which lasted for 60 hours without interruption. The village was finally liberated on 14 May 1944, and this proved to be a defining moment as at long last the Gustav Line was breached, forcing a German retreat.

Tremensuoli from the top of Point 141, Monte del Duca. (Photo Peter Strafford)

The village of Tufo lies 4km north of the River Garigliano, on high ground. 2 Wiltshires of 13 Infantry Brigade captured the village early on 18 January 1944 after a short fight. However, the town suffered heavily in the subsequent fighting.

The ruined and empty village of Tufo, perched on top of a hill, is in the front line. Infantrymen here try to clear a road through the rubble, a job made more difficult by constant enemy shellfire, 25 Jan 44. (Photo Sgt. Weber, APFU, TNA 11431)