In Minturno Municipal offices

 In Minturno Municipal offices with my sons Guy and Peter talking with their wonderful staff discussing the Battle for Monte Natale!

An Orchard full of surprises!

 This is the hill going up to Tufo which Ernest Shaw of 1 York & Lancs. climbed and the Orchard he crossed five times before discovering it was a German minefield.

The River Garigliano Valley

The River Garigliano runs through this valley.   British forces occupied the hills in the distance, from which they launched their attack.   The sea is to the right.   Monte Cassino, 15 miles to the left.

 

The Start Line for 1 York & Lancs attack on Monte Natale

 

The Start Line in Tufo for the attack by 1 York & Lancs. on Monte Natale (the hill in the distance) This is the valley "A" Company had to cross.

War in Italy

 With thanks to Lorenzo Tonioli

On This Day 14 February 1944 - Italy - Back to Monte Natale!

 

On This Day 14 February 1944 - Italy - Back to Monte Natale!

1 York & Lancs. Ernest Shaw’s view of Monte Natale:

We went back on to Point 156 Monte Natale, and relieved the Guards.   While they had been there, some bureaucrat from the rear had given the orders that not 1 inch of ground had got to be yielded.  They had two Platoons on the forward slopes of Point 156.   That is the steep slope facing the enemy.   The enemy could see almost into their trenches.   Just over the brow of the hill, on the backside, there was one Platoon in reserve and Company HQ.    The lads in the two forward Platoons were fed during the hours of darkness.   Any relieving was done during the hours of darkness, and any replacing of ammunition.   They were in an unenviable position and they had to lay low all day.   When we took over, we naturally had to adopt the same position.

On This Day 10 February 1944 - Italy - Our Stretcher bearers were always outstanding!

 On This Day 10 February 1944 - Italy - Our Stretcher bearers were always outstanding!

W.A. Elliott, an Officer in 2 Scots Guards, described Monte Natale:

The mud was so sodden that our slit trenches soon filled up again, whilst we sat on branches suspended halfway up the sides.   The snow only came in the form of sleet although the mountain tops in front were now covered in a white mantle.   I spent three days like this, soaked to the skin.   It seemed worse than the 1914-18 war when deep trenches were all interconnected and there were also communal dugouts.

         On the third night the Germans brought up a mortar to fire harassing shots at my Platoon, which they must have observed on our forward slope.   Their shooting was very accurate, as they put down over thirty bombs on one of my Section positions.   But fortunately, only half of them exploded in the deep mud.   Two bombs landed near me in the same slit trench as two Guardsmen.   The first broke one man’s leg and the next bomb blew the other’s head off.   I was glad the night was dark when I removed what remained of one man in order to get the survivor on a stretcher.  He was very brave about it and kept on telling the stretcher-bearers to leave him and take cover in a slit trench until the mortaring was over.   Our stretcher bearers were always outstanding.”