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Battle of Monte Cassino, it. Schlacht um Monte Cassino
A series of four bloody battles in which the Allied forces broke through the German fortification line known as the "Gustav Line" and captured Rome.
At the beginning of 1944, the western part of the Gustav Line was under German control: the Germans held the Rapido, Liri and Garigliano valleys and some of the adjacent peaks and ridges. However, the ancient abbey of Monte Cassino, founded by Saint Benedict in 524 AD. e., was not occupied by them, although German troops took up defensive positions on the slopes of the mountain, under the walls of the monastery. On February 15, the abbey, located on the top of a mountain that overlooks the city of Cassino, was destroyed by raids by American B-17, B-25 and B-26 bombers.
Two days after the bombing, German paratroopers occupied the ruins to hold them back. From January 17 to May 19, the fortifications of the "Gustav Line" were stormed by the allied forces four times. On May 19, the Allies broke through the German defenses, launched an offensive on Rome, and captured it on June 4, 1944.

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