May/June 1944 – 80 years ago

May/June 1944 – 80 years ago



US General Clark goes for Rome...

[extract from LUCKY HITER’S BIG MISTAKES by Paul Ballard-Whyte]

The commander of British forces, General Alexander, made a third and remorseless attack to breakthrough from the west in support of the US Fifth Army. As the British 8th Army pushed up through the valley, outflanking the ruins of Monte Cassino [see image] defences, the Canadian Corps penetrated German defences in another valley, and on 17 May 1944, the Polish Corps made the final courageous assault that took the monastery and resulted in the collapse of the Gustav Line.
This was a second perfect opportunity for US General Mark Clark to advance swiftly and trap the still sizeable German army to prevent them retreating to a new Festung, known as the Gothic Line, north of Florence. Instead, Clark saw the glory in liberating Rome and that is what he did on 4 June 1944, leading a triumphal march into the capital. The Germans had, in fact, already moved out of the Eternal City so Clark’s decision remains, to this day, one that raises heated debate. Churchill was once again furious, but Clark never got the glory for which he had hoped, as on the following day all eyes were on the D-day landings in Normandy.
The Allied slog northwards continued slowly, with each hill, town and junction defended as fiercely as the one before. The northern Italy Festungen held out over the long winter, but it was a never-ending mistake by Hitler as he was needlessly losing large numbers of manpower and equipment when the Allies were landing on the Normandy beaches and the Soviets were pressing remorselessly westwards. If Hitler had understood the art of warfare, he would never have allowed this to happen.
A bold plan months earlier could have created a position of strength from which he could have negotiated an armistice long before he lost half a million casualties in the Italian campaign, half a million in Operation Bagration, and another half a million or more after Operation Overlord. These repeated strategic mistakes all ended with the ruined city of Berlin being defended in April 1945 by old men and boys.
Festung Northern Italy had been a big mistake but many others were happening on the Eastern Front.
....For more fascinating and compelling accounts of the rise, fall and death of Adolf Hitler, Google search the LUCKY HITLER’S BIG MISTAKES website, just type  luckyhitler. Paul Ballard-Whyte

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