Fears escalated, along with casualties, and despite evidence, it was marked for destruction.
Repeated artillery attacks on assaulting allied troops caused their leaders to incorrectly conclude that the abbey was being used by the Germans as an observation post, at the very least. Lying in a protected historic zone, it had been left unoccupied by the Germans, although they manned some positions set into the slopes below the abbey's walls. Monte Cassino, a historic hilltop abbey founded in 529 by Benedict of Nursia, dominated the nearby town of Cassino and the entrances to the Liri and Rapido valleys. Together, these features formed the Gustav Line. In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was anchored by German forces holding the Rapido- Gari, Liri, and Garigliano valleys and several surrounding peaks and ridges. The objective was to break through the Winter Line and facilitate an advance towards Rome.
The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II.
