Point 593 MTO (id:#56931)

Critical Hit (Carnage at Cassino ID: CAC 5)   [next]   [previous]

Snakeshead Ridge, near Cassino, Italy 1944-05-17 (4 others)

Overview:

For 5 months the Allies pounded away at the German positions on the Gustav Line and around Cassino, Italy. U.S., British and Indian troops all assaulted Points 569 and 593, with each taking these peaks, then losing them to German counterattacks. The front had settled into a WWI-like state: constant artillery shelling, holes filled with water, corpses everywhere. Each side patrolled constantly but their positions were entirely static. Now it was the Polish II Corps’ turn. On the night of May 12 the Poles carried the positions but were driven back during the day. On the 17th the Polish II Corps was asked to make another attempt. After repulsing a German counterattack, the 4th Carpathian Rifle Battalion left its staging area to attempt what three other nations’ troops had been unable to do. An intense preparatory bombardment was conducted prior to the assault. Point 593 fell quickly and the Poles reached the base of Point 569. Unfortunately, the Germans had weathered the bombardment in their underground bunkers and caves on the reverse slopes of Snakeshead Ridge. They reoccupied their positions on the boulder-strewn ridge and awaited the Poles.

Defender: German (1st Parachute Battalion, 3rd Parachute Regiment, 1st Parachute Division)  

Errata (source)