The Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the many battles that were fought between Allied and German forces on Italian soil, is an awesome example of the ferocity of war. Control of hills, valleys, river crossings, along with town outskirts and centers changed back and forth between the Allies and the Germans as the battles raged in the winter of 1944.

In January 1944, allied forces landed at Anzio in central Italy. An attack was mounted against the town and abbey of Monte Cassino in an attempt to draw away German troops from the Anzio beachhead and then to move towards Rome.

The costly campaign lasted several months. Multi national allied forces clashed with fearsome Fallschirmjäger (paratroop forces) of the German Army. Living and fighting in the worst possible conditions, the Fallschirmjäger forces, through their tenacity gained the respect of the Allied armies. The Allied advance was continuously halted.