Sixty-nine years ago today...

[spacedlaw]

Sixty nine years ago on this day, the Polish forces under Lieutenant General Władysław Anders captured Monte Cassino, Italy, after four bloody assaults led by the allied forces, massive bombing of the grand hill top abbey founded in 529 by Santo Benedetto di Norcia, and general slaughter of both military (about 55,000 for the allied forces, 20,000 for the German troupes who had held the hills) and civilians (number undocumented).

The slaughter and victory was then followed by 50 hours of atrocities committed by the French troupes on the civilians. As a result of the soldiers being generously (!) offered the spoils of the land by their commander, over 6,000 women (and even old men and priests who had tried to protect them, in which case the number of victims goes up to 7,000) ranging in age from eleven to 86, were raped. In addition, civilian men who tried to protect their wives and daughters were murdered without mercy. The number of men killed in that occasion has been estimated at roughly 800.

So, with my ears red in retrospective shame, I am not celebrating the day, but sharing this bit of information, so you can join in mourning the general nefariousness of the world.

This image is from the Polish Cemetery at Monte Cassino, which I've visited last weekend.

 

 

The abbey has been reconstructed and will be the object of the next post.