Tank Attack at Monte Cassino: The Cavendish Road Operation 1944

by Jeffrey Plowman

Overview

An in-depth account of the daring Allied tank attack launched along Cavendish Road during the third battle at Monte Cassino in Italy in 1944.

Early morning, March 19, 1944. Tanks manned by New Zealanders, Indians, and Americans launch a daring attack along a narrow mountain track on German positions north of Monte Cassino. So began one of the most audacious Allied attempts to break through the Gustav Line and advance on Rome—and it almost succeeded. Yet the extraordinary story has seldom been told, and it has never been told before in the vivid detail Jeffrey Plowman brings to this new account.

Using operational orders, combat reports, unit diaries, post-battle photos from private and public archives, and the graphic personal accounts of those who took part, he describes the construction of Cavendish Road and the course of the entire operation that followed. The planning for the attack and the men involved are described in a gripping and clear-sighted way, as is the attack itself—its initial rapid success and its ultimate failure.

Eighty years later Jeffrey Plowman reveals exactly what happened and shows how and why this bold thrust against the German strongpoints at Monte Cassino, which could have turned the course of the battle, ended in retreat. His book also features a visitor’s guide that covers the length of Cavendish Road from the village of Caira to Massa Albaneta, linking each spot with the events described in the narrative.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526764911
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	07/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	177
File size:	54 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Jeffrey Plowman is a research biochemist by profession who has had a keen interest in military history for over thirty-five years. He has made a special study of New Zealand armour and armoured units and has published nineteen books as well as many articles and chapters on the subject. Among his most recent publications are War in the Balkans: The Battle for Greece and Crete 1940-1941 and Monte Cassino: Armoured Forces in the Battle for the Gustav Line.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction ix

Prologue 1

Part I The Road to Revenge

1 The Soft Underbelly 7

2 Stalemate at the Gate to the Liri Valley 13

3 Operation Dickens 21

4 Cavendish Road 25

5 Revenge Force 39

6 The Token Texan Tankers 45

7 Tank Killers Turned Tank Men 51

Part II The Execution of Revenge

8 Bradman Begins 63

9 Into the Mire 69

10 A Change of Heart 77

11 Cavalry Ride to Albaneta 87

12 Endgame 119

13 The Attack in Retrospect 127

Part III On the Trail of Revenge Today

14 A Visitor's Guide to Cavendish Road 133

Via Orsaia-Fonnone to Cavendish Road 133

Caira Village to Cavendish Road 135

Cavendish Road to Madras Circus 137

Madras Circus to Massa Albaneta 146

Appendices

1 Operational Orders 159

2 Revenge Force 167

3 Casualties by Unit 169

4 Citations and Awards 173

5 Galloway's Letter to Crowder 179

6 The Other Side of the Hill 181

Notes 185

Bibliography 189

Index 191

Editorial Reviews

"I recommend this book to everyone with an interest in WWII."

IPMS/USA

"Not only do you get a nice read about the engineering efforts, but you get a cracking good account of the actual battle between German Fallschirmjagers and Sherman and Stuart tanks."

Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

"This is great reading material..."

AMPS Indianapolis