Countdown to Cassino: The Battle of Mignano Gap, 1943

by Alex Bowlby

In the autumn of 1943 the German Bernhardt Line ran through Mignano Gap, 12 miles south-west of Cassino. XIV Panzer Korps was to make a stand there, holding up the advancing US 5th Army - two thirds American, one third British - whilst Cassino was being fortified. If the 5th Army broke through Mignano Gap before Cassino's fortifications were really strong, Allied armour would smash its way through the town and go on to take Rome. Drawing on the memories of veterans who fought at Mignano Gap, and on extensive archive research, this book presents a wide-ranging account of this major battle, and describes how close the 5th Army came to making the crucial breakthrough. The author served with the Green Jackets in World War II and his 1969 publication, "The Recollections of Rifleman Bowlby", was republished 20 years later.

Genres: Military History, Military Fiction

373 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't usually read this type of book but Mignano is my grandfathers home town. Helps to understand what people went through during the war. I remember getting fitted for clothes always with the admonishing "these are not for you, but the poor little children in Italy", One of whom was to get a First Communion dress, but she starved to death abou three day befor it arrived and she was buried in it instead.