Day 9

Now we visit the Rapido River killing grounds and the Commonwealth and German cemeteries at Cassino.

We return this day to stand on the fields just below the town of San Angelo on the bank of the Rapido River where the 36th Division attacked the main line of German resistance along the Gustav Line. At left, on the rise, the town of San Angelo offered perfect, unobstructed positions for machine guns. The field on which we stand was mined, zeroed-in by artillery and offered no defilade. In a charge similar to the slaughters of World War I, U. S. infantrymen were cut down one by one by murderous machine gun fire as they attempted to cross the river. This position is only 3.4 miles from Monte Casino Abbey which is visible at the extreme right. The trees mark the course of the Rapido River.

Monte Cassino Abbey dominates the terrain as we look across the Rapido River battlefield.

In this close up of Monte Cassino, we can see the obelisk of the Polish Memorial that marks Hill 593 to the left of the Abbey. We now depart the Rapido River battleground to visit the Commonwealth cemetery for those killed in the battles for Cassino.

Everyone should at least once, visit a Military Cemetery. Visiting the grave of a 21 year old soldier, cut down in the prime of his life, changes you fundamentally. These Canadian graves in the Commonwealth Cemetery at Monte Cassino, are just a tiny fraction of over 4,200 Commonwealth soldiers interred here, and a tiny fraction of lives lost in the capture of Monte Cassino which stands above them.

The German Cemetery near Monte Cassino. 22,000 of the over 100,000 Germans killed at Cassino are buried here.

Throughout the Northeastern United States can be found British Revolutionary War graves still lovingly tended. Our country has thousands of graves of soldiers who wore blue and gray uniforms of the Civil War whom Southerners and Northerners still pay homage to equally. Americans are not unacustomed war graves on their territory, but I did have vastly conflicting emotions visiting this cemetery for obvious reasons. This fragment of the German War Graves Commission inscription speaks for itself, I honor the spirit in which it was written.

	We return this day to stand on the fields just below the town of San Angelo on the bank of the Rapido River where the 36th Division attacked the main line of German resistance along the Gustav Line. At left, on the rise, the town of San Angelo offered perfect, unobstructed positions for machine guns. The field on which we stand was mined, zeroed-in by artillery and offered no defilade. In a charge similar to the slaughters of World War I, U. S. infantrymen were cut down one by one by murderous machine gun fire as they attempted to cross the river. This position is only 3.4 miles from Monte Casino Abbey which is visible at the extreme right. The trees mark the course of the Rapido River.
	Monte Cassino Abbey dominates the terrain as we look across the Rapido River battlefield.
	In this close up of Monte Cassino, we can see the obelisk of the Polish Memorial that marks Hill 593 to the left of the Abbey. We now depart the Rapido River battleground to visit the Commonwealth cemetery for those killed in the battles for Cassino.
	Everyone should at least once, visit a Military Cemetery. Visiting the grave of a 21 year old soldier, cut down in the prime of his life, changes you fundamentally. These Canadian graves in the Commonwealth Cemetery at Monte Cassino, are just a tiny fraction of over 4,200 Commonwealth soldiers interred here, and a tiny fraction of lives lost in the capture of Monte Cassino which stands above them.
	The German Cemetery near Monte Cassino. 22,000 of the over 100,000 Germans killed at Cassino are buried here.
	Throughout the Northeastern United States can be found British Revolutionary War graves still lovingly tended. Our country has thousands of graves of soldiers who wore blue and gray uniforms of the Civil War whom Southerners and Northerners still pay homage to equally. Americans are not unacustomed war graves on their territory, but I did have vastly conflicting emotions visiting this cemetery for obvious reasons. This fragment of the German War Graves Commission inscription speaks for itself, I honor the spirit in which it was written.