My Uncle Horace Mawer wrote me a letter for a school project in 1983 about his part in the Battle of Monte Cassino. It was the first time he had talked about his wartime experiences. I recently found the letter for my own son and have transcribed it below.
Gustav Line.
The Battle for Monte Cassino 5-14th November 1943
201 Guards Brigade
- 3 Battalion Coldstream Guards,
- 2nd Battalion Scots Guards,
- 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
To give you some idea of its height, there was a mule track running around it on the lower slopes, where it was possible to get a jeep so far.. then it used to take stretcher bearers something like 4 hours from our positions at the top to get to the mule track.
On the way up the village of Calabritta had to be taken. I think the start time was 10 o'clock soon the night of 5th Nov. The opposition was not that heavy but there were minefields all over the place. We had casualties mainly through mines, all opposition was now killed off or taken prisoner. One of the prisoners was to lead us through further mined areas with a gun in his back. That seemed to pay dividends as he led us safely through.
As dawn broke on the morning of Nov 6th we laid low all day. We were shelled and mortared all day as the whole area could be seen from the monastery in the town. As it grew dusk we set off on the last part of the climb to the top of Cassino.
Just imagine full kit and gun, it makes the Falklands fiasco look like a sunday school treat. It was raining continuously day and night. (editors note this would have been written in 1983-4).
You couldn't dig the ground it was solid rock, so we had to collect all the loose rocks one could find and build a Sanger.
(The place being shrouded in mist most of the time to make it more freezing)
The way we lived for the next 8 days and nights does not bear thinking about; no water or just enough to make a brew of tea with a tablet (solid fuel no smoke). Our tins of stew were also eaten straight out of the cans.
This was one of the most wretched and futile battles I can recall - counter attacked every night, sometimes twice a night, they, the Germans, used the mist..we had the advantage we were throwing our grenades down hill and inflicted heavy casualties as the moppers up found some weeks later.
The Grenadiers took Barearse Ridge a feature to the right, 2 of their companies hung out for 3 days and nights with appalling casualties but managed to hang on their objective, the wounded not being abe to be treated until the night of 9th Nov.
We then took over their formation on Barearse Ridge, with the Scots Guards to our right again and where my Sanger was positioned I could see our own shells falling straight onto the Jocks, everyone was angry and shouting at the Duty OPs. Like he said, it was a difficulty task if we were to have his support owing to the place where the guns were positioned.
The Germans were now pouring in reinforcements.
It began to look as if our efforts had all been in vain - our move out from the Anzio bridgehead and onto the town and monastery. German snipers were being effective in pinning our supply lines (i.e mule trains to forward companies). My company was twice attacked in daylight and the Germans driven off successfully.
The order came through to withdraw (13/14) under darkness, everything that couldn't be carried down had to be smashed, rum, rations, gun ammo, complete withdrawal.
We rested our legs and as we looked across the valley we could still see the German shells landing on our positions that we had paid dearly for.
Again we took these objectives on Dec 2nd. 12.5 hr climb with full kit, launched over the line regiment .?? on 11th Dec. Moved forward to the right of Cassino for a break.
Footnote:
Thousands of holidaymakers every year are taken on conducted tours of Sorrento and Naples and when they leaf through the markets never think of this invisible memorial to the taken.
Excuse scribble.
Love Horace.