A film by Peter Batty to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the taking of the Monastery at Monte Cassino by the Allies on May 18, 1944
Mud, rain and cold... smelling corpses unburied for months... the hypnotic attraction of the monastery to the men fighting at its feet... not one battle but four... the controversial bombing of the monastery... the stubbornness of the German defence... major splits between the U.S. and Britain over the conduct of the campaign.
It was the most gruelling, the most harrowing of all the battles waged on the Continent of Europe in the Second World War. It was also the most international, for the soldiers of fifteen nations fought and died at Cassino.
Those taking part include: Field-Marshal Lord Harding, General Anders, General Achim Oster, Dom Agostino, D. M. Davin
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Historic archive material concerning the four battles has been collected from both sides for this documentary. Much of it-such as the formation of the Polish Corps, their trek from Russian captivity to join the Eighth Army in the Middle East following the agreement between Sikorsky and Stalin-has never been seen before on British television. Interspersed with this is special filming of the rebuilt monastery and the town of Cassino today.