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Article: FOUR BATTLES AND A LOT OF BOTTLE.
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 18, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: SEAN HIGNETT
AS a wartime infant I acquired some Italian, words like Salerno, Anzio and beachhead. But it was the battle for Monte Cassino, fought in newsreels for months on end, that sank in deepest. The Allies entered southern Italy in September 1943. Within a month they had taken Naples. All roads may lead to Rome but from pre-autostrada Naples there were just two, the Via Appia, running corniche-crazy along the coast; and the Via Casalina, twisting inland through the mountains. The Allies took the inland road: 14 weeks, 16,000 casualties and 50 miles later, they ground to a halt.
What stopped them was Monte Cassino, the linchpin of the Gustav ...