At Monte Cassino the German army was ordered to hold the position at all costs.
When the unthinkable happened and they were finally forced to abandon the mountain in May of 1944, there was no real plan for that contingency.
What followed was a disorderly retreat over a very broad front that was very nearly a rout.
The retreat became a long and eventful Odyssey for two German soldiers with a truckload of ammunition as they rolled through the Italian countryside.
The soldier's own account of that turbulent episode gives us an interesting insight into the workings of the German army and to the attitudes of the common soldier. It also sheds light on the attitudes of the Italian people on the verge of liberation.
Their story can be found here under the title: “The Battle of Monte Cassino”
http://home.comcast.net/~dhsetzer/Mork/
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