I found this picture among many taken by my wife's Dad during and after WWII. It may be in Italy....Any ideas? Thanks
I believe it is a monastery in Italy that was held by Germans and the Allies attempted to take it without destroying it for weeks before they decided to bomb it. Even after bombing it was still very hard to capture.
Monte Casino between Rome and Anzio. The Wermacht swore not to use it to risk damage from artillery which the allies ignored. They destroyed it and upon inspection found it NOT to be occupied afterall. After the shelling, the Germans did in fact move in and use it as an observation platform.
That would be Monte Cassino, about 130 kilometres southeast of Rome.
Thanks everyone. What a knowledge base T'ers Have!
Here as a little documentary on this brutal campaign. There is a small ad at the beginning you'll need to suffer through before it starts. Jim Patrick
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDCbiWrxTcE.
We may have lucked out. I just tried it and there may not be an advertisement at the beginning of the version I posted.
The airplane is confusing. It is a high winged plane with de-icers so it must be a large plane. I can't see any engine so it was either cropped and you can't see the engines or engine be it a twin or four engined airplane. Or it was a single engine high winged larger scout airplane.
It could be a B24 if the picture was cropped. Any one else think they know the aircraft type ?
My father-in-law was part of the British contingent attacking Monte Casino, there were Germans in the building and they were shooting at the British troops. t was armed with machine guns and dugouts all around. The British lost a lot of men in the battle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Cassino
https://www.google.com/search?q=Monte+Cassino&espv=210&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&tbo=u& source=univ&sa=X&ei=sYxcUobaAoL7iwKYg4CgDg&ved=0CE8QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=909&dpr=1