Questions for military historians

airplane driver

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8:40p, 7/25/19

S

Could the allies have by-passed Monte Casino and let it "die on the vine" like we did to many islands in the Pacific? Was Pelieu necessary?

Rabid Cougar

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In reply to airplane driver • 1:28p, 7/26/19

AG

airplane driver said:
Could the allies have by-passed Monte Casino and let it "die on the vine" like we did to many islands in the Pacific? Was Pelieu necessary?

Monte Casino? No. Clark had two routes to use. One was by the coast it was flooded. The other was the route through the Liri Valley. It was dominated by Monte Casino. The Germans told the Allies it was unoccupied. Some believed them; other's didn't. "Other's" believing the Germans would use it as an artillery spotting platform won out and it was destroyed. Then the fallschirmjagers occupied the ruins....

They couldn't by pass it, but they didn't have to destroy it.

Pelieu? Yes. It was pertinent in both MacArthur's "Philippines first" plans and Nimitz's "direct assault on Japan" plans.

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2004FIGHTINTXAG

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1:03a, 7/28/19

The operation was jacked. Not only all the civilians that died, but also the coordination between the Allies. After the air raid the ground force didn't follow for I believe seven days later. Just a complete coordination failure. Of course that gave time for the Germans to occupy the high ground amongst the ruins.