To the Gustav Line

Ernie Pyle in Italy

bigpigeon.us webpage WW II - Germany > MTO > Italy > To the Gustav Line, updated by RAC 7 Oct '19.

Anticipating Allied landings in southern Italy, Germany had constructed a defense in depth in mountainous terrain between Naples and Rome. This series of defensive lines is sometimes called the Winter Line. During the winter and early spring of 1943-1944, the Allies beat against the Winter Line in attack after attack.

Among the defenses of the Winter Line, the most-difficult to breach was the Gustav Line, shown in red on the accompanying map.

Central to the Gustav Line was the Cassino area, guarding the entrance to the Liri Valley leading north to Rome.

The Italian Campaign - The Winter Line

Before attacks in the Cassino area could begin, the approaches, shown on the above map in a short curved green line and in detail on the map to the right, had to be cleared. This was a long and arduous process.

One casualty was Private Earl Card, an orphan who had been raised by his grandparents in my home town of Avoca, Iowa. Earl served with the 4th Ranger Battalion and died near Venafro, shown on the map to the right, on November 12.

Another casualty was Captain Harry Waskow of Texas, killed on Mt. Sammurco on December 14.

About this webpage's two header images: During World War II, Americans learned much about the human costs of warfare from the newspaper columns of Ernie Pyle.
Below is an excerpt from Ernie Pyle's best-known column; click to read the entire article.

Approaching the Gustav Line

...
I was at the foot of the mule trail the night they brought Capt. Waskow’s body down. The moon was nearly full at the time, and you could see far up the trail, and even part way across the valley below. Soldiers made shadows in the moonlight as they walked.
Dead men had been coming down the mountain all evening, lashed onto the backs of mules. They came lying belly-down across the wooden pack-saddles, their heads hanging down on the left side of the mule, their stiffened legs sticking out awkwardly from the other side, bobbing up and down as the mule walked.
...

Captain Henry Waskow

Sources for the To the Gustav Line webpage

The Italian Campaign - The Winter Line map is courtesy of Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Line#/media/File:ItalyDefenseLinesSouthofRome1943_4.jpg

Pottawattamie County, Iowa WW II Dead - To the Gustav Line
(taken from the bigpigeon.us WW II Dead webarea)

02-03 - The Italian Mainland - To the Gustav Line: (seven dead, updated 24 Apr '20)
† Card, Earl E. - SN 20-706-381, US Army
4th Ranger Bn.; KIA 12 Nov ’43, Venafro, 20 miles E of Cassino, Italy.
† Cox, Leslie - SN 37-197-965, US Army
Co. K, 30th Inf. Regt., 3rd Inf. Div.; KIA 26 Oct ’43 near Pietravairano, SE of Cassino & NW of Caserta, Italy.
† Dixon, Gene Willard - SN 38-006-349, US Army
HQ Co., 157th Inf. Regt.; 45th Inf. Div.; KIA 15 Dec ’43 at the Winter Line, southern Italy.
† Foss, Howard Edward - SN 20-706-596, US Army
Co. L, 168th Inf. Regt., 34th Inf. Div. & 30th Inf. Regt., 3rd Inf. Div.; KIA 7 Nov ‘43 Mt. Rotondo, S of Cassino, Italy.
† Knight, DeVere Hiram, SN 20-706-798, US Army, Mills Co.
Co. M, 168th Inf. Regt., 34th Inf. Div.; KIA 4 Nov 1943 near Hill 400, NE of Venafro, 20 miles E of Cassino, Italy, sniper fire.
† Lembke, Orlan Palmer - SN 37-121-080, US Army
Co. H, 7th Inf. Regt., 3rd Inf. Div.; KIA 16 Oct ’43 Dragoni, N of Caserta, Italy.
† Stacey, Louis Clarence Jr. - SN 20-704-227, US Army
Service Co., 168th Inf. Regt., 34th Inf. Div.; KIA 29 Oct ’43 near Naples, Italy.