March 15:
Starting at 8:30 am, waves and waves of Allied bombers begin carpet bombing Cassino. Seven hundred and seventy-five aircraft--575 heavy and medium bombers and 200
fighter-bombers and fighters-- participate in this aerial operation. The area of Rocca Janula and Cassino are plastered by over 1,250 tons of high explosives. The abbey itself is not
bombed. The aerial assault ends at 12:30 pm, at which time the artillery of three different Corps--New Zealand, American, and French--join with the British to pound their targets
into rubble. By 3:30 pm, 746 guns have fired over 200,000 shells on the town and hill. The New Zealanders and the Indians, supported by armour and artillery, advance against
Cassino and Rocca Janula, where they are surprised to meet ferocious German resistance.
The Results
German casualties, caused by the attack on March 15th and the heavy artillery fire, have been severe. A March 23rd diary entry of a high ranking XIV Corps officer states that the
post-battle strength of the battalions engaged varied from 40 to 120 men.
The New Zealanders suffered 1050, the Indians 1160, and the British (78th Division) lost 190, for a grand total of 2,400 men killed.
(1) The Allies began to respect the courage and tenacity of the German paratroops.
(2) The Allies were still guilty of sending in their forces in "penny packets," thus enabling the paratroopers to deal with them easily. Allied tactics had not changed from the previous
battles in January and February.
(3) The Allies learnt that heavy artillery and aerial bombardment alone could not achieve a victory, unless it is quickly exploited by troops on the ground. The Allies had made a
serious error by using their air forces to bomb Cassino, thereby blocking their own tanks with mounds and mounds of rubble.
Outcome
The abbey on Monte Cassino and the town of Cassino itself are still in German hands by the time the battle ends on March 23rd.
