The Allied assault on Monte Casino ...

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  • dogtag
    Senior Member
    • Sep 2009
    • 14985

    #1

    The Allied assault on Monte Casino ...

    Sure is a lot of rubble.
    What is that rifle the Medic has ?
    Looks like the butt sling swivel is on top ?

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-days-WW2.html
  • clintonhater
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2015
    • 5220

    #2
    One of many flagrant examples of the indisputable fact that whether a given act of warfare constitutes a war-crime or not depends mostly on WHO commits it!

    Comment

    • blackhawknj
      Senior Member
      • Aug 2011
      • 3754

      #3
      The medic-if he actually is one-is carrying an M-1 Thompson. Strictly speaking medics weren't supposed to be armed. I note his helmet is positioned to cover his armband and he is wearing a UK service cap-like seeing a frontline GI in a saucer cap.

      Comment

      • Vern Humphrey
        Administrator - OFC
        • Aug 2009
        • 15875

        #4
        Originally posted by blackhawknj
        The medic-if he actually is one-is carrying an M-1 Thompson. Strictly speaking medics weren't supposed to be armed. I note his helmet is positioned to cover his armband and he is wearing a UK service cap-like seeing a frontline GI in a saucer cap.
        Medics may be armed to protect their patients. And in environments where the enemy doesn't respect the rules of war, they often do not wear medical insignia. In WWII, troops in the Pacific were trained NOT to call for a medic or corpsman, just to call his name -- to avoid the Japanese especially targeting him.

        The sad thing about Monte Casino was this 1,300 year old monastery was NOT being occupied by the Germans. They moved in AFTER we bombed it, using the rubble defensively.

        Comment

        • dogtag
          Senior Member
          • Sep 2009
          • 14985

          #5
          British Medics carried an Enfield revolver to, as Vern said, protect his patient.

          Comment

          • clintonhater
            Senior Member
            • Nov 2015
            • 5220

            #6
            Originally posted by Vern Humphrey
            The sad thing about Monte Casino was this 1,300 year old monastery was NOT being occupied by the Germans. They moved in AFTER we bombed it, using the rubble defensively.
            No Germans were killed in the bombing--just 200+ Italian civilians who'd taken refuge there to escape the fighting down below.

            Comment

            • Vern Humphrey
              Administrator - OFC
              • Aug 2009
              • 15875

              #7
              Originally posted by clintonhater
              No Germans were killed in the bombing--just 200+ Italian civilians who'd taken refuge there to escape the fighting down below.
              Exactly right -- it was a war crime.

              Comment

              • Sako
                Senior Member
                • Sep 2009
                • 654

                #8
                George Dobrovolny was a gunsmith in my area and was also the FO that directed artillery fire on Monte Casino before the bombers showed up. George had no doubt the Germans were using the monastery as a FO base and George was no bullshiiter.
                Besides how do you explain the withering machine gun fire that kept our soldiers from just walking up and taking the place? We were right to bomb Monte Casino.
                It would only take one FO and a radio to hold back an army in those mountains.
                Last edited by Sako; 05-14-2019, 06:24.

                Comment

                • Vern Humphrey
                  Administrator - OFC
                  • Aug 2009
                  • 15875

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Sako
                  George Dobrovolny was a gunsmith in my area and was also the FO that directed artillery fire on Monte Casino before the bombers showed up. George had no doubt the Germans were using the monastery as a FO base and George was no bullshiiter.
                  Besides how do you explain the withering machine gun fire that kept our soldiers from just walking up and taking the place? We were right to bomb Monte Casino.
                  It would only take one FO and a radio to hold back an army in those mountains.
                  The Germans were outside the Monastery. How do you explain how the Monks were allowed to flee?

                  Comment

                  • clintonhater
                    Senior Member
                    • Nov 2015
                    • 5220

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Sako
                    George Dobrovolny was a gunsmith in my area and was also the FO that directed artillery fire on Monte Casino before the bombers showed up. George had no doubt the Germans were using the monastery as a FO base and George was no bullshiiter.
                    Maybe not a bullxxxxter, merely an idiot, like the vet who told me when I was a gun-crazy kid how much better a rifle the Mauser was compared to his M1. There WAS no artillery fire before the bombing.

                    Comment

                    • Sako
                      Senior Member
                      • Sep 2009
                      • 654

                      #11
                      Originally posted by clintonhater
                      Maybe not a bullxxxxter, merely an idiot, like the vet who told me when I was a gun-crazy kid how much better a rifle the Mauser was compared to his M1. There WAS no artillery fire before the bombing.
                      Haha I would have given good money to have seen you call George an idiot, you would be a better man today if you had.

                      Comment

                      • clintonhater
                        Senior Member
                        • Nov 2015
                        • 5220

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Sako
                        Haha I would have given good money to have seen you call George an idiot, you would be a better man today if you had.
                        If George is no longer around, let me instead call YOU an idiot for believing such an absurd & demonstrably false story.

                        Comment

                        • lyman
                          Administrator - OFC
                          • Aug 2009
                          • 11269

                          #13


                          M1A1 Thompson with a rear swivel added to the top of the buttstock,

                          field expedient,

                          Comment

                          • Sako
                            Senior Member
                            • Sep 2009
                            • 654

                            #14
                            Originally posted by clintonhater
                            If George is no longer around, let me instead call YOU an idiot for believing such an absurd & demonstrably false story.
                            There you go sport. I take the word of a man that was there but you are the indisputable authority because you are a keyboard cowboy.

                            Comment

                            • Clark Howard
                              Senior Member
                              • Sep 2009
                              • 2105

                              #15
                              My uncle was there at the time, and he agrees that his division did offend the Germans, and the Italian civilians. The casualties were appalling during the Italian campaign, both ours and theirs. I'm certain that the lefties and other dems feel terrible about the way we won. Uncle said that they ran the Germans all the way to the top of the boot, killing or capturing most of them along the way. He was an ad hoc medic, as his squad's medic was killed by machine gun fire early in the battle. He said that the wounded Germans were just as happy to see him as our wounded were. When his unit stopped to rest, he spent all night treating civilians wounded that day. I'm glad we won, and I don't care how many stone buildings were leveled. Regards, Clark

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