Germans in the ruins of Cassino

German paratroopers sit beside an armoured vehicle inside the ruins of a building at Cassino, 1944.

The New Zealand Division tried to take the German strongpoint at Cassino in a series of offensives in February and March 1944 during the Italian Campaign. By destroying the town with artillery fire and aerial bombardment, the New Zealanders and their allies inadvertantly created excellent defences for the enemy. When the New Zealand infantry attacked the town they were forced to clamber over ruins, moving from one ruined building to the next in order to clear German resistance.