•   Battle for the Gustav Line and Monte Cassino
• On the 17^th January 1944 British X Corps, part of the 5^th US army Corps, launched the attack across the Garigliano River 6 days after the French attack on the Gustav line the 1^st battle of Cassino had commenced.
• Opposite the X Corps where the 94^th Infantry Division and units from the “Herman Goring” Division, this included 1^st and 7^th Panzer battalions of the Panzer Regiment HG and Panzer grenadiers in support including Flack and artillery units HG.
• The reserve for this part of the Gustav line included PAK units and more Panzer grenadiers in support and various other units fought along the Gustav line at Monte Maggiore, the Rapido River, Monte Samucro and Monte Troccio and finally at Castelforte where fighting was very severe.
• On the 6^th January the “Herman Goring” Division was retitled the Fallschirm-Panzer Division “ Herman Goring”. The reserve for the Garigliano sector where never used, but found them being used in another sector on the 22^nd January.
• On the 9^th February iii battalion FJR 3 and 1^st FJ Heavy MG Battalion arrived at the Monte Cassino front fighting the US 45^th Infantry Regiment with the 90^th Infantry Division retaking hills 601, 468 and 593 the III battalion suffered high casualties and more re enforcements arrived by FJR 1, III battalion FJR3 were sent into reserve on hill 593.
• On the 15^th February III battalion FJR3 witnessed the destruction of the Monastery at Monte Cassino, by 135 B17’s between 0930 and 1000 and 87 B25 and B26 medium bombers from 10.30 to 13.30 dropping 442 tons of bombs on the Monastery, from hill 593, no German troops where even in the Monastery but after its destruction FJR1 moved into the rubble and turned it into a fortress.
• On the 19^th February (now the 2^nd Battle for Cassino) the rest of FJR3 arrived to re enforce the Monastery and Cassino town itself, forcing out the New Zealanders to their starting positions. On the 20^th February FJR3 took over the lines from the 90^th Infantry Division, which moved into divisional reserve, into Cassino town and the Monastery itself. This battle was called of due to German attacks in another sector, Anzio covered in another part on this site.
• The 3^rd battle for Monte Cassino, the allies launched their attack with a massive air attack and artillery bombardment on the 15^th March aimed at Cassino town itself, from 08.30 to 0900 bombers hit Cassino town every ten minutes from 0900 to 1200 every 15minutes, approx 280 heavy bombers and 180 medium bombers using mostly 1,000 pounder bombs where used, reports stated 47% of the bombs dropped fell within one mile of the town centre giving a figure 4 tons of bombs dropped per acre! When the last of bombers departed 890 guns of all calibres hit Cassino town for 8 hours firing 195, 969 shells at there targets, 300 Fallschirmjager where dug into Cassino town before the bombers and artillery hit Cassino town, 160 where lost in this inferno, wiping out the 2^nd company all together, it there fore took approximately 3 tons of bombs and shells to kill one Fallschirmjager! One officer was heard to say, “not even the Fallschirmjager can withstand that even they must crack under that onslaught” how wrong he was.
• Once to bombardment had finished the town was nearly destroyed, roads no longer existed, this not only made problems for the attacking New Zealanders also for their supporting tanks, but made terrific defensive points for the Fallschirmjager, one unit of New Zealanders taking 2 half hours to cover 400yrds, fighting was very bitter, tanks where brought to a standstill being picked off by Fallschirmjager anti tank teams, with magnetic mines and Panzerschreks, by the end of the 1^st day the New Zealanders had gained nothing in territory, they also had to give up on tank support altogether due to the terrain.
• The II battalion also began to receive re enforcements, via 1^st and II battalions FJR1 and 1st Fallschirm Pioneer battalion, this attack carried on until 23^rd March when it was finally called of, the bitterest pill to swallow for the allies was they had to evacuate their forces from the near by Hangman’s Hill valiantly gained by the Ghurkhas, this was needed as eventually they would be over run by German forces, having secured Cassino town and turned their attentions on them, the Ghurkhas felt that they could of hung onto this vital hill, only to watch the German flag being raised once it had been vacated.
• The first, second and third battles were fought in appalling weather from continuous rain, freezing temperatures, snow storms, flooding in the trenches and continuous artillery barrages, a report from a Ghurkha patrol stumbling across a Fallschirmjager MG team, who looked as they where sleeping but in fact had died from hypothermia and froze. Even the men from the 5^th Gebirgs Division reported that they preferred the Eastern front as they had never fought in such appalling weather and continuous artillery attacks!
• During the period of quietness at the front and the improving weather FJR3 moved out of Cassino town and the Monastery and transferred to Monte Cairo, hill 601(San Angelo), hill 575 and hill 593 with units of 100 Gebirgs jager Regiment part of 5th Gebirgs jager Division, III battalion FJR 3 was transferred to the 5^th FJ Division, unknown to the German forces they where now facing the British 8^th Army, this included the II Polish corps who where given the task to take the Monastery and surrounding hills.
• At exactly 2300 by the pips of the BBC on the 11^th May the allies launched Operation “Diadem” with a 1,660-artillery barrage, 1,060 of these guns pointed at the Monte Cassino front, to finally break the Gustav Line. At 0130 12^th May the 2nd Carpathian battalion of the II Polish Corps launched its attack on Hill 593, under intensive fire and ignoring their casualties they took the hill, not stopping there they pushed on to Hill 569, German resistance stiffened and true to form the Fallschirmjager counter attacked Hill 593 finally re taking hill 593 by nightfall on the 12^th May. When the hill finally surrendered to the Fallschirmjager one officer and seven men were found, the others had already been captured or forced to retreat back towards Snakeshead ridge, by morning only few dozen men returned to allied lines from Hill 593. Other hills where also attacked by the Poles but they suffered the same intensive fighting by the FJ units they could not take there targets, by morning the polish attacks where called off.
• On the night of the 16^th May the Poles attacked again fighting continuously and re took Hill 593, encountering several counter attacks FJR3 the poles finally secured Hill 593 at 1130. The Poles also took hill 601(San Angelo), these would be the only gains for the Poles, they attempted to assault the Monastery itself, but with the majority of the remaining FJR 3 and FJR1 at Monastery they could not gain a foot hold and had to withdraw to their gains of the day. However other breakthroughs in the Gustav Line forced the 1^st FJ Division some 700 survivors where ordered to withdraw from Monte Cassino.
• The remnants of FJR 3 and 1^st FJ Division continued to fight slowing the 8^th Army down by the Ceaser and Hitler lines also preventing the 10^th Army being cut of by US 5^th Army, other decision also aided this event, fighting all the way through the Liri Valley and beyond Rome.
• 1^st FJ Division including FJR3 continued to frustrate allied forces until they reached the Gothic Line in the winter of 1944.          
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