A Partial History 135th Infantry Regiment 34th Infantry Division Approved for Publication Allied Force Headquarters Information News and Censorship Section THE 135TH IN THE PRESENT WAR (p. 1-33) CASSINO (pp. 19-24) During the period of inactivity at S. Angelo d'Alife the Regiment went through a period of training and was reconstituted with replacements and new equipment. The men were able to secure clean clothing and showers, which most of them had not had since coming to the Italian front. There was entertainment in the form of stage shows and movies. Christmas day the Regiment was alerted for a move back to the front to relieve the 141st Infantry [Regiment, 36th Infantry Division] which was in position east of S. Vittore [del Lazio]. The relief began at dusk on 29 December and by the next day the 1st and 3rd Battalions were on the line, with elements of the 34th Reconnaissance Troop protecting the left flank and Cannon and Anti-Tank [Companies] in supporting positions. New Year's Day 1944, bitter cold with a wind of gale proportions buffeting the troops, found the Regiment poised and prepared to embark on the assault on the much-discussed "Winter Line" of the enemy, built in depth from San Vittore to Cassino. The hardships of the weather on that day were only a forerunner of tribulations that soon were to be undergone. Initial steps were taken to deploy the 3rd Battalion to face S. Vittore, the 1st Battalion echeloned to the left and rear of the 1st Battalion, and the 2nd Battalion in reserve in the S. Pietro [Infine] area. Patrols were sent out to secure information on enemy gun positions, the best routes of approach, and the location of mine fields. Valuable information was acquired, and prior to the attack on S. Vittore heavy II Corps artillery reduced many of the machine gun positions. At 2330 hours, 4 January, the shells of the attack were in motion. The 3rd Battalion was to attack S. Vittore while the 1st Battalion was to move north of the 3rd Battalion and attempt to cross a gulch and then assault Hill 346, a shoulder of the Mt. Chiaia hill mass northwest of S. Vittore. In the meantime, the 2nd Battalion, displaced forward to Cle. Morelle, prepared to resist any counter-attack or to continue the mission of the 1st Battalion. The morning of 5 January found the 3rd Battalion with a toehold on the town, acquired only after bitter fighting against stubborn resistance. One platoon was firmly in the town after a night of house-to-house fighting that involved an almost continual exchange of hand grenades. Dawn found the ammunition supply of the forward platoon low, and other elements of the Battalion were sent around the town to approach it from the southwest. The 1st Battalion was stopped at the gulch, its line of departure, by heavy machine-gun, mortar, and artillery fire. It was necessary to withdraw to a more covered position east of the gulch to allow for a finer adjustment of artillery fire on specific houses that were used by the Germans. During the planning stage of this operation, Major Ray Ericksen, Commanding Officer of the Battalion, made a personal reconnaissance and recommended that for his mission he be permitted to cross the gulch at night and send one company up each nose of Hill 346 to avoid the mines laid in the draw below. The 3rd Battalion continued throughout 5 January to clear S. Vittore house by house. The crescendo of the fighting reached its climax that day and the following day the resistance collapsed with enemy prisoners of the 44th German Infantry Division being taken. For their attack on S. Vittore, the 3rd Battalion disassembled a 37mm anti-tank gun, packed it forward, and used the weapon as a seige gun. The 1st Battalion made another effort on 6 January, crossed the gulch and became heavily engaged in fighting for possession of Hill 346. The 1st Battalion was again held up by resistance coming from the east slope of Mt. Chiaia. Col. Ward decided that the force was not large enough for the task, and ordered the 2nd Battalion to move aggressively on to the south nose of Hill 346 and assist the 1st Battalion in capturing the hill. This added pressure finally caused Mt. Chiaia to fall. Much of the credit belonged to Captain Alden J. Lance, Commander of Company F, who, finding the progress of his Company impeded by resistance from the north, quickly analyzed the situation and succeeded in making a rapid thrust southwest across the face of the mountain. This move aided immensely in bringing the final collapse of organized resistance on the hill. The final thrust was carried out with such momentum in both the 135th and 168th sectors that small pockets of resistance were left to be dealt with later. Pressure was applied on these pockets on 7 January by the 1st Battalion and elements of the 168th, and were quickly cleaned out. At the same time, the 2nd Battalion cleared the slopes of Mt. Chiaia and established outposts to the northwest. These mopping-up operations were carried out under extremely heavy artillery and mortar concentrations. A line was consolidated with the 6th Armored Infantry [Battalion, 1st Armored Division] on the left and the 168th on the right after the 3rd Battalion moved out of S. Vittore to clear out the enemy on Cle. Cicerelli. Throughout this operation excellent support was given by the [Air Force] to the ground forces by flying many sorties to bomb and strafe the enemy. Members of the Medical Detachment under difficult circumstances did excellent work. Private Clement S. Mackowiak, attached to the 3rd Battalion, went across an observed field under German machine-gun fire to reach and administer first aid to five wounded men of Company I. He crawled 50 yards on a forward slope under cross-fire to get to one of the men and was wounded five times, but carried on until he assured the saving of the man's life. Private Mackowiak was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. There were a number of prisoners, and many of the enemy were wounded and killed. The defeat was so complete that the 134th Regiment of the German 44th Division was routed and forced to withdraw. There were no fresh forces available to exploit the Division breakthrough. The next phase in the Division's advance to Cassino was the clearing of the town of Cervaro by the 168th while the 135th cleared the enemy from the rolling hills between Mt. Porchio and Cervaro, leading the 135th to Mt. Trocchio. The low rolling ground facing the 135th was believed to be lightly held, but later proved to be the main defenses of Mt. Trocchio and was taken only after very intense fighting. In fighting for this approach, Hill 189 proved to be a most difficult objective to capture. The 2nd Battalion, supported by fire from the 3rd Battalion on the left, attacked 10 January and the battle for Hill 189 lasted until 1610 hours, 13 January. Company E, the assault company, encountered heavy small-arms, mortar, and artillery fire, and was pinned down 300 yards short of its objective. After several subsequent attempts to capture the hill failed, Company E was withdrawn and Company G assaulted the heavily fortified position and succeeded in grasping the lower half of the hill. After holding tenaciously to its position for three days, while subjected to withering mortar and artillery concentrations, the 2nd Battalion's actions won the hill. The Commander of Company E at that time. 1st Lt. Frank E. Shell, who had served through Tunisia and Italy, was killed, one of the many casualties. With the clearing of Hill 189 by the 2nd Battalion, and the taking of Cervaro by the 168th, the Division was in a position to attack the last mountain obstacle to Cassino, Mt. Trocchio. Prior to the attack, patrols probed forward and failed to contact the enemy. Indications were that the mountain was unoccupied. Nevertheless the [conservative] plan of operation stipulated that the attack should be made on the assumption that it was held in as heavy a fashion as the foothills. Therefore, on 15 January at 0800 hours, preceded by an intense artillery preparation, the Division attack against Trocchia was opened; the 135th on the left and the 168th on the right. The 3rd and 1st Battalions of the 135th were abreast and the 2nd Battalion was in Regimental reserve in the vicinity of Hill 189. Enemy resistance came mainly from light artillery fire, and a few casualties were sustained from anti-personnel mines at the summit. This was a new technique in mine-laying for the Germans. With Mt. Trocchio in our hands, plans were laid for the assault on the fortress of Cassino. The 133rd rejoined the Division [it had been attached to II Corps and then the 1st Special Service Force], and relieved the 168th which was placed in Division reserve. The Division was deployed with the 135th on the left and the 133rd on the right. From 16 to 25 January the Regiment maintained defensive positions on Mt. Trocchio and outposted to the west of the mountain The 2nd Battalion outposted from Highway 6 south to a point about in the center of the Regimental sector. The 3rd Battalion was responsible for the south half of the sector. Intensive patrolling was carried out in at attempt to learn what enemy unit was opposing the lines, his strength and deployment, and the nature of the ground and of the Gari and Rapido Rivers to the front of the Division sector. On 16 January, Company K had an unfortunate experience. Reinforced by the [109th] Engineers, the Company was to cross the Rapido River in order to make a feint to throw the enemy off-balance. A dense mine field was encountered; the water was found to be too swift for the engineer assault boats, and the Company was forced to return to its position on the line. 1st Lt. John W. North, who lost a leg in the mine field, begged the men not to come in after him, because of the large number of mines in the area, but he was rescued and evacuated. While in these positions, the 135th conducted several diversionary demonstrations by fire alone in support of various attacks by the 36th Division which was attempting to cross the Rapido River in force to the south of Cassino. The efforts of the 36th Division failed. The positions of the enemy were even more formidable than reports had indicated. With the 36th unable to force a crossing, the 133rd was ordered to make an attempt in the 34th sector, and the 135th again made a demonstration to cause a diversion. The Regiment drew heavy enemy reaction in the form of machine-gun, mortar, and artillery fire. The 133rd ran into a dense mine field, was subjected to intense mortar and artillery fire and finally had to withdraw what elements had been able to cross the river. The 135th was keeping its patrols out day and night and they were engaged in many fire fights. On 25 January a 10-man daylight patrol divided into two parts, one crossing a road to probe positions, the other remaining as a covering party. As the first group went into enemy territory it ran into heavy German machine-gun and mortar fire, and Private George Kurtovich, a scout, was wounded in the stomach. He lay at the mercy of the enemy's withering fire. Private George S. Paudel, seeing his comrade fall, left the covering group and crawled forward 200 yards under excellent enemy observation. While making his way to the wounded man he was wounded in the nose but he continued on and before reaching Kurtovich was wounded in the forearm. Paudel dragged the wounded scout across the open, fire-swept field, up a steep embankment and into a covered spot. The patrol, composed of members of Company C, withdrew and Private Paudel stood vigil over his comrade until darkness permitted evacuation by litter squads. Private Paudel was awarded the distinguished Service Cross. The 135th shifted on 26 January to the north of Highway 6 and relieved the 133rd which reverted to Division reserve. Patrolling was continued from the new sector. The 1st and 3rd Battalions were abreast again, and the 3rd Battalion packed a 37mm anti-tank gun forward and placed it in the second story of a house with the weapon trained on Cassino. The 168th, now on the right, was to make another attempt to cross the Rapido at 0600 hours, 27 January, while the 135th was to contain the enemy in the Cassino area with fire and movement. That night Company C made an initial frontal attack on Cassino. They crossed an irrigation ditch, ran into barbed wire and a mine field. The 168th was successful in the river crossing. On 27 January the Regiment was relieved by the 133rd, retired to an assembly area near San Michele on 29 January and rested for the first time since relieving the 141st Infantry at San Pietro. During the month of January, 1st Lt. Leo J. Voss, 3rd Battalion S-4, conducted a successful experiment in feeding the men in combat. An issue of sandwiches, pastry, and fruit juice supplemented the heavy "C" ration diet which could not be eaten by men under severe nervous tension. There was universal approval of the addition of this type of food. The rest was of brief duration and at 0035 hours, 1 February 1944, the 3rd Battalion was organized in an assembly area in the vicinity of Caira preparatory to attacking Mt. Castellone, a key terrain feature dominating Caira and the Rapido River crossing in the area. The highest peak at the northern end of the mountain was the initial Battalion objective. The 2nd Battalion, now under the command of Lt. Col Jerome Kessner, marched five miles from a point east of the Rapido River to its assembly area near Hill 213, south of Caira. A coordinated attack by the 3rd and 2nd Battalions was scheduled to jump off at 0630 hours with the initial objective of the 2nd Battalion being Hills 382 and 481, otherwise known as Mt. Maiola. When daybreak arrived the 2nd and 3rd Battalions had crossed their respective lines of departure. Communications were poor and radio provided Col. Ward with his only means of contact with the 3rd Battalion. The 2nd Battalion received heavy artillery fire from the northwest and self-propelled artillery fire from the Italian barracks area. An example of initiative was given by Private First Class Charles H. Bussey who took over the duties of a wounded first scout and led the attack up a hill. Near the top he captured a German radio operator who had been directing fire and thereby deprived the enemy of vital observation. When Private First Class Bussey reached the top he knocked out a machine-gun nest that had been holding up the advance, killed one man and wounded another. Acting as squad leader he assembled the men and led them into small-arms fire with the result that the enemy was driven from the hill. Bussey, later promoted to technical sergeant, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Under concealment provided by a heavy fog on the mountains the two Battalions had been able to come upon the enemy almost undetected and the element of surprise was fully exploited. The next day the attack of the Regiment continued to the south. The purpose was to seize the high ground in the rear of Cassino and cut Highway 6, the main road running from Cassino to Rome. On 2 February the 2nd Battalion moved south toward Hill 445 and the 3rd Battalion held on its objective waiting to be relieved by the 142nd Infantry [Regiment, 36th Infantry Division] prior to continuing the attack southward toward the Castellone ridge in the direction of Hill 706, known as Cle. S. Angelo. The 1st Battalion, which had been following the 2nd Battalion, moved to Hill 382 and attacked Hill 324 in order to clean out the resistance on the left flank of the Regiment. All these maneuvers were conducted under the direct observation of the enemy in the abbey on Mt. Cassino and the commanding general. Our troops [were] constantly subjected to fired artillery, mortar, and nebelwerfer concentrations. Prior to the arrival of the 1st Battalion, 142nd Infantry, the 3rd Battalion, 135th, was forced to fight off many enemy counter-attacks in order to maintain the penetration it had made into the enemy lines. There was enemy resistance to the north, south, and west. A counter-attack was launched in strength against the 2nd Battalion on 3 February and Captain Alden S. Lance, commanding Company F, exposed himself to heavy machine-gun fire to direct the elements of his Company. The German attack increased in intensity, enemy hand grenades forced the men back about 200 yards, but Captain Lance rallied his troops as well as a platoon from another company and directed such a furious attack that ground was immediately retaken with great loss to the enemy. During the entire attack Captain Lance kept in constant telephone communication with the Battalion and Regimental Commanders, moving his telephone around the area, and relaying a description [of] the action. His inspiring action brought the award of the Distinguished Service Cross. After the 1st Battalion, 142nd Infantry completed its relief, fighting south along the Castellone feature, the 3rd Battalion, 135th, drove southward through the precipitous mountains against strong but determined enemy opposition. The Germans consistently counter-attacked, but failed each time. The 1st Battalion continued to mop up a stubborn enemy on the left flank of the Regiment where they succeeded in taking many prisoners from the German 44th Division. By the end of 4 February the 2nd Battalion erroneously reported that thy had penetrated to Hill 593. The 1st Battalion was advancing slowly on Hill 445. By this time the strength of the rifle companies was depleted as a result of the incessant fighting since re-entering the lines at S. Pietro. The 3rd Battalion alone had suffered 165 casualties in the first four days of this action. This was an all-time high for so short a period. With the strength cut approximately 50 per cent, the men fought with tenacious fury and succeeded in repelling every German counter-attack. During one of these counter-attacks Technical Sergeant Sylvester Singlestad was cut off from Company F. In the hand-to-hand struggle which followed, Sergeant Singlestad fought his way free by using hand grenades and firing his rifle until his ammunition was exhausted. Then, moving behind the Germans and using his rifle as a club, he fought his way through to his commanding officers and provided valuable information on the enemy's strength and dispositions. This information enabled the direction of artillery and mortar fire with deadly effect, and also made it possible to use the reserves in a manner which successfully repulsed the enemy. Sergeant Singlestad returned to his platoon under machine-gun and rifle fire, reorganized the unit, and returned to the fire fight. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The 1st Battalion was committed on the left of the 2nd Battalion, and a coordinated attack was made, but it was unsuccessful. The 1st Battalion failed to make good progress because of heavy small-arms and mortar fire coming from the west and from the Abbey di Montecassino. It was later ascertained that the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion had erred in his calculations, his Battalion was not on Hill 593 as reported, and this permitted the enemy to pour enfiladed fire from an exposed right flank. Major Donald C. Landon was placed in command of the Battalion. The 1st Battalion finally succeeded in getting some men on Hill 445 and from here they dispatched a platoon (actually a squad) to continue the momentum of the drive to the south. This platoon succeeded in reaching the walls of the Abbey di Montecassino where they gathered in 14 prisoners from a cave dug in Monastery Hill. This represented the farthest advance on the Abbey, and the position was held until relinquished by relieving troops. It was not taken again until Polish troops [the II Polish Corps] entered the Cassino area on 18 May and found some of the dead of the 135th lying by their weapons. In beating back the many counter-attacks, the Regiment slaughtered the enemy with accurately placed small-arms and artillery fire, and by the liberal use of hand grenades. Our battle-weary men were opposed by battalions of fresh reinforcements including crack paratroopers rushed from other fronts. In order to counteract the enemy's reinforcing tactics, the front line units were regrouped in the following manner: The 1st Battalion, 135th, was shifted to the northwest, continuing on the left flank of the 2nd Battalion; the 3rd Battalion, 168th, took over the sector of the 1st Battalion, 135th, on Hill 445. On 6 February the 2nd Battalion, in the face of strong frontal and flanking fire assaulted what was finally ascertained to be Hill 593 and succeeded in grasping it. They were immediately counter-attacked and driven off. Major Landon mustered the remainder of his reserves and succeeded in retaking the hill. Col. Ward, sensing the precarious position of the 2nd Battalion, dispatched the Regimental Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon as reinforcements and together they succeeded in repelling five counter-attacks in 24 hours. The hill was held, but only after the 2nd Battalion and the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon suffered many casualties. Fifteen of the 17 men from the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon were killed or wounded. One of those wounded was Private Francis H. Gisborne who, on his own initiative, three times left his position of cover and exposed himself to intense enemy fire to silence a German machine gun and kill two snipers. In the face of one of the counter-attacks Private Gisborne advanced to within 30 feet of the enemy, stood up in full view of them and killed four and wounded another to completely disrupt the attacking forces and alone repel the assault. Wounded, Private Gisborne voluntarily chose to remain with his hard-pressed comrades. He directed the fire of a BAR [Browning Automatic Rifle] team until the survivors were relieved. He was later presented the Distinguished Service Cross. During this time the Regimental CP was located in the town of Caira, where it operated under the most uncomfortable circumstances brought about by harassing enemy artillery fire and daily air attacks. On 7 February the Regimental CP displaced forward and set up in the building occupied by the 2nd Battalion CP on the mountain behind Cassino. Col. Ward and Capt. Stacy were wounded on the same day, the former with a severe leg wound, and Lt. Col. Charles B. Everest assumed command. A few days before, Lt. Col. Fillmore K. Mearns, commanding the 3rd Battalion, was wounded and evacuated. The Cannon Company played an instrumental role in beating back a number of the enemy counter-attacks. In many instances it was impossible to call upon supporting artillery because their batteries were so placed that both longs and shorts would fall on our own troops. During the period 1-13 February the Cannon Company fired 22,200 rounds. The 34th Division was regrouped and plans were initiated immediately to relieve the 135th and the 168th. The fighting strength of the Regiment was sapped as a result of constant hard fighting over 48 days. Some of the rifle companies were as low as 30 men 'present for duty' and the average strength was 50. The Regiment was relieved by British troops of the 4th Indian Division on the night of 13-14 February and marched approximately 10 miles to an assembly area in the vicinity of S. Michele. Upon arrival the men were served a hot meal, their first in two weeks. The next day was spent in resting, and that evening the Regiment loaded on trucks and moved through Cervaro down Highway 6 to S. Angelo d'Alife.