Benvenuti / Welcome to
Castelforte
(page 2 of 6)
During World War II Castelforte was a major German stronghold on the Gustav Line. The local people suffered greatly under German occupation having to endure the threat of persecution, reprisal and execution.
During 1943 / 1944, for nine solid months the town was subjected to relentless heavy
land and naval bombardment by the Allied forces, during which there were hundreds
of civilian deaths and casualties. The Allies made repeated attempts to press forward
and breach the strategic Gustav Line, however were met with stiff resistance as the
Germans tenaciously held on, retaliating with violent counter-
Eventually, following some vicious fighting the French Expeditionary Forces aided by the Americans, succeeded in capturing the town on 13th May 1944, thus breaching the Gustav Line. A few days later on the 18th May, following a week long brave assault by Polish and French troops, Montecassino was finally liberated enabling the Allies to continue their march towards Rome.
However, Castelforte had been virtually destroyed. The Germans had laid 24,000 land mines in the area, which resulted in numerous additional injuries.
The town went on to be awarded the La Medaglia D'Oro Al Valor Civile :
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“A strategically important centre, located on the Gustav Line, during the Second World War was in the middle of opposing line ups, undergoing all kinds of violence by German troops and Moroccan and heavy bombardment by the Allies, which caused numerous civilian casualties and almost total destruction of the town. The whole population, with fierce countenance, resisted the most severe suffering, giving an admirable example of courage and patriotism.”
There is also a monument erected to the memory of Alfredo Fusco who died 20 February 1941. He was an extremely courageous and loyal young Fighter Pilot, a Lieutenant in the 154° Gruppo Caccia Terrestri, who was shot down, at the tender age of 25, in the skies over Albania. He was awarded the Military Gold Medal For Valor.
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