Denkmal

Amazon Bridge monument

Italien

Lesezeichen

Teilen

Routenplaner

During Operation Diadem, the Fourth Battle of Cassino, the Valle Del Liri sector was assigned to British troops of the 8th Division and Canadian troops of the 1st Division. In order to cross the Gari River, seven Bailey bridges were built, which are prefabricated iron bridges necessary for the passage of tanks.

Each bridge had a different name, the most important being Amazon Bridge, located near the Cassino Paper Mill. It was important for the breakthrough of the Gustav Line and was built by the British Royal Engineers under German gunfire. The Allies suffered many casualties. By the morning of 13 May 1944 it was completed and the troops of the 8th Indian Division supported by Sherman tanks managed to break through the German defensive line.

On 13 May 1944, at 5 a.m., the Bailey Amazon Bridge was completed, at the cost of many Royal Engineering workers who died during the construction. The companies 7, 59 and 225 carried it out. Among the various bridges built over the Gari River, this is the first to be used and the most important, as it is also the closest to State Road 6 Casilina.

The Germans knew its location. Throughout the night of 12 May, they relentlessly shelled the area, with considerable losses suffered by the Allies. Eventually, after much effort and sacrifice, the way into the Liri Valley was open and the troops of the 4th British Infantry Division advanced.

The memorial was built by the British Engineers' Regimental Veterans Association and was inaugurated on 13 May 2022 and consists of a section of a Bailey Bridge. The Monument was erected near Via Folcara, about 300 metres from the Gari River where it was actually built.

Adresse

Via Folcara, Cassino