First shown on Channel 4 in August 2004

The often-neglected Italian campaign of World War II is commemorated in a brief season of Channel 4 programmes.

Monte Cassino: The soldiers' story
The extraordinary four-month battle on Monte Cassino was one of the bloodiest and most controversial of World War II. In March 1944, Allied troops faced a tough German line barring the route to Rome. Some of the Allied commanders disagreed about the whole point of the campaign in Italy, were confused and divided and, at times, badly mishandled the battle. At the core of the fight was a bitter five-day siege of an ancient castle on the slopes of the mountain. Men on both sides suffered terrible losses, but in a welcome truce, they eventually helped each other. This remarkable film follows the actions of the British 1st/4th Essex Battalion and the German 3rd and 4th Parachute Regiments, telling the story of Monte Cassino through the eyes of the men who fought on both sides.

Whicker's War
In these two films, television icon Alan Whicker (pictured above) reveals the remarkable footage of the Italian campaign of 1943 and 1944 captured by his own army film unit. As an 18-year-old army officer, Whicker joined the Army Film and Photo Unit as it followed the Allied advance through Italy, from Sicily to Venice. He filmed the troops on the front line (particularly at Anzio), met Montgomery and other military luminaries, filmed the battered body of Mussolini after his execution and accepted the surrender of the SS in Milan. Sixty years later, he reflects on his experiences, including the deaths of friends and his own lucky survival.

To find out more about the battle for Italy, have a look at these websites:

Italy during World War II
Extremely useful links to websites on various aspects of wartime Italy.

The Italian Campaign
Enthusiast's site containing a good concise history of the campaign.

The Real Mussolini
A biography of the Italian fascist dictator known as Il Duce.

Operation Husky
Concise account of the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943.

Operation Avalanche
Well-written article by Dr Robert M Browning Jr about the Allied invasion of Italy at Salerno in September 1943, primarily from the view of the US Coast Guard contingent.

The Invasion of Italy, September 9, 1943–May 8, 1945
Good concise account of the invasion. Quite even-handed, placing blame for the substantial loss of Allied lives on General Mark Clark but admitting that his task had been almost impossible.

Anzio: The Allies' greatest blunder of World War II
In-depth account of the ill-fated beach-head from January to May 1944. Is more sympathetic to the American commander General J W Lucas than most other histories.

The Abbey of Montecassino
Official website of the huge and important abbey that was destroyed within three hours during the battle in 1944 and has since been reconstructed. Surprisingly, this was not the first time it lay in ruins: invaders destroyed it in 577 and 883 and an earthquake put paid to it in 1349.

The Battle of Monte Cassino
Professor Richard Holmes asks whether this epic battle would have taken place if the Allied leadership had understood the real problems involved in fighting in such appalling terrain. On the BBC History website.

1944: Celebrations as Rome is liberated
A BBC 'On This Day' account of the fall of Rome to the Allies on 5 June 1944. You can also listen to a radio report of the time.

A Nazi perspective on the fall of Rome
Translation of an article that appeared in a German propaganda magazine in June 1944, just after the fall of Rome: 'Somehow, the loss of Rome turns out to be proof of German superiority.'

African-American 92nd Infantry Division in Italy
Long article by Robert Hodges Jr on the achievements of US 92nd Infantry Division – the 'Buffalo Soldiers. This was the only black division (black, that is, except for the white senior officers) in the US Army during World War II to see combat in Europe, primarily in northern Italy after the fall of Rome.

The Gothic Line campaign
Detailed account of the US 91st Infantry Division's 'lifetime of mud, rain, sweat, strain, fear, courage, and prayers' in northern Italy in September 1944.

Execution of Mussolini
Amateur site with some extraordinary photographs of the executed Mussolini, his mistress and 15 leading Fascists hanging from the beams of an Esso petrol station in Milan in April 1945.

John Amery
Short article about British traitor (and son of a government minister) John Amery, the equivalent of 'Lord Haw-Haw' in Italy, who was captured by Italian partisans in Milan, pleaded guilty to treason and was hanged by the British in December 1945.

If you want to find out more about World War II, check out what's available on the Channel 4 History website.

Channel 4 Television takes no responsibility for the content of any third-party sites.

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