For educational purposes<br /><br />During 1944, the Allies tried desperately to break through the German winter defensive line that blocked the advance to Rome. <br /><br />At the centre of the line was the heavily fortified town of Cassino, which was dominated by a sixth century Benedictine monastery. <br /><br />This imposing hilltop site became the subject of bitter controversy and a symbol of some of the most savage fighting of World War Two.
