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Quiz about The Battle of Monte Cassino
Quiz about The Battle of Monte Cassino

The Battle of Monte Cassino Trivia Quiz


A bloody and controversial episode of WWII.

A multiple-choice quiz by russalka. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
russalka
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
369,320
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
240
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Question 1 of 10
1. Where in Italy is Monte Cassino? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What has made this locality famous through the centuries? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Why was the importance of Monte Cassino Abbey so critical strategically? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What happened to all the irreplaceable works of art? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which of these best describes the military situation at the Abbey on the eve of the battle? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. What happened to the Abbey on February 15, 1944? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What commander was instrumental in causing the destruction of the Abbey? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. How many nationalities were represented in the Allied forces fighting in the battle? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. What was the final outcome of the battle? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What can visitors see today on the top of Monte Cassino? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Where in Italy is Monte Cassino?

Answer: In the Apennines

Monte Cassino occupies a rocky promontory in the Apennines, the mountain chain that runs North-South through central Italy.
2. What has made this locality famous through the centuries?

Answer: A Benedictine Abbey

In 529 A.D. St. Bendict of Norcia, who had founded the Benedictine Order, built the abbey, which became the site of pilgrimages and the repository of an archive and priceless works of art.
Over the years it had previously been destroyed three times: in 577-79 by the Lombards, in 883 by the Saracens and in 1349 by an earthquake.
3. Why was the importance of Monte Cassino Abbey so critical strategically?

Answer: All of these

The Abbey was the linchpin of the Gustav Line, that went across all of Italy, from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian Sea and was the last defense of the Germans on the way to Rome. Once past Monte Cassino, it would have been easy all the way to the capital.
4. What happened to all the irreplaceable works of art?

Answer: They were taken to the Vatican for safekeeping

The Germans offered to help transferring the art to the Vatican. But instead they tried to move them north to Spoleto, so they could keep them.
The Goering Division was in charge, and they were anxious to keep some paintings and sculptures to present them to their boss, Hermann Goering, whose birthday was coming up, since he was an avid art collector.
They succeeded in stealing just 15 cases which were taken to an abandoned salt mine at Alt-Aussee in Austria. They were recovered after the war but the bulk of the artworks was finally taken to the Vatican, where a photo op was staged.
5. Which of these best describes the military situation at the Abbey on the eve of the battle?

Answer: It was occupied by a few monks and refugees

Only the Abbott Gregorio Diamare resided there with a few monks who did not want to move to safer quarters. But a few hundred civilians were squatting on the grounds, having lost their homes in the bombings and thinking that, being on religious ground, the Abbey would be safe.
6. What happened to the Abbey on February 15, 1944?

Answer: It was bombed by the Americans

On February 15, between 9:28 am and 1:33 pm, four groups of B-17's (Flying Fortresses), for a total of 144, and 87 medium bombers (47 B-25 and 40 B-26), dropped 453 tons of bombs on the Abbey.
This was the largest number of bombers ever sent by the Allies against a tactical target.
The monks had taken shelter in the lowest parts of the Abbey and they all survived, but a couple hundred civilian refugees were killed.
There were no German casualties.
7. What commander was instrumental in causing the destruction of the Abbey?

Answer: The New Zealander Bernard Freyberg

For months there have been rumors that the Germans were entrenched in the Abbey and using it as an observation post and fortified enclave. In reality, the Germans were not present in the Abbey, but they camped in the caves below, and kept munitions there. The Americans wanted to save the Abbey, starting with Eisenhower, who gave orders to safeguard cultural landmarks, unless it became a military necessity to save the lives of the troops.

In the end the will of the New Zealander commander Freyberg prevailed.

He considered the bombing a necessity for protecting his troops, and threatened to withdraw them. As it turned out, after the Abbey became a pile of rubble, German paratroopers moved in, using as a perfect defense post.
8. How many nationalities were represented in the Allied forces fighting in the battle?

Answer: Almost a dozen

General Clark had an extremely difficult task coordinating five different corps under his command, with troops from the US, the UK, British India (Nepalese Ghurkas), Free France (from Morocco and Algeria), Poland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others. Moreover, there were British commanders over and under him.
9. What was the final outcome of the battle?

Answer: The Germans retreated

The battle started on January 17, 1944, the bombing occurred on February 15, but not until May 18, after three more bloody, fruitless months, that the fighting came to an end, only because the Germans left, realizing all was lost.
The few who had thought that Monte Cassino could not be taken with a frontal assault were proved right. They maintained that the best bet would have been to go around the mountain and take the Germans from the rear. So there has been a heated controversy ever since, whether the loss of about 54,000 Allied soldiers and 20,000 Germans had been worth it.
10. What can visitors see today on the top of Monte Cassino?

Answer: The reconstructed Abbey

The Italian government rebuilt the Abbey, as much as possible as it used to be. The reconstruction started in 1953 and lasted more than a decade. The art works were returned from the Vatican and those destroyed have been replaced with different ones by contemporary artists.

The town of Cassino, down in the valley, has been completely rebuilt. There are five military cemeteries in the vicinity, but only the Poles are buried next to the Abbey on the hill. In the British cemetery outside of town, besides the Brits, there are the New Zealanders, Canadians, Indians, Ghurkas, Australians and S.African soldiers.

The Germans are on the way to the Rapido valley, while the Americans are at Anzio, Unlike the others, the German cemetery has no inscription of any kind, only the statues of two grieving parents.
Source: Author russalka

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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