But on 15 February 1944, about 250 of an estimated 1,000 civilians who had fled to it from the town of Cassino and nearby villages were killed when Allied forces bombed the building, believing - wrongly that German troops were inside or using it as an observation post.
The incident during the Battle of Monte Cassino, which was fought during the Allied advance to Rome, is one of the most hotly debated episodes of the war. It led the investigative journalist Nando Tasciotti into the Vatican's Pope Pius XII archives, where he discovered a document he said confirmed Adolf Hitler's role in the chain of events that led to the attack, while revealing the Holy See's admission that the bombing raid might have been avoided had it taken firm action to enforce a neutral zone around the monastery.
This story is from the February 13, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the February 13, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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