100th Infantry Battalion (United States) - Monte Cassino

Monte Cassino

"When you read that a town was taken, or a certain hill was taken, remember that in the process of that accomplishment lives of fine fellows were lost, and also, that during this accomplishment for the participants, life was a horrifying massacre. You lose your buddies-fellows with whom you laughed, ate, slept, sweated. They grow to be more than mere buddies. They become blood relations to you and they die before your eyes-not a pleasant, natural death, but an unimaginable kind of mutilation mixed with groans and prayers ending with a gurgling last breath. Only five minutes ago you might have been laughing with that buddy of yours."

This was the situation at the Gustav Line as the 100th received its most intense fight yet as they fought from mountain to mountain. At the top of Monte Cassino stood a grand but old monastery, this was the grand prize for the 5th Army. It would be the key taking in order to finally snag Rome from the grips of the Nazis. To take the Gustav Line, the Allies would have to descend into the Rapido River valley, traverse two miles of open fields filled with landmines, mud, and knee-deep cold water, cross a swift-moving river, then climb past more mines and barbed wire and up the steep, rocky slopes, to the 1500-foot peak of Monte Cassino. From there they would have to ascend still higher to a four-story fortress, with 10-foot-thick stone walls. This was the St. Benedictine monastery. The battle had commenced in January and long struggle for the 100th would begin. It would be here where they would earn their nickname the "Purple Heart Battalion." Under the cover of night A and C companies passed their way through the river reaching the wall where the enemy was located and held their ground under intense fire into the next day. B company was not so lucky as A and C were for they were met with heavy machine gun fire as their cover by the smoke screen was blown away leaving only 14 of the original 187 men in B company to reach the wall.

"During the first daylight hours our battalion observation post started with 26 individuals including the artillery liaison team communication people and the intelligence section. By nightfall only four of us were left. Major Clough, our Battalion Commander, and myself (Captain Kim) in one location and Pfc Ginger Minami and Private Irving Akahoshi in another location, 20 yards away. Everyone else was either dead or wounded. Major Clough was ordered by Colonel Marshall, 133rd Regiment Commander, to commit "B" Company across the open flats at daybreak. Jim protested that this was a suicide mission. Lieutenant Colonel Moses, the 1st Battalion Commander, to our right, had orders to also commit his reserve company. He protested and said he would personally lead his company because he could not issue such an order without sharing their danger. However, if he survived, he would prefer court martial charges against Colonel Marshall."

Captain Young-Oak Kim, a Korean-American from Los Angeles who served in the unit from 1943 to 1944.

The three companies were immediately pulled back to San Micheli the next night. Following their pull from the front lines the 100th was ordered to take Castle Hill in which they did on 8 February. The hill was held for four days dealing with not only machine gun fire but tanks as well. The hill was a key location for it was close to the monastery but the 34th division's right and left flanks were unable to hold their positions because of heavy German resistance. The 100th was again ordered back.

The order came from high command to bomb the abbey in order to lighten the resistance. The bombing continued for three days and when it finally finished the second assault commenced. The bombing didn't lighten up a single bit as one platoon of the 100th received very heavy casualties as only five of forty soldiers survived. Badly beaten the 100th again was pulled back into reserve and replaced by British and Indian soldiers after nearly taking Cassino. It would be these replacements who would witness first hand of what the Nisei had been through and praised them for their efforts. War correspondents would end up calling these men "little men of iron" and the "purple heart battalion." This would be the last time Nisei of the 100th would see combat at Monte Cassino as they were taken back to San Michele to rest and reorganize. It would be here where replacements from the 442nd would come in to replenish the 100th's ranks.

The battle would eventually take the lives of over 50,000 allied soldiers and nearly 800 wounded and KIA of the 100th taking their numbers from 1300 strong 5 months prior to nearly 500. It wouldn't be until 17 May when Cassino would fall to the allies taking five divisions to bring it down. This would be the final campaign in which the 100th would fight with only its original soldiers because following the battle of Cassino the 100th began to receive replacements from the 442nd. It is argued that the reason there were such heavy losses was because of members of the U.S. War Department neglecting the Italian campaign by taking men and supplies away and putting it towards the coming invasion of Normandy. The battle was so horrific that it is compared to the Battle of Verdun in World War I and the Battle of Stalingrad of World War II. The battalion would eventually be awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for its actions on 26–27 June.