442nd Infantry Regiment (United States) - Hill 140 and Castellina

Hill 140 and Castellina

For the first three weeks of July the 442nd and its 1st Battalion, the 100th, was under constant attack against the German forces which led to 1,100 enemy killed and 331 captured.

Hill 140 was the main line of enemy resistance. A single German Battalion held the hill and, along with the help of artillery, had completely wiped out a machine-gun squad of L Company of the 3rd Battalion and G Company of 2nd Battalion except for its commander. A constant barrage of artillery shells were launched against the 2nd and 3rd Battalions as they dug in at the hill's base. The 442nd gained very little ground in the coming days only improving their position slightly. The 232nd Engineers aided the 442nd by defusing landmines that lay in the 442nd’s path. The entire 34th Division front encountered heavy resistance. “All along the 34th Division Front the Germans held more doggedly than at any time since the breakthrough at Cassino and Anzio.” Hill 140 had been dubbed “Little Cassino” as the resistance by the Germans was so fierce. “Hill 140, when the medics were just overrun with all the casualties; casualties you couldn’t think to talk about.” The 2nd Battalion moved to the eastern front of Hill 140 and 3rd Battalion moved to the western front, both converging on the German flanks. It wasn't until July 7 when the last German resistance was taken down that the hill came under the 34th Division’s control.

On the day Hill 140 fell, the battle for the town of Castellina began. The 100th began its assault on the northwestern side of the town taking the high ground. Just before dawn, 2nd Platoon C Company moved into town, encountering heavy resistance and multiple counterattacks by German forces but held them off. In the meantime Company B moved north into Castellina, encountering heavy resistance as well. First they helped defend 2nd and 3rd Battalions in the taking of Hill 140. Then with the help of the 522nd Field Artillery, they lay down a heavy barrage and forced the Germans to retreat by 1800 hours on July 7. The 100th dug in and waited for relief to arrive after spending an entire day securing the town.

Until July 25, the 442nd encountered heavy resistance from each town when they reached the Arno River, ending the Rome-Arno Campaign. The 100/442 lost 1,272 men (17 missing, 44 non-combat injuries, 972 wounded, and 239 killed) in the process, a distance of only 40 miles (64 km). They rested from July 25 to August 15, when the 442nd moved to patrol the Arno. Crossing the Arno on August 31 was relatively uneventful, as they were guarded the north side of the river in order for bridges to be built. On September 11 the 442nd was detached from the Fifth Army and then attached to the 36th Division of the Seventh Army.