Evening star., 1944-03-19

because of its historical and religious
even though we knew
that ferries was using 1t as an artil-
lery observation post and strong
point. The abbey was large, CASTLE
like marble structure crowning tho
top of Montecassino which rises
sheer from the fiat plain beneath.
its feet wet In the multicolored
Rapido River.
''It was a very quiet morning.
From my position, the plain spread
out below like scene from the
Worlds Fair panorama. The air was
crystal clear and the white walls Of
the abbey two miles away, shone in
the morning sun with pink tinge.
Things were very quiet compared
to the day and night battle that
had been raging for the past three
weeks to take this very spot. The
only sounds were a distant muffled
thump and the silky rustic of our
own shells as they passed over our
heads and the crash and lifting Of
a cloud of black smoku as they
landed at intervals in thu own.
The Thunder Of Motors.
"Off to the right an occasional
rifle shot and the raving whirr Of
Jerrie machine gun. Su06aniy you
become conscious that for tfs past
few moments you have been hear
ing the distant thunder of many
motors. The deep, steady rumble as
opposed to the high nasal offbeat
OF the German plane that is spread
ing hope, fear and destruction over
Europe these days. TheL you. spot
them high up in the blue italian
Isky-B-17s in flights of IL, floating
lazily, deliberately over the valley.
Sounding above the thunder OF
motors is the high whistle that sig
nifies bomber doors are open and
the bombing run is started. A sharp
eye catches sight of the tiny specks
that fall from the leading plane, fol-
lowed quickly by small specks from
the other planes, all quickly lost
from sight as they gain speed toward
the target below. A single fountain
of flame and black smoke blossoms
from beside the abbey, followed
quickly by another and another until
the whole huge structure is blotteo
from sight in a welter Of fame,
smoke and dust which altogether
crowns the top of the mountain like
| the wrath of a volcanic eruption.
"A bomber fight wheels away ma
jestically and another takes its place.
and yet another and another. While
the ground trembles with the weight
of explosives and the awful din rat
ties even the rocks around us miles
away. The bombers soar away and
above their fading beat the thump.
thump of our artillery and the slur-
ring sound of shells overhead take
up the job, pin -princking the smoke
pail with flashes of light, with the
occasional crashing burst of flame
as 240-mm howitzer hurls its $780,
pound shell into the abbey.
No Longer Death Trap.
"All day the planes, heavy, roaring
BITS, lighter B-25s and swift little
A-36s, falling like hawk upon its
prey, drop ton after ton of bombs
upon the one-time home of the
|black-cowled monks. AS the chill Of
approaching night stiffens the mud
underfoot, l take a last look at the
smoking shell and piles of marble
lrubble that was once the stronghold
of students of Christian arts and
sciences and lately stronghold Of
Nazi might, already being mopped
up by our infantry.
"It was truly an impressive sight
and one that@I have been waiting to
see this month past. For, you see, I
have been up on the blood-soaked
heights of Casino and Mount Cairo
several times lately and have
watched good, clean-cut American
soldiers fight their way painfully up
those steep slopes without artillery
support, only to be cut down and
driven back by machine-gun fire
from men sheltered by the abbey
hiding behind the religious immu-
nifty Of their shelter. Good Amer
lean fighting men willing to risk
their lives to save monument to
way of living.
1T is done now, and we'll done.
The boys no longer have to walk into
almost certain death. The Abbey
di Montecassino is no more"
Capt. Lowe, who is in the infantry,
now is attached to 5th Army head
quarters. He has been overseas for
a year and participated in the Tu-
nisian campaign.
The son of DR.. and Mrs c. D.
Lowe, Capt. Lowe is a native of the
District and attended Powell Junior
and Central High Schools. He was
graduated from Fork Union Acad-
emy, Va, and also attended Ohio
State University and Norwich Uni
versity before entering the Army in
1910. His wife. Mrs Eleanor Lowe,
and their l7month-old daughter
live with Capt. loves parents at
the Oakwood terrace address.
Capt. Wo|verton Lost Parf
Of Plane on Kara Raid