NATO members take lessons from past battlegrounds

Photo By Maj. Kay Nissen | Members of Allied Joint Force Command Naples pay their respects to fallen service members at the Commonwealth cemetery in Monte Cassino, Italy, July 28, 2015. The Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944 is remembered as one of the most complex and challenging of clashes during World War II. (NATO photo by Capt. Kay Magdalena Nissen)  

MONTE CASSINO, ITALY

07.28.2015

Story by Capt. Kay Nissen 

Allied Joint Force Command Naples     

MONTE CASSINO, Italy - Amid the picturesque mountains of Southern Italy lies one of the historic battlegrounds of World War II.

The Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944 is remembered as one of the most complex and challenging of clashes between the allied powers and the German military in Italy.

For key members of NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Naples headquarters who traveled to Monte Cassino July 28, 2015, the historical site proved to be a substantive lesson on cooperation, strategies and tactics.

"There are a lot of lessons to be learned of the mistakes in the past,” said Germany navy commander Nils Gallagher, JFC Naples staff officer. "It helps us understand our role much better because the operational command at Monte Cassino also had to lead a very complex campaign comparable to our tasks [at JFC Naples].”

The aim of the visit was to understand the different national perspectives and draw modern conclusions for JFC Naples.

With the guidance of a specialized historian, JFC Naples members visited specific locations including the Gari River and the Abbey of Monte Cassino. Both locations were key landmarks of the Gustav Line, a fortification line held by the German military.

Monte Cassino was one of the first joint, combined operations of the Second World War. As JFC Naples’s primary function is to command and control the NATO Response Force, the visiting members gained perspective on the important relationship between strategic and tactical operations and discussed the effects of decisions made during the battle.

The battle resulted in an estimated 75,000 casualties before the allies were able to claim victory at Monte Cassino. Members of JFC Naples laid wreaths at the Polish, Commonwealth and German cemeteries in the area to pay their respects to those who lost their lives in the war. The cemeteries together have approximately 25,000 fallen service members.

"We honor them all today, their courage and their character,” said U.S. Navy Adm. Mark Ferguson, commander of JFC Naples, after the group visited the last cemetery. He shared the following quote from the American General Tecumseh Sherman as a final thought for the NATO members on the day’s visit:

"It is well that war is so terrible – lest we should grow too fond of it.”

• Date Taken: 07.28.2015
• Date Posted: 07.30.2015 02:32
• Story ID: 171524
• Location: MONTE CASSINO, IT