(17 May 2004)
1. Various of Cassino Abbey which was destroyed during the battle and later rebuilt
2. Graves at Commonwealth cemetery with Monte Cassino in background
3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Rumble, UK Army 78th Division:
"I was in the army at 17, I landed in Italy when I was 18 years of age when it took action on Monte Cassino in February. And the battles were very severe and fierce and we finally broke through in '44 and chased the Germans through to Northern Italy and I finished my service in Vienna in Austria."
4. Duke of Kent, president of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (and cousin of Queen Elizabeth 11), laying flowers at cemetery
5. Cutaway of veterans
6. Wideshot of ceremony site with Cassino mountain in background
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Mr. Puszczynski, Polish army in 2nd corps
"Like any war, it's very cruel, to put it bluntly, and a lot of young people when you look on the graves here and when you go down there a lot of young people lost their lives... for what?, a big question... for what?"
8. Zoom out from band playing
9. Cutaway woman singing
10. Veterans singing
11. SOUNDBITE (English) George Appwell, NZ veteran
"There were four different battles, we were involved in. We saw the monastery get bombed and of course the Yanks came in and bombed the rest of the town and after that it was a dirty, dusty, bad business. Wars are nothing, futile as far as I'm concerned. I was in Italy until the war finished and then went home to New Zealand and was there for years."
12. Cutaway of graves
13. Wideshot of cemetery
STORYLINE:
World World II veterans on Monday remembered the troops who died in the Battle of Monte Cassino, in Italy, one of the bloodiest of the war.
Sixty years ago, in 1944, the Monte Cassino monastery, a German stronghold that held up the Allied advance in Italy, was taken by Polish troops after bitter fighting.
According to some estimates, the Allies suffered 185-thousand casualties over a four-month period as they struggled to drive the Germans from Cassino's mountain, which served as a prime observation post.
The remembrance ceremonies honour soldiers from various nations - including Poland, Canada and New Zealand - who lost their lives in the battle.
Fighting began in January 1944 as Allied forces initiated the first of four assaults to seize the mountain and a monastery on its slopes.
The fourth battle of Monte Cassino began on May 11.
It ended when Polish troops captured the monastery on May 18.
The capture of Monte Cassino cleared the way for British and U.S. divisions to start their advance on Rome, which fell on June 4, 1944.
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