Page "Bernhardt Line" Paragraph 22

U. S. 5th Army resumed its attack on 1 December.

The first attack — Operation Raincoat — was delivered, after an intensive artillery and air bombardment, by British X Corps on the left ( comprising British 46th and 56th Infantry Divisions ) and elements of U. S. II Corps, including 1st Special Service Force, on the right against the formidable Camino hill mass.

The dominating peak on Monte Camino, Hill 963, is crowned by a monastery.

Two slightly lower peaks, Monte la Defensa, Monte la Difensa ( Hill 960 ) as it appeared on the military maps during the war, and Monte la Remetanea ( Hill 907 ), lie less than north of Camino.

At the upper end of the Camino feature are the numerous peaks of Monte Maggiore.

The entire hill mass is about long and four miles ( 6. 5 km ) wide.

On the east and northeast the slopes rise steeply to the heights, then fall away gradually to the west toward the Garigliano River.

It took until 9 December before the Camino mass was secured from the 15th Panzer Grenadiers.