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Next week marks the 80^th anniversary of the bombing of Monte Cassino – one of the most vivid and debated incidents of the Second World War and a key moment in my forthcoming novel Prayer in Time of War, which is published on February 23^rd.

With its heavily fortified mountain defences, difficult river crossings, and valley heads flooded by the Germans, Cassino formed a linchpin of the Gustav Line, as the German forces attempted to halt the Allied advance up through Italy.

By the beginning of 1944, Allied officers increasingly focused on the abbey above the town, which was believed to be used as a German artillery observation point. In reality, while the Germans used the hill itself as an observation point, it is thought they generally tried to avoid using the abbey, not least because, given the fourteen-century-old Benedictine abbey’s historical significance, the German commander in Italy, Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring, had ordered German units not to include it in their defensive positions and had informed the Vatican and the Allies accordingly in December 1943. How closely the order was followed in reality is anybody’s guess and there are Allied reports of sightings of German troops within the abbey in the weeks before the bombing.

Ironically, once the monastery was destroyed, it was occupied by the Germans and the enormous pile of rubble proved better cover for their emplacements and troops than an intact structure would have offered.

When you come to read the book, you’ll find that in my fictionalised account, I’ve made the assumption that the Germans were using some of the caves beneath the historic structure, with some limited access to the abbey itself.

In one of my favourite moments in the novel, our hero Ernest stumbles upon a bewildered German officer on the hillside following the successive rounds of bombings. Here’s a brief extract to whet your appetite:

“This was inevitable, of course, sooner or later. But it won’t be here in Italy that we shall be beaten,” the German shrugged. “We shall hold you here, well not exactly here perhaps, but in Italy at least. We will hold you for a quite a while.”

He turned again to the ruins of the monastery. “Though I suppose you have Rome now, once Cassino is in your hands, you will take Rome in weeks, perhaps less. Do you agree?”

Ernest nodded. “I suppose so.” He sat down on a rock, carefully keeping his ankle away from the manoeuvre.

“You are injured, I see?” the German said, taking a long draw on his cigarette and blowing the cloud of smoke high into the air, his head tilted far back as he exhaled. “Poor you. Well, perhaps you will miss the battle for Rome in that case. A broken ankle should buy you a few quiet weeks of reading in a comfortable hospital bed. Lucky you.” He flashed a smile.

Ernest winced as he attempted to settle his stricken foot on the ground. The German sat down beside him.

“Quite right,” the officer said. “Let’s stay here and wait for your friends to come to us.”

Prayer in Time of War is out on February 23, 2024. You can pre-order the Kindle version on Amazon now. The paperback version will be available on Amazon from February 23.