OPERATION BOWLER

A little-known attack on Venice.

Journalist and broadcaster Glancey, author of Concorde: The Rise and Fall of the Supersonic Airliner, describes a campaign nastier than portrayed in the usual TV documentary. Masses of innocent civilians suffered and died unnecessarily; Germans committed their traditional atrocities, but the Allies were not innocent. More than most writers, Glancey emphasizes the heartbreaking, often unnecessary destruction of Italy’s priceless art, architecture, and history, mostly by the Allies with their overwhelming air superiority. Readers will flinch at Glancey’s account of the 1943 destruction of Monte Cassino. The ancient abbey stood exposed at Germany’s defensive line. Its commander ordered that the abbey not be occupied, and, at great effort, his soldiers carried the abbey’s enormous collection of manuscripts, books, and paintings to safety. This was public knowledge, but the Allies bombed it anyway, killing hundreds of Italians sheltering inside. This was a blunder because the rubble provided superior defense, and Germans fended off attacks for another four months. By 1945 the Allies in Italy had largely given up high-altitude carpet bombing in favor of more accurate low-level attacks. Firmly established in the Gustav line across northern Italy, Germans increasingly depended on supplies arriving in Venice harbor because air attacks had destroyed roads and railways. Aware of this and anxious to avoid collateral damage, the Allies designed a raid by fighters and fighter-bombers that inflicted serious damage on the harbor but killed only a handful of civilians and none of the attacking airmen. The March 21, 1945, attack was so successful that few Venetians know of it today.

A modest World War II city bombing receives well-deserved attention.