The U.S. 34th Division, joined by 142nd Regiment of 36th Division, was tasked with a new approach – advancing southward along the linked hilltops towards the intersecting ridge on the south end of which was Monastery Hill.

The mountains were rocky, strewn with boulders and cut by ravines and gullies. Digging foxholes on the rocky ground was out of the question, and each feature was exposed to fire from surrounding landmarks. The ravines were also no good as they had been sown with mines, booby-traps, and hidden barbed wire by the defenders. The Germans had had months to prepare their defensive positions. There was no natural shelter, and the weather was wet and freezing cold. Supplies to the forward allied lines ran over a 7-mile rock strewn mountainside, traversable only by mules and men. Everything was in short supply.

Despite their fierce fighting under demoralizing circumstances, the 34th Division never managed to take Hill 593, much less the abbey itself. The Americans were withdrawn, and the first battle of Monte Cassino came to a close. The performance of 34th Division in the mountains is considered one of the finest feats of arms carried out during the entire war.