During the battle of Cassino, the Rocca Janula was of strategic importance;

In fact it was located 193 meters higher than the city; as well as being a place from where you can attack towards the abbey of Montecassino. Rocca Janula was defended by the German paratroopers of the 1st Division and was conquered by the allies in the late afternoon of March 15, 1944, the day of the destructive bombing of the city of Cassino and the beginning of the Dickens operation. On that occasion the D Company of the 25 New Zealand battalion of Major S.M. Hewitt after a fight, managed to take the Castle to the 2nd company of the 1st Battalion of the III Regiment of Lieutenant Peter Maul, also taking 23 prisoners. During the night the position was reinforced by the arrival of the 4th Essex Battalion.

The plan of the allied operation provided that, once altitude 435 was taken, Colle Venere, called by the allies the Hill of the Hanged Man, on March 19 there would be a joint frontal attack against the Abbey and from behind with carts. armed by the so-called Cavendish Road.
In fact, on the morning of March 16, a company of 1/9 Gurkha had managed to take the share facing the Abbey and if more troops and supplies had arrived, the attack on the facing Abbey seemed easy. But every battle plan does not survive the test of facts and on the morning of March 19, 1944 it was overturned by the violent counterattack of the German paratroopers determined to retake the Castle of Rocca Janula; the walls of the Castle were studded with bullets and grenades. Immediately afterwards, about two hundred I./FJR 4 paratroopers commanded by captain H.C.K.Beyer launched an assault starting from the area of ​​the hairpin bend at altitude 236. A very violent fight ensued between the opposing sides, with many fallen and wounded; the 1st battalion of the 4th Essex Regiment had to defend the Castle from the violent and sudden German attack and not being able to reinforce the isolated Gurkha on the executioner’s hill, the attack had to be suspended.

In the afternoon at 19 March there was a famous truce in front of the Castle in which the opposing fighters showed great chivalry and respect; the Germans brought the English wounded up to the walls of the Castle, the English lent the stretchers to the Germans to bring their wounded to the Monastery, they exchanged a few words, chocolate, cigarettes and whiskey, even some addresses to meet again after the war; shortly after the war would resume.
There remained the problem of the Allied units isolated and surrounded on the Collina del Executioner; they did not have working radios and did not have the possibility of obtaining supplies by land; the allies were forced to supply them with parachutes, which had a different color for each type: blue for water, green for food and red for ammunition. Many, however, pushed by the wind, went to the German positions. After March 19, with the suspension of the attack on the Abbey, the withdrawal of these troops was ordered and they returned on March 22, 1944, after the order to retreat was sent to them in a daring way through Captain Mallison; the exhausted Allied troops paraded in front of the German positions with the banner of the Red Cross, the Germans allowed everyone to pass, even those still in arms.