 He wrote a memorandum to his Corps commander, Lieutenant-General Bernard C. Freyberg, concluding that, regardless of whether the monastery was currently occupied by the Germans, it should be demolished to prevent its effective occupation.He also pointed out that with 150 foot (45 m) high walls made of masonry at least 10 feet (3 m) thick, there was no practical means for field engineers to deal with the place, and that bombing with blockbuster bombs would be the only solution since 1,000 pound bombs would be "next to useless".General Sir Harold Alexander, commanding the Allied Armies in Italy, agreed to the bombing (which did not employ blockbuster bombs) and the ruins were occupied by German forces which held the position until 18 May.