On 3 September 1943, the Allies invaded the Italian mainland. The invasion coincided with an armistice signed by the Italians, who then re-entered the war on the side of the Allies. The Allied objectives were to draw the German troops back from the Russian front and more particularly from France, where an offensive was planned for the following year. Progress through southern Italy was rapid despite fierce resistance, but by the end of October the Allies were facing the German winter defensive position known as the Gustav Line, which stretched from the Garigliano River in the west to the Sangro River in the east.

The first attempts to break through the western end of the line were unsuccessful and as late as 17 January 1944 the Garigliano was crossed and Minturno taken two days later. but the Allies eventually ran out of ground and the site was under fire from German small arms. The cemetery was not used again until May 1944, when the Allies launched their advance on Rome and the US 85th and 88th Divisions were in this sector.

The burials are mainly those of the heavy losses suffered in the Garigliano crossing in January. The Minturno War Cemetery contains 2,049 Commonwealth burials from World War II. The cemetery was designed by Louis de Soissons.