In July of 1943, the Allied forces launched a campaign to push the Germans out of Italy and liberate the country. Code named "Operation Husky", thousands of British, American, Canadian, Polish and French troops landed in Sicily.
After liberating the island of Sicily, they turned their focus to the Italian mainland, fighting a series of bloody battles to force the Germans to retreat.
Canadians in the Italian Campaign
The Canadians played a major role in the campaign, earning the praise of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, commander of the British 8th Army.
By December, the advancing Allied armies had reached the historic seaport of Ortona, on Italy's Adriatic coast. The town was held by Hitler's elite paratroopers, whom he had personally ordered to "fight for every house and tree". It was here that the Canadian army would face their toughest test, fighting a street by street urban battle in what would later be called "Canada's Stalingrad".
After defeating German troops south of the village, at the Moro River, the Canadians were ready to advance on the town itself. Ortona was a narrow town, with cliffs and the sea to the east, and a deep ravine on the western side. In December, the driving rains turn rivers into raging torrents, and the surrounding fields become seas of mud.
Battle in the Streets
The streets of Ortona were narrow, with stone houses overlooking them. The only avenue wide enough to accommodate tanks was a highway running through the center of town, and forming the main street. German engineers had already blown up many of the buildings, creating piles of rubble which acted as road blocks for the tanks. Land mines and other explosives were placed in the rubble, and snipers and machine gunners positioned at strategic locations throughout the village.
In some cases, heavy artillery was placed in detonated buildings, to provide cover for the German infantrymen. Basements and cellars of many buildings were packed with explosives, which could be remotely detonated by the German engineers.
The Canadian advance into the town came on December 21st. Several infantry squads, supported by Sherman tanks from The Three Rivers Regiment, moved forward. In addition to fire support for the infantry, the tanks also carried ammunition and evacuated the wounded.
The Mouse-Holing Technique
The fighting in the narrow streets was brutal, and fought at close quarters. The Canadian soldiers came under heavy fire from snipers, and machine gunners, who were taking cover in the abandoned houses.
To protect the men from sniper fire, a Canadian officer developed a technique known as "mouse holing". Using explosives, soldiers would blast a hole through the wall of a house, enabling them to enter the adjoining building without being exposed on the street. They could then clear an entire row of buildings, one by one, from the inside. The technique, which was so successful at Ortona, is still employed today in urban warfare.
Eight Days of Fighting
For eight long days, the fighting continued. On Christmas Day, the Canadians enjoyed a small dinner celebration in a bombed church. Many soldiers were killed, trying to make it to the church, or returning to their positions.
In the following days, the Canadians slowly captured Ortona, street by street. On the sixth day, reinforcements from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry arrived, as well as additional support from the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade.
Finally, on December 28th, the last remaining German troops retreated or surrendered. Their supplies had been depleted, and they knew reinforcements wouldn't be arriving. Captain Paul Triquet, of the Royal 22nd Regiment, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Ortona.
The town had been captured by the Canadian Army, ending the month that would go down in history as "Bloody December". By the time the battle had ended, over 1,300 civilians had died, and 650 Canadians were killed, wounded, or missing in action. The losses suffered by the Canadians at Ortona were nearly one quarter of their total casualties in the entire Italian Campaign.
Sources:
Hard Won Victory. The Canadians at Ortona, by N.M. Christie, CEF Books, 2001
Ortona: Canada's Epic World War Two Battle, by Mark Zuehlke, Stoddart Publishing, 1999
Jason Gray - I was born and raised in the Toronto area, and am proud to be a Canadian. I have always had a strong interest in history, especially the ...
