On 6 December, Canadians assaulted the Moro River defences. Winter rains had turned the landscape into a quagmire. After nearly a week of heavyįighting, the Germans pulled back from this river to a new line behind the Moro River. On 28 November, British troops assaulted the Sangro River. Dubbed the Gustav Line, the system hinged on the high point of Monte Cassino in the west and the Sangro River in the east. This stubborn fighting withdrawal by the Germans bought them time to create a fortified system It took the Canadians two weeks in October to advance just 40 kilometres from Lucera to Campobasso. Italy’s rugged country was ideally suited for defence.
In the surrender’s wake, German troops raced to intercept the Allied advance. On 8 September, the Italian government itself surrendered to the Allies. Landed immediately north of Reggio Calabria on 3 September.Īgain, opposition came mostly in the form of Italian soldiers surrendering by the hundreds. A long, arduous march up Italy’s boot began when the West Nova Scotia and Carleton and York regiments of 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade By then, the Canadians had marched 210 kilometres and suffered 2,310 casualties, including 562Īfter a brief rest, the Canadians were placed in the British Eighth Army’s vanguard for the invasion of mainland Italy. On 17 August, the Germans evacuated Sicily. Meanwhile, the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment carried out a nighttime ascent of the 904-metre high Monteīy the first week of August, the Germans were caught in a closing vise of American, British, and Canadian units. At Leonforte, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade spent a night of house-to-house fighting. “They are called ‘Mountain Boys,’ he said, “and probably belong to the 1st Canadian Division.” German respect for the Canadian soldier was beginning.įor the next 17 days, the Canadians were hotly engaged. Field marshal Albert Kesselring reported that his men were fighting highly trained mountain troops. But the Germans lost 250 men captured and an estimated 180 to 240 killed or Fighting before the town and on adjacent ridges resulted in 145 casualties, including 40 killed. On 18 July, the Canadians met their heaviest resistance to date at Valguarnera. When one line was breached the Germans quickly
This entailed heavily entrenched fortifications set on ideal defensive terrain of ridges, mountains, and rivers. German tactics in Sicily were a precursor for those applied throughout the Italian campaign. Having inflicted 25 Canadian casualties, the Germans withdrew. Trucks before the Canadians rallied and carried the town. Enemy anti-tank guns knocked out one tank, three carriers, and several Canadian troops encountered such a line on 15 July near Grammichele.
#FAMOUS TANK BATTLES SERIES#
With the Italian army’s rapid collapse, several German divisions hurriedly established a series of defensive lines. The Canadians followed an inland route that guarded the British Eight Army’s left flank up the eastern coastline toward CataniaĪnd the ultimate objective of the Strait of Messina, which divides Sicily from the Italian mainland. On 11 July, the Canadians were delayed, not as much by enemy opposition than by thousands of Italian troops wanting to surrender.
Seven men died and 25 others were wounded. Nightfall saw most of the Canadian units either on or past every initial objective. The Canadians advanced on Pachino and its strategic airport. The Italian defenders were quickly overwhelmed and Stacey, The Canadian Army 1939-1945: An Official Historical Summary (1948), Department of National Defence / transcribed and formatted by Patrick Clancey, HyperWar FoundationĬanada's Italian campaign started on 10 July, 1943 when the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade began Operation Husky - the seaborne invasion of the island of Sicily.
Map of Allied operations in Southern Italy, September 1943 to January 1944
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