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CANADA’S INVOLVEMENT IN WWII Part II Dieppe, 1942  Meant to be a trial run for Allied invasion of Europe  Test of new techniques and equipment (amphibious)  Scouting mission for future invasion  See how Germans responded to invasion  Also meant to improve morale – success was likely  2nd Canadian Infantry Division, chosen to be the main attack force Troops set out  4,963 men from the 2nd Canadian Division, 1,005 British commandos, 50 US rangers and 15 Frenchmen  Supported by Air Force and tanks  The Raid  Series of 4 pre-dawn attacks along the coast  Followed by main attack on Dieppe  Relied on element of surprise  Morning of August 19, 1942  One of the transport ships met a German convoy  Brief sea battle – alerted German troops on shore The Raid Cont.  Ships were delayed  Troops landed in daylight  Troops were mowed down by German machine guns  Turned out Dieppe was well defended (machine guns, mortars, artillery, pillboxes and tank traps)  Tanks were useless  No traction on the pebbly beach  Beach had very steep gradient  Communication b/w ships and land troops was poor  Reinforcements sent in early – became trapped with everyone else Outcome  Casualties were high  907 Canadian fatalities, 52 British Commando fatalities, 3 American fatalities, 20 others.  Of the 6,108 men on land, 1,946 were taken prisoner, 2,460 were wounded (600 Canadian)  “We were sacrificial lambs…They were there waiting for us…they knew it was just a matter of time. In fact, one German at Dieppe actually asked us: “What took you so long?” - Thomas Hunter

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Disaster or Learning Experience?  Claims made that Allied were successful in later invasion because they learned from Dieppe  Need for better communication b/w HQ’s and units; land, air and sea  Need for pre-landing bombardment of enemy positions, and artillery support from air and sea

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air and sea  Others say the raid was poorly planned, with no point; was simply a waste 9

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New info on Dieppe  Historian David O’Keefe, studied classified documents on Dieppe for 15 years  entire goal of operation was to get a commando unit into a German Naval HQ  raid it for codes, ciphers and an enigma machine,  get it back to England a.s.a.p.  Part of larger operation planned by Ian Fleming (James Bond author)  Success could have meant a different and earlier end to the war The Italian Campaign Battle of Sicily  Begins: July 10, 1943  26,000 Canadian troops  At first resistance was light  Resistance increased as Canadians encountered German troops  Mountainous terrain – Germans had great vantage points and near impregnable hill positions  Took: Piazza Armerina, Valguarnera , Leonforte, and Assoro.  Agira fell after 5 days of bitter fighting Battle of Sicily Cont.  Final task was to take Adrano.  Faced enemy troops, but also physical barriers of a rugged, almost trackless country  Guns, mortars, ammo and supplies had to be moved by mule train  Adrano was taken on Aug. 7, 1943 Sicily Liberated  August 18, 1943  Took only 38 days  Many German troops had retreated to mainland of Italy  Canada had proven themselves again  Fought through 240 km of mountainous terrain – farther than anyone else in the 8th British Army  Casualites: 562 killed, 664 wounded and 84 prisoners of war. Aftermath  Mussolini’s gov’t overthrown  Italian gov’t surrendered to allies  German troops continued to defend Italian territory Invasion of Italy  Allies followed Germans to the mainland  Objective now was to take Italy  Why aim for taking Italy?  Strategy was to take pressure off Soviet allies, and divert troops from Northwestern Europe  Caused German troops to have to fight on three fronts  U.S.S.R.  Italy  France Road to Ortona

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Road to Ortona  Canadian troops were tasked with capturing medieval town of Ortona  First had to reach town  Had to capture several smaller towns;  Cross the Moro River;  And fight across several km of German occupied territory  Road to Ortona Quote “Throughout the night of December 8th-9th the RCR [Royal Canadian Regiment] maintained it’s position on the feature that came to be known… as “Slaughterhouse Hill”. The fighting was most confused, the enemy appearing on several sides of the perimeter as well as within it…the incessant shellfire from both sides turned the night into pandemonium.” - A Regiment at War, 1979 Ortona, 1943  Expected Ortona to be taken peacefully  German troops had been withdrawing to easily defensible terrain  Urban warfare not desired by either side  key command centre for German Army and very heavily defended.  defended by German 1st Parachute Division – battle hardened and experienced  The Battle  Lasted 8 days – Dec. 20-28, 1943  The bloodiest fighting Canadians experience  Urban combat  Small groups of men  Fighting was house to house; room to room  Tunnels used by Germans  “Mouseholing” used by Canadians - blowing holes in rooftops or walls  Booby traps and landmines were everywhere  Snipers were used by both sides Timeline 20 Dec: 2 Canadian Infantry Brigade forces through German defences to take up positions on the outskirts of Ortona. The advance is made possible with the support of 1 Canadian Armour Brigade and a heavy artillery barrage covering the advancing Canadians’ flanks with smoke screen. 21 Dec: The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (the “Loyal Eddies”), along with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, supported by armour begin the bloody advance into the town of Ortona to dislodge the occupying German defenders. 22 Dec: Canadian commanders divide Ortona into sectors and assign each fighting battalion a sector to clear of enemies. In a move to reduce pressure on the Canadians in Ortona, 1 Canadian Infantry Brigade moves into position northwest of Ortona to cut of key German supply routes. 23/24 Dec: Canadian reinforcements begin to arrive at Ortona to relieve exhausted troops and shore up units still embroiled in the bitterly slow and brutal advance into the town.

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24 Dec: Two days into the advance on Ortona, Canadian soldiers are fighting a yardby-yard battle to take the town. The Loyal Eddies and the Seaforths fight vicious house-to-house battles, and even room-to-room battles against the occupying German garrison forces.

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Timeline 25 Dec: Christmas Day brings no relief for Canadian soldiers in their efforts to take Ortona. Soldiers are rotated back to a Church to enjoy a hot Christmas meal where possible, though many are shot down by German forces in the attempt. Some commanders order their men to hold their positions rather than risk getting killed over trying to make it to Christmas Dinner. 26 Dec: The slow and perilous advance by Canadian forces begins to pay off as Canadian commanders in the field begin to report to their superiors that two-thirds of the battered town are now under Canadian control. However the battle continues to wage with the German forces making the Canadians fight for every yard gained in Ortona. 27 Dec: With the Canadian advance seemingly unstoppable, the German forces begin their withdrawal from Ortona. 28 Dec: Canadian forces take full control of Ortona. Canadian casualties for the month of December 1943 near 2400 men, effectively taking the 1st Canadian Division out of the war for a short period in order to rest its wounds. The Battle for Ortona has been won by the Canadians.

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“Street and house to house fighting continues. The enemy is showing a desperate resistance. Our 6 Pdr guns are engaging barricades and strong points to clear a passage for tanks. Since the Hun has blown down buildings to block off all the streets, it has been decided to concentrate on the clearing of the main axis through the city to enable our tanks to advance. 'D' Coy, flanked by 'B' Coy on the right and 'A' Coy on the left, clear the main street to the second city square where concentrated MMG fire and strong opposition is encountered. Clearing of the large buildings adjacent to this street, particularly towards the Esplanade, necessitates continuous fighting by these three Coys.” - War Diary of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, 22 December 1943 23

"It wasn't hell. It was the courtyard of hell. It was a maelstrom of noise and hot, splitting steel...the rattling of machine guns never stops ... wounded men refuse to leave, and the men don't want to be relieved after seven days and seven nights... the battlefield is still an appalling thing to see, in its mud, ruin, dead, and its blight and desolation." - Matthew Halton (war correspondent) 24 25

Ortona Captured  Captured town on Dec. 28, 1943  Lost 1,372 soldiers  Once beautiful town reduced to rubble

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 Once beautiful town reduced to rubble  Both sides agreed that the town was of little strategic importance  Battle of pride/egos 26 27

Outcome  Canadians continued to advance through Italy – then sent to France  Italy liberated, 1944  Approx. 6,000 Canadians died in Italy  1300 civilian deaths  Mussolini killed, 1945  Hung on display in Milan

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