Day 20 - Sept 16, 2017: Ortona and Area

Day 20 - Sept 16, 2017:  Ortona and Area

Editors note: More edits and pictures to come. Thank you for your patience!

The Battle of Ortona
The Battle of Ortona proved to be the most bitter battle for the Canadians in the Italian Campaign. It took place from 19 to 27 December 1943. The Germans would blow up buildings to fill the streets with rubble and make them impassable for the Canadian tanks and infantrymen. It was primarily the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Seaforth Highlanders that were involved in the house to house fighting. The style of fighting that our boys utilized was called mouseholing. This involved, starting from the top floor and working down, using a grenade to blow a hole in the wall between two apartment units then entering attacking any enemy inside.

The Price of Peace Monument
The Price of Peace monument in downtown Ortona is a poignant tribute to the Canadian soldiers who died there and in the surrounding areas



The Church Santa Maria di Constanopali
It was in this churchyard that a Christmas dinner was organized for the members of the Seaforth Highlanders Regiment from Vancouver. After five days of lite food and sleep the commander took it upon himself to provide his men with a two hour respite from the battle and enjoy a first class Christmas dinner.
The Basilica of  San Tomasso
The church was destroyed during fighting. Only one half of the dome existed - the rest blown off. Today the church's pipe organ hammered out the wedding march as a beautiful young Italian couple were married.



Moro River Can.adian War Cemetery
We found the Moro River Canadian War Cemetery south of Otona. It contains 1615 burials of which 1375 are Canadians and 52 are unidentified. These fatalities were all a result of the fighting in Otona and the battles preceding it. As with all other CWGC cemeteries this one was unique in i ts layout and well groomed.


Casa Berardi
Casa Berardi was a German stronghold in the Italian countryside. It was eventually taken by the Royal 22 Regiment. Captain Paul Triquet with just 15 remaining men take Casa Berardi and hold it overnight until reinforcements arrive. For his actions Paul Triquet is awarded the first of three Victoria Crosses that would be give to Canadians during the Italian campaign. Alongside the house is a monument to the Roayl 22nd Regiment - the "Van Doos"


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to My New Blog

Welcome everyone - to my new blog. This is my first attempt at public writing and blogging however, with the help of a blogging course under the instruction of a gentleman extremely knowledgeable in the subject Mr. Karl Plasz, I am hopeful you will find the blog both informational and inspirational. In school, English was a challenge. I think key building blocks were missed as a result of moving several times during the school years. To that, I apologize beforehand should the punctuation be incorrect or the grammar for that matter but I truly hope it won't be too great of a distraction. History: My oldest brother Bill and I have been planning a trip to Europe for some time now to check out battlefields and cemeteries of the Great War. We agreed that exploring places that our Grandfather would have been in during his involvement in World War II would make the trip even more special. Through our research we have discovered that 1) our great-grandfather Timothy Smith served
Read more

Day 10 - Sep 6, 2017: Normandy and Area with Pictures

Image
Day 10 -  Sept 6, 2017:  Normandy and Area  Arques la Bataille British Military Cemetery We passed by a the Arques la Bataille British War Cemetery and decided to check it out. It was on the top of a hill overlooking the countryside enroute to Normandy, not far from our B&B. This cemetery, as are all other CWGC cemeteries, was well groomed, neat and abundant with flowers. It was filled primarily with members from the South African Labour Camps as well as Chinese labourers and a few members of the Indian navy from the Great War. Le Grand Bunker Musee at Ouistreham We moved on to the Grand Bunker Museum at Ouistreham. On display here is a landing craft that was restored for the movie "Saving Private Ryan".  Standing inside gives you a feel for just how unprotected the soldiers were. There is extremely little keel to these and are basically a flat bottomed boat. It would be a bear to steer and would truly be at the mercy of the winds and seas. This bunker w
Read more

Day 24 - 20 Sept 2016: To Mons and area and the Netherlands

Image
Day 24 - Sept 20, 2017:  Mons and Area to the Netherlands Mons Town Hall The British first engaged the German forces in Mons in 1914. The Canadians were in Mons when the Great War came to an end at 11:00 on 11 November 1918. Lt Col. Arthur Curry addressed the men in the Town Hall Square on that day. A plaque is mounted in the entrance of the Town Hall commemorating the Canadians in the Great War Private George Price Ville-sur-Haine is a small town near Mons. It was here that the last soldier of the Great War was killed at 10:58 on 11 November 1918. He was a 26 year old private by the name of George Price and was a member of the 28th Battalion CEF - same battalion as our Great Grandfather Timothy. A memorial stands near the spot he was killed. As Bill and I were looking at the the monument a local Belgique lady who lived across the street called us over. She showed us a nicely framed picture she has of Private George Price. That was amazing! She only spoke French s
Read more