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I Canadian Corps Intelligence During the Liri Valley Campaign

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Factum ex Scientia: I Canadian Corps Intelligence during the Liri Valley Campaign, May – June 1944 by Connor Seefeldt Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the MA degree in History Department of History Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa ©Connor Seefeldt, Ottawa, Canada, 2012 ii Abstract Connor Seefeldt Dr. Serge Durflinger University of Ottawa, 2012 Studies on Canadian Army military intelligence remain sparse in Canadian military historiography. This study is unique in that it focuses on the development, doctrine, and influence of intelligence within the I Canadian Corps throughout the Liri Valley battles during the Italian Campaign. It will be argued that I Canadian Corps intelligence achieved notable overall success in helping to break the Hitler Line by providing comprehensive and relatively up-to-date information on enemy dispositions and strengths which helped commanders and staff planners properly prepare for the operation. This success was attributable to three main factors: excellent intelligence personnel selection and training; the successful mentorship of I Canadian Corps intelligence by Eighth Army's intelligence cadre; and the overall effectiveness of 1st Canadian Infantry Division's intelligence organization which had been in the Mediterranean theatre since July 1943. Notwithstanding these successes, a number of faults within the Canadian Corps intelligence system must also be explained, including the poor performance of 5th Canadian Armoured Division's intelligence organization during the pursuit up the Liri–Sacco Valleys, and the mediocre execution of Corps counter-battery and counter- mortar operations. This study will demonstrate how an effective intelligence organization must augment existing army doctrine and how it can mitigate, though not completely eliminate, battlefield uncertainty. Further, it will also demonstrate that a comprehensive lessons-learned process must be undertaken to continually refine existing intelligence doctrine and procedures, with frequent training programs inculcating personnel in this doctrine. Taken as a whole, this study is unique as it is one of only several studies devoted solely to developing a greater understanding of a little-understood, and often forgotten, staff function within the Canadian Army during the Second World War. iii Acknowledgements Completing a Masters degree is never an easy venture, and no one stands alone in doing so. Completing it as a full-time member of the Canadian Forces with a number of operational commitments, including a deployment to Afghanistan in the midst of doing coursework, makes it even more difficult. As such, when I entered Dr. Serge Durflinger's office for the first time in the late Summer of 2007 to discuss the prospect of him being my supervisor, I was wholly ignorant of how fortunate I would be for him to guide my way through the next, often chaotic, five years. Throughout this period, Dr. Durflinger has provided moral support, sage advice, and a critical eye on my work, to the point I owe a debt of gratitude that is beyond words. I can only hope that one day, I will be able to reciprocate the support he gave me. Of course, a number of others have greatly assisted my efforts. My loving and patient wife, Alicia, has been by my side since the beginning, and she sustained my faith in this undertaking when the odds seemed insurmountable. Certainly my father (James), mother (Louise), brother (Derrick), and sister (Amber) have always supported me, whatever my aspirations, and have always reminded me not to take myself too seriously. The History Department's Academic Assistant, Suzanne Dalrymple, has proved on numerous occasions to be an important facilitator for all things administrative. My previous honours mentor, Dr. John Ferris, not only originally set me on the right path to understanding intelligence issues, he provided critical advice when it came time to change course mid-stream, so to speak. David O'Keefe must be acknowledged for not only providing valid suggestions, but also an important document from the British archives written by the Canadian Intelligence Corps senior British mentor, Brigadier Edgar Williams. A number of my supervisors, including Denis Rheault, Major Roy van den Berg, and Lieutenant Colonel Cody Sherman, to name a few, were instrumental in providing support during critical stages of the thesis formulation process. My ever-philosophic friend since our militia days, Jamie Good, always asked key questions and "why", aiding my critical thinking. My close colleagues, mentors, and friends developed during our time in Afghanistan, Paul Hodgins and John Kubryn, not only helped me build a solid iv understanding of the basics of our trade, they also continued to be good sounding boards for my ideas. However, even more than the personal acknowledgements, and the debt of personal gratitude to individuals who I probably will never be able to repay, there is another thank you to be made to those who answer the call to fight tyranny in its purest forms, both in generations past, the present, and in the future. Despite its flaws and those who would exploit its more lenient and tolerant culture, Western liberal democracy has been and is worth defending against ideologies which are anathema to ours, such as fascism. This thank you goes out in particular those who work in less discernible roles in these struggles, such as intelligence; your contributions, whether they are recorded or not, will not be forgotten. Factum ex Scientia (Action from Knowledge). v Table of Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements.....................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................v List of Maps.................................................................................................................................vi List of Abbreviations...................................................................................................................vii Introduction.................................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: Canadian Army Intelligence 1914 - 1939, and the Restoration and Training of the Intelligence Corps ...............................................................................................................15 Chapter Two: Intelligence Organization and Sources - Unit to Formation Level.......................28 Chapter Three: The Development of 1st Canadian Infantry Division, I Canadian Corps and 5th Canadian Armoured Division Intelligence Prior to the Liri Valley Campaign.............................55 Chapter Four: Intelligence Planning for the Liri Valley Campaign.............................................88 Chapter Five: Intelligence During the Advance to and Breaking of the Hitler Line.................106 Chapter Six: Intelligence in the Pursuit Up the Liri - Sacco Valleys..........................................143 Conclusion: The Lessons Learned Process – "Kingsmill's Killers" improve I Canadian Corps Intelligence..............................................................................................................................166 Bibliography.............................................................................................................................183 vi List of Maps Figure One: German Switchlines, Late 1943..............................................................................64 Figure Two: The Italian Front, 11 May 1944..............................................................................92 Figure Three: The Gustav and Hitler Lines.................................................................................95 Figure Four: The Breakout from the Hitler Line.......................................................................144 Figure Five: The Battle for Rome.............................................................................................157 Figure Six: The Gothic / Green Line.........................................................................................178 vii List of Abbreviations and Acronyms Air OPs - Air Observation Posts APIS - Air Photographic Interpretation Section Bn - Battalion Bde - Brigade Brig. - Brigadier General BIC - British Intelligence Corps Cdn - Canadian CIC - Canadian Intelligence Corps 1 CIB - 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade 2 CIB - 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade 3 CIB - 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade 11 CIB - 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade 12 CIB - 12th Canadian Infantry Brigade 5 CAB - 5th Canadian Armoured Brigade 1 CID - 1st Canadian Infantry Division 5 CAD - 5th Canadian Armoured Division CIC - Canadian Intelligence Corps CMHQ - Canadian Military Headquarters COS - Chief of Staff Col. - Colonel C2 - Command and Control C3 - Command, Control and Communications CO - Commanding Officer viii CB - Counter-Battery CBO - Counter-Battery Office CM - Counter-Mortar CMO - Counter-Mortar Office DMI - Director of Military Intelligence DMT - Directorate of Military Training Div - Division FOO - Forward Observation Officer GOC - General Officer Commanding GS - General Staff GSO - General Staff Officer GSO 1 Int - General Staff Officer,
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