DOCSLIB.ORG

Battle of Ortona: on December 20-28, 1943 Also Known As „‟ Bloody

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Battle of Ortona: on December 20-28, 1943 Also Known As „‟ Bloody Battle of Ortona: On December 20-28, 1943 also known as „‟ Bloody December “ , was one of the bloodiest ,yet most victorious battles for Canada against German troops on the Adriatic front in Italy. Mackenzie King: the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948. Trained in law and social work, he was keenly interested in the human condition, and played a major role in laying the foundations of the Canadian welfare state. RCAF- The Royal Canadian Air Force served alongside the English Airforce and helped to repel German invasion of England during the Battle of Britian. Battle of the St. Laurence: The Battle of the St. Laurence was the only time that enemy warships inflicted death in Canada‟s inland waters since the War of 1812. This battle was a part of another conflict, The Battle of the Atlantic from 1939 to 1945. The Battle of the St. Laurence is important because it marked the point in which German U-boats penetrated the Cabot Strait and the Strait of Belle Isle to sink 23 ships between 1942 and 1944. The St. Laurence was where a majority of ships passed through. The battle was ultimately won in the Atlantic. National Selective Service (NSS) - Placed workers where needed. If workers took jobs without NSS approval, they could be fined $500 and jailed for a year. Battle of Dieppe: August 1942- The Battle of Dieppe was a raid on the French port of Dieppe. Canadian, British, and American soldiers intended to test the German defenses. The Germans were waiting for the invasion, and killed, wounded, or captured more than 3000 Canadian soldiers out of the 5000 who were present. Hyde Park Declaration: Agreement between Canada and the US that stated that they would provide each other with the best material that they could produce; designed to ease Canada‟s financial problems in aiding the UK‟s war effort; signed by Roosevelt and King. Wartime Prices and Trade Board - Created in 1939 to control wages, prices, and the distribution of goods in order to slow down inflation. Although it was highly criticised, it was considered effective. The board officially disbanded in 1951. “Dollar-a-year men” - People that worked where the government thought was necessary. They got a place to stay and food and also at the end of the year got a dollar for their services. Victory Bonds: Approximately half of the Canadian war cost was covered by War Savings Certificates and war bonds known as "Victory Bonds" as in WWI. War Savings Certificates began selling in May 1940 and were sold door-to-door by volunteers as well as at banks, post offices, trust companies and other authorized dealers. They matured after seven years and paid $5 for every $4 invested but individuals could not own more than $600 each in certificates. Although the effort raised $318 million in funds and was successful in financially involving millions of Canadians in the war effort, it only provided the Government of Canada with a fraction of what was needed SS Caribou: A Newfoundland government passenger ship which sailed from Port aux Basques, Newfoundland to Novia Scotia. On October 14, 1942 a German U- boat discovered the Canadian ship returning to Port aux Basques and torpedo-ed the passenger ship. 137 passengers and crewmen were killed in this attack, it was the final attack in the Battle of Saint Lawrence. James Ilsley: A Member of the Canadian Parliament from 1926 to 1935. He was then part of William Mackenzie King's cabinet as Minister of National Revenue and he later was appointed to Minister of Finance during WWII where he successfully managed Canada's finances throughout the war. He was later appointed to higher positions and he worked his way up to chief justice of Nova Scotia. “Conscription if Necessary”: Slogan by McKenzie King for the conscription crisis going on in Canada in 1944. For two years King tried to block out the pressure to conscript by the casualties going on in Europe and by English Canadians. Eventually he would give in and introduce the Resources Mobilization Act that conscripted 16,000 Canadians. This slogan by King shows Canada‟s reluctancy to get more militarily involved in WWII yet the connection British Canadians have to Britain‟s involvement in the war shows Canada‟s dependency on Britain in the mid-1900s Battle of Brittan- "Air battle for Great Britain") is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The objective of the campaign was to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF), especially Fighter Command. The name derives from a famous speech delivered by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the House of Commons: "...the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin." .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Canadian Infantry Combat Training During the Second World War
    SHARPENING THE SABRE: CANADIAN INFANTRY COMBAT TRAINING DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR By R. DANIEL PELLERIN BBA (Honours), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2007 BA (Honours), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2008 MA, University of Waterloo, 2009 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in History University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario, Canada © Raymond Daniel Ryan Pellerin, Ottawa, Canada, 2016 ii ABSTRACT “Sharpening the Sabre: Canadian Infantry Combat Training during the Second World War” Author: R. Daniel Pellerin Supervisor: Serge Marc Durflinger 2016 During the Second World War, training was the Canadian Army’s longest sustained activity. Aside from isolated engagements at Hong Kong and Dieppe, the Canadians did not fight in a protracted campaign until the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The years that Canadian infantry units spent training in the United Kingdom were formative in the history of the Canadian Army. Despite what much of the historical literature has suggested, training succeeded in making the Canadian infantry capable of succeeding in battle against German forces. Canadian infantry training showed a definite progression towards professionalism and away from a pervasive prewar mentality that the infantry was a largely unskilled arm and that training infantrymen did not require special expertise. From 1939 to 1941, Canadian infantry training suffered from problems ranging from equipment shortages to poor senior leadership. In late 1941, the Canadians were introduced to a new method of training called “battle drill,” which broke tactical manoeuvres into simple movements, encouraged initiative among junior leaders, and greatly boosted the men’s morale.
    [Show full text]
  • Shooting the War: the Canadian Army Film Unit in the Second World
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Wilfrid Laurier University Canadian Military History Volume 14 | Issue 3 Article 3 4-16-2012 Shooting the War: The aC nadian Army Film Unit in the Second World War Sarah Klotz Library and Archives Canada Recommended Citation Klotz, Sarah (2005) "Shooting the War: The aC nadian Army Film Unit in the Second World War," Canadian Military History: Vol. 14: Iss. 3, Article 3. Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol14/iss3/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized administrator of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Klotz: Shooting the War Shooting the War The Canadian Army Film Unit in the Second World War Sarah Klotz “The exploits and adventures of these tripod toters, both in and out of actual combat, will no doubt enliven the pages of more than one book which will be written some day about World War II.”1 Jon Farrell, Canadian Geographic Journal, June 1945 ery little has been written about the Canadian Most of the existing scholarship exploring VArmy Film Unit (CAFU) since the end of Canadian film and the Second World War focuses the Second World War, despite Jon Farrell’s on the NFB and John Grierson, the father of the postulation. There have been a few short documentary in Canada and the NFB’s first film newspaper articles related to the Film Unit and commissioner.4 The historiography suggests the D-Day footage that made it famous, but there that the NFB was, for all practical purposes, the has been no scholarly study by either military main film institution creating Canadian motion or film historians.2 The purpose of the CAFU pictures.
    [Show full text]
  • Canadian Army Morale, Discipline and Surveillance in the Second World War, 1939-1945
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2015-09-29 Medicine and Obedience: Canadian Army Morale, Discipline and Surveillance in the Second World War, 1939-1945. Pratt, William Pratt, W. (2015). Medicine and Obedience: Canadian Army Morale, Discipline and Surveillance in the Second World War, 1939-1945. (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26871 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2540 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca Medicine and Obedience: Canadian Army Morale, Discipline, and Surveillance in the Second World War, 1939-1945. by William John Pratt A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN HISTORY CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER, 2015 © William John Pratt 2015 Abstract In the Second World War Canadian Army, medicine and discipline were inherently linked in a system of morale surveillance. The Army used a wide range of tools to monitor morale on medical lines. A basic function of Canadian medical officers was to keep units and formations up to strength, not only by attending to their basic health, but also by scrutinizing ailments under suspicion of malingering.
    [Show full text]
  • The Battle of Ortona
    A Final Combat Scenario The Battle of Ortona The Battle of Ortona 20 December 1943 Britton Publishers Page 1 A Final Combat Scenario The Battle of Ortona History The Battle of Ortona (December 20, 1943 to December 28, 1943) was a small yet extremely fierce battle fought between German Fallschirmjäger, and assaulting Canadian forces from the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. It was the culmination of the fighting on the Adriatic front in Italy during "Bloody December" and was considered among Canada's greatest achievements during the war. Taking place in the small Adriatic Sea town of Ortona, with its peacetime population of 10,000, the battle was the site of what was perhaps the deadliest close quarter combat engagement of the entire war. Some dubbed this "Little Stalingrad." Background The Eighth Army's offensive on the Winter Line defenses east of the Apennine Mountains had commenced on November 23 with the crossing of the river Sangro. By the end of the month the main Gustav Line defenses had been penetrated and the Allied troops were fighting their way forward to the next river, the Moro, four miles north of the mouth of which lay Ortona. For the Moro crossing in early December the exhausted British 78th Infantry Division on the Allied right flank on the Adriatic coast had been relieved by Canadian 1st Infantry Division. By mid December, after fierce fighting in the cold, wet and mud the Division's 1st Infantry Brigade had fought its way to within two miles of Ortona and was relieved by 2nd Infantry Brigade for the advance on the town.
    [Show full text]
  • Protestant Chaplains in the Canadian Military, 1939-1945 John M
    James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Masters Theses The Graduate School Spring 2017 God’s silent witnesses: Protestant chaplains in the Canadian Military, 1939-1945 John M. MacInnis James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019 Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation MacInnis, John M., "God’s silent witnesses: Protestant chaplains in the Canadian Military, 1939-1945" (2017). Masters Theses. 505. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/505 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. God’s Silent Witnesses: Protestant Chaplains in the Canadian Military, 1939-1945 John Michael MacInnis A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of History May 2017 FACULTY COMMITTEE: Committee Chair: Dr. Michael Galgano Committee Members/ Readers: Dr. Michael Seth Dr. Andrew Witmer Dedication For my friends, family, and loved ones who kept me sane during graduate school. Ad maiorem Dei gloriam ii Acknowledgments Many thanks to the Graduate School for their financial assistance in my travel to France this past summer. The experience of going to Normandy was vital in the creation of this thesis. My time in France could not have been possible without Dr. Galgano and Normandy Allies leading the trip, it was a truly unforgettable experience. Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • The Second World War Through Primary- and Secondary-Source Research and Examination, Engaging Discussion Questions and Group Activities
    A project of with support from ///Message to Teachers/// Table of Contents This guide is intended to assist teachers and students as they study Canada’s involvement in the Second Message to Teachers 2 World War. It highlights some of the significant historical themes and events of that period but is not meant to be a comprehensive history of Canada and the war; in fact, some teachers may choose to highlight different Introduction 2 aspects of this period in their classes, such as the naval war on Canada’s doorstep or Canada’s participation in the bombing offensive against Germany. Nonetheless, the content presented here constitutes a meaningful entry Second World War Timeline 3–4 point into examining the country’s involvement in one of the 20th century’s pivotal armed conflicts. Additionally, the skills students will develop in the activities will apply to any existing units being used in class by teachers. Canada in Battle 5–8 Developed in line with the historical thinking concepts created by the Historical Thinking Project, Women and the War 8–9 this guide complements Canadian middle-school and high-school curricula. It invites students to deepen Home Front 9–10 their understanding of the Second World War through primary- and secondary-source research and examination, engaging discussion questions and group activities. The Ethical Dimension and the Second World War 10–12 This guide was produced by Historica Canada with the generous support of the Government of Canada. Legacy and Consequences 12 Further educational activities and resources are available on The Canadian Encyclopedia and The Memory Project websites.
    [Show full text]
  • World War II Timeline D
    6.2.4 World War II Timeline d 1933 Hitler comes to power in Germany. 1936 Hitler and Mussolini sign pact. November 9, 1938 Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues are looted and burned by Nazis. Reichskristallnacht, Many Jews are killed, and thousands are taken to concentration camps. Crystal Night September 3, 1939 France and Great Britain declare war on Germany. September 10, 1939 Canada declares war on Germany. October 1939 Poland surrenders to Germany. December 1939 First Canadian troops arrive in Britain. April 1940 Germany invades Denmark and Norway. May 10, 1940 Germany invades Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain. May 12, 1940 Germany invades France. May 14, 1940 Dutch army surrenders to Germany. May 20, 1940 German Army reaches the English Channel. May 28, 1940 Belgium surrenders to Germany. June 10, 1940 Italy declares war on Britain and France. June 22, 1940 France surrenders to Germany. Canada expands war effort. July 10, 1940 to Battle of Britain begins: Canada participates in air fights over the English October 31, 1940 Channel. November 1940 Troops and equipment from Canada start moving in carriers across the Atlantic. Battle of the Atlantic is underway. September 1940 Italy invades Egypt and Greece. June 1941 Germany invades Russia. Russia (Soviet Union) joins Allied powers. September 27, 1941 Japan joins the Axis powers. October 1941 Canada agrees to send two divisions of the Canadian army to Hong Kong to defend the British colony against Japan. November 1941 First Canadian Army is established in England under General McNaughton. December 1941 Soviets stop the German advance into Russia.
    [Show full text]
  • Major-General Christopher Vokes at the Battles of the Moro River and Ortona, December 1943
    Canadian Military History Volume 16 Issue 3 Article 3 2007 Trial by Fire: Major-General Christopher Vokes at the Battles of the Moro River and Ortona, December 1943 G.C. Case Canadian Armed Forces, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Case, G.C. "Trial by Fire: Major-General Christopher Vokes at the Battles of the Moro River and Ortona, December 1943." Canadian Military History 16, 3 (2007) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Case: Trial by Fire Trial by Fire Major-General Christopher Vokes at the Battles of the Moro River and Ortona, December 1943 G.C. Case uring the month of December 1943, the 1st stretch Germany’s military resources to the DCanadian Infantry Division (1st Cdn Div) breaking point, especially following Operation underwent the most severe trial yet experienced Overlord, the forthcoming cross-Channel by Canadian troops in Italy, when it crossed the invasion of Europe. Despite these lofty goals, Moro River, engaged two German divisions in however, it would be a strictly limited effort. So rapid succession and, after a week of vicious as not to jeopardize the success of Overlord, it street fighting, took the town of Ortona. Hailed at was agreed by the Combined Chiefs of Staff that the time as victories, these battles have since been the commitment in the Mediterranean would not the subject of considerable debate among soldiers be reinforced.
    [Show full text]
  • Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Regimental
    PRINCESS PATRICIA’S CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY REGIMENTAL MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS MANUAL 2018 INTRODUCTION This manual is published for the serving and retired components of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) by Regimental Headquarters in partnership with the PPCLI Association under the authority and with approval of the Regimental Executive Committee. This document may be viewed on the Regiment’s website at ppcli.com. Amendments will be made as new information is collected. J.D. Schaub Lieutenant-Colonel Chairman, Regimental Executive Committee Editors Regimental Major And The President of the Association Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry TABLE OF CONTENTS BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................................. 9 AIM .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 CONCEPT OF SUPPORT .................................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 2: MONUMENTS & MEMORIALS WITHIN CANADA ............................................................................... 10 SECTION 1 – BRITISH COLUMBIA ................................................................................................................... 10 1. Work Point Barracks ................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • By FABIO TONCELLI
    Produced by A documentary of 52 minutes by FABIO TONCELLI What terrible secret does the Battle of Ortona conceal? Why does no one want to remember? What really happened? The true story of the bloodiest and most mysterious battle of the Second World War in Italy. ORTONA 1943: A BLOODY CHRISTMAS by Fabio Toncelli from an idea by Michele Barca Based on the book "La Stalingrado d'Italia" by Marco Patricelli The Allied Forces decided to launch a massive attack on the small coastal town of Ortona in Abruzzo, in central Italy, convinced that victory would rapidly be theirs. But the Germans were waiting for them… Conquering Piazza Vittoria,intersection of 5 major streets INTRODUCTION AND VISUAL APPROACH 3 CAPTION: “ORTONA:ABRUZZO, CENTRAL ITALY,1994” The noise of a bulldozer,pneumatic drills, men’s voices on a building site. A group of workers are busy demolishing the foundations of a building. Mechanical diggers are excavating the earth. Suddenly, the digger opera- tor stops. He has spotted something unearthed by the digging. It is a German helmet from World War II, and nearby are some scraps of a German uniform, bearing the insignia of the parachute regiment. We see a brief clip from a local newscast reporting on the discovery of the remains of a German soldier from World War II. Near the uniform, half-covered in earth, lies a human skull. The image slowly fades into…. Someone in Germany will finally have a tomb to weep over, over sixty years later…. CAPTION: “ALLIED MILITARY CEMETERY IN ORTONA” …among the spring flowers of the peaceful Italian countryside we see rows of graves of the Allied dead.
    [Show full text]
  • The Urban Battle of Ortona
    THE URBAN BATTLE OF ORTONA by Jayson Geroux B.A. Degree (Honours History), Wilfrid Laurier University, 1993 A thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Graduate Academic Unit of History Supervisor(s): Lee Windsor, PhD, History Examining Board: Cindy Brown, PhD, History David Hofmann, PhD, Sociology This thesis is accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK September, 2020 © Jayson Geroux, 2020 Abstract This thesis closely examines 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade’s day-by-day decisions and combat actions during the urban battle for Ortona in December 1943. Ortona stands among the most famous historical cases of urban warfare that have been harvested for lessons and doctrinal formulas for modern armies. Existing histories reveal how the story is often simplified into glimpses of its most dramatic moments that are seldom cross-referenced or connected chronologically. This study links the tangled nest of dramatic stories in time and space to reveal the chain of historical cause and consequence. Additionally, this study considers how geography, force composition, weapons systems, and the presence of substantial numbers of Italian civilians all factored in the outcome. The thesis follows 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade’s day-to-day struggle through Ortona’s streets to understand how they attempted to impose order on what has historically been labelled as chaos. ii Acknowledgements There were many people that made this thesis possible. First and foremost, I will be eternally grateful to my beautiful wife Courtney Charlotte, who gave me the nudge when she realized that although I was a full time Regular Force career infantry officer with The Royal Canadian Regiment, it was time to follow through with my dream of acquiring a history degree beyond just a Bachelor of Arts.
    [Show full text]
  • Colour Brochure 2011 1St Edition.Qxd
    AAFFTTEERR TTHHEE BBAATTTTLLEE NEW TITLE PUBLISHED JUNE 2019 In 2012 Jean Paul Pallud wrote the After the Battle account of the Desert War; now he completes the story with detailed coverage of JEAN PAUL PALLUD the landings of Operation ‘Torch’ in North-West Africa in November 1942. When the western Allies decided to launch a second front in North Africa, they carefully considered the anti-British feeling left in France by the ill-advised attack by the Royal Navy on the French Fleet at Mers el Kébir in July 1940. Consequently, the operation was given an American rather than a British complexion, General Eisenhower was chosen to lead a mostly American force into battle and the major Royal Navy contribution was kept as inconspicuous as possible. At this point in the war, the Allies had almost no experience with amphibious operations and it was a risky undertaking to carry out such an immense operation covering multiple landings over 600 miles apart. Even more amazing was the fact that part of the invasion forces was to depart from the United States, 6,000 miles away. As the orders were not confirmed until a month before Operation ‘Torch’ was launched, there was very little time to organise such a logistically complex operation involving American and British forces, and even less time for the pro-Allied French to organise more than small measures of support. There were two landings in the Mediterranean, at three main points near Algiers and three near Oran, and three landings on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. There, the main landing came ashore at Fédala, 18 miles north-east of Casablanca, and the armour was brought ashore at Safi, 140 miles south-east.
    [Show full text]