- 11 - General Eisenhower ordered a full invostication to be made o~i: (C . I .G. S . Summary Nos 94 and 95, dated 5 arrl 6 Dec 431 . ·. 41. Because of the difficulty of employing large tank forces in the mountainous sector during the winter months , 1 Cdn Armd Bde xx left 13 Corps on· 15 Nov, and moved to thv 4\.dria tic coast to cor.ia under command of 5 Corps . 12 Cdn Armd Regt, which at tho time of th.:i move was operating with 5 (Brit) Div in the Isernia area, remained behind to provide any tank assistance that might bo required there . ' (Hist Sec f ile Italy: 19~3/1 Cdn i.rmd Bdo/C/F: Seyond the San~ro; Account of Operations of 1 Cdn Armd Bdo , December 194 ). The original orders for the move received by Brigade Headquarters on 14 Nov applied only to 1·1 Cdn Armd Re gt, but the following day i t was decided that the t"!h.ole of the brig'ldo, loss 12 Cdn "~rmd Rcgt, would. concentrate in tho Termoli - Vas to area ( 1:1.D ., H .Q. 1 Cdn ~\.rmd Tk Bdo, 14-15 Nov 43) • To ensure that the brigad~ arrived in its now area in a battle­ worthy c ondi ti on, the tanks we re "orour~ht from ·i;he mountains down to tho sea on transporters . On 18 Nov, one squadron of 14 Cdn :.rnP. Regt was detailed to provide flank protection for 78 Div during the forming- up stage of Operation 11 ENCRO.f...CH 11 as it was originally pl8.nned, but tho move was cancelled in the gener~l delay and replanning of the attack (Ibi~, 18 Nov 43) . The anticipated role of the brigade in Operation "ENCROACH'' was the eventual relief of ,1 (Brit) 11.rmd Bde , e.nd with this in vievr, Brigadier \'iyman intended that the tanks should be well forward to avoid dcln.y and confusion when I operations were such that the exchange could take place (Belond the Sangr o, and W.D., H.Q. 1 Cdn ,\rrr.y Tk Bde , 29 Dec 43), Dur ng the last two weeks of Nov0mbor, tho Brigade was con­ fined to the Termol i - Vasto area by a 5 Corps order deny~ng to armour the use of the 1·oad south of Vg,sto - an or der necessary to preserve the road surface and prevent traffic congestion on routes to the forward areas whore essential stores ft>r, the attack were accumulating ('ii .D ., H .Q. 1 Cdn Army Tk Bde, 20- 22Nov 43) . 42 . During this waiting poriod, tho i 0linister of Nationttl Defence, Colonel The Honourable J .L . Ralston, and Lt-Gen H.D.G . Crerar , who were completing their tour of Canadian formations on the Italian front , visited the Brigade (Ibid, 25 Nov 43')'. - 43 . After the departure of 13 Corps, Brigade Headquarters was re- organized to form a Tactical Headquarters and a Main Headquarters , the former consistin~ of 11 G11 staff personnel, and the latter , ''A and Q. 11 • This would enable the na 11 sta.ff to move closer to the scene of battle and exercise better operational control , whilG tho administrative group, neces8arily cumbersome in an armoured forma ::.ion, fUnc tionod farther to the ·. rear . Throughout the operations of December, the t•."o did ll An entire cargo of must9.rd gas blow up during the raid with tho result that thG vrater and surviving ships wor•e heavily contaminated . This ""as not realized until the follo•.. ing day when many of the casualties being treated for shock died from blis~e~ing . (Verbal account by Lt- Col S . H. S . Hughes). xx Tho ordor changing the designation of this fo~mation from 1 Cdn rlrmy Tk Bde to 1 Cdn ~rmd Bde was received by Brigade Headquarters on 2 Dec 43 (Y.' .D.,' H.Q. 1 Cdn Arrrry Tk Bde, Doc ember 1943 : Appx 66, A & Q War Diary, 2 Dec tl3) • - 15 - not join. \;hen conditions demanded it, a. Battle Headquarters worked forward from Tnctical Headqu<irt.:.rs , thus providing an armour ed obsorvation post from ,,.,.hich the Brig:ldo Commander could ~i ew and contr ol tho battl3 • (Beyond the Sangro) . During t he early phases of 11 ENCROACH11 , Battl e Headquarters was located on the hich ground near Paglieta. on the south bank of the Sangro, and during tho early morning of 28 Nov, t ,.,o of i t s t'l.nks crossed tho r iver to prepo.re a headq.l.ar ter s i n the bridgehead, .from which position the moving of the Bri go.de acr oss tho Sa.ngro could be directed (r:: .D., H.Q. l Cdn .,.rmy Tk Bde , 27- 28 Nov ~~3) • 44 . Th0 Brigade Coom.andor wish0d to concentrate tho Brigade bet ween the main crossing 2nd tho sea' along the narrow r oad on tho south ba.nk of tho ri vcr. Corp$ Head­ quarter s , ho1.•!ever, se l ecte c~ as the concontra ti on area Scor ni, th3 move to ,,,hich could be completed on a socondo.ry road r ather t han th~ mo.in Corps o.xis. (Ibid, 29 Nov 43) . Thi s oove began on 29 Nov . Two days lat er;-14 Cdn .-1.rmd Rcgt crossed the Sang~ o , and concentr ated near Mozzagrogna under comr.io.nd of 8 Ind Div. ( t•; .D., 14 Cdn :.rmd Ro gt, l Dec 43) • The followi ng day, 11 Cdn .:\rod Regt and Brigade Tac tic al Head­ quarter s also crossed the river and harboured ~long tho· S . Maria - Fossaccsia r oad v1hcro thoy av•ai t ed their fir st task i n the opera ti on ( W. D., H .Q . 1 Cdn Ar1:"y Tk Bdo , 2 Doc 43; and W. D ., 11 Cdn Hrnrl Re gt, 2 Dec 43) • I 45 . Campobasso, throughout Nove.!'1.ber , had bcon the centre around ~ ich Canadian troops had ~njoyed their fi~st l ong r est s ince l anding on t ho Peninsula. This rest period ended on 26 No v with tho issuing of tho i·rarning order for tho move to. the Adriatic . The Division' s Tactical He~dquarters ·was recal lee. fron Pes ~olancie.no to Campobasso . 3 Cdn Inf Bde Group on t he Upper Sangro came under the direct oper atione:I. com.rrand of 13 Cor ps . n. For purposes of administration, however , i t remained under the command of 1 Cdn Inf Div (~ . D ., G.s ., H.Q. ,1 Cdn Inf Div, 26 Nov 43 ; Hist Soc file Ital y : 1943/ l Cdn I nf Div/C/F: November Ops Message Log, Serial 6761, 26 Nov 43) . General Vokes held an order s group at 2100 hrs on 27 Nov to outline the stops ·by which the relief of 78 Div was t o t ake pl ace . The G.o .c . pointed out that tho sit uation was not firm, but that by the time thu r.iove v 1 as under •ray i t was hoped that 78 Div u:oul d be in position forv•ard Of Fossa­ cesia . Tho move involved two phases : from the Di vision rs present location to stagi ng a r eas around Pe t acciato ton mi l es nor t h of Tormoli ; and from the staging areas to the forward positions . Ti.,o r outes ..,,ere to be used ; one from Campobasso through Larine, Termoli and Vasto; and the ot her, for 3 Cdn I nf Bde Gr oup and the three field companies of Engineers , .from Carovilli t hrough Castiglione and Vasto. Unit s travell­ i ng on t he latter route were to stage int he area of Casalbordino. Phase I was to be s t aggered over a five- day poriod beginni ng 30 Nov, the order of march be ing: 30 Nov: Divisi onal Headquarters and 2 Cdn Inf Bde Gp (incl udi ng 3 Pd Re gt, R .c . ii. ) along the route .from Campobasso ; Divisional Engineers along the route from Carovilli. 1 Dec : 1 Cdn Inf Bde Gp (including 2 Fd Regt, R .c .A. ) and Divisional Troops alone; the road f r om Campobasso. 4 Dec : 3 Cdn Inf Bde Gp (including 1 Fd Regt, R .C.H,Li. .) along th0 route from Ca.rovilli; and.;, Cdn Reece Regt along the route from Campobasso. ~ See Report No . 161 of Historical Section (G . S . ) Depart ment of National Defonce , - 16 - 46 . Each group ras to spcn1 one night in tho staging area a.nq complete Phase II on the f cllov:ing day. ·2 Cdn Inf Bdo ,,..,ns to r·e·place 36 fde in its reserv\3 ~osi tion on the north bank of- the Sangro on the nig~t ·or i/2 Dec. 1 Cdn lnf Bde J.•1as to ts.kc up d.efensi vc positions in the Fossc.ccsia area on tho night of 2/3 Dec , thus relieving 11 Bdoo On ~ Doc 2 Cdn Inf Bde '"as to raove into the. nd vanco on So Vi to¢ On 5 DQc , .3 Cdn Inf Bde was to cross tho Sq.ngro, thereby completing the changeover and allo1ving 38 Bdo to go into :-est . Tho plans were tentative and dopond.ont on the progress of the battle . Bocause of the increased cnomy. air activity over the l~dria tic sector, emphasis vro.s placed on camouflage and disper­ sal of vehicles in concentration areas .