battle of Ortona

File:Italy1943Sango+MoroCampaigns.svg. Ortona was a city of strategic importance, as one of Italy's few deep water ports on the east coast.]]

By late 1943, the Allies did not intend the entire Italian campaign to win the war but only to remove Italian troops from other areas of Europe, divert German forces from France and reduce the strength of the German army; the D-Day invasion was already in the planning stages for the following spring or summer.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian |title=Ortona: Canada's Epic World War II Battle |author=Mark Zuehlke |page=4 |date=1 November 2003 |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=1550545574 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228034717/https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian#v=snippet&q=mouse%20holing%20ortona%20canadian&f=false |url-status=live }} As one source indicates, "By dividing Nazi forces between several separate fronts, the Allies would prevent Hitler from striking a deadly blow at the USSR or from concentrating an invincible army along the coast of Normandy".{{cite web |url=https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/the-italian-campaign/ |website=Juno Beach Centre |date=11 October 2011 |title=CANADA IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR – The Italian Campaign |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=27 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227040803/https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/the-italian-campaign/ |url-status=live }}

The British Eighth Army's offensive on the Winter Line defences east of the Apennine mountains had commenced on 23 November with the crossing of the river Sangro. By the end of the month, the main Gustav Line defences (the major part of the Winter Line) had been penetrated and the Allied troops were fighting their way forward to the next river, the Moro, {{convert|4|mi|km|0|order=flip}} 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 the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, under the command of Major-General Christopher Vokes.Zuehlke (1999), p. 14 By mid-December, after fierce fighting in the cold and mud, the 1st Canadian Division's 1st Infantry Brigade, under Brigadier Howard Graham, had fought its way to within {{cvt|2|mi|km|0|order=flip}} of Ortona and was relieved by Brigadier Bert Hoffmeister's 2nd Infantry Brigade for the advance on the town.{{Cite journal |last=Case |first=G.C. |date=2012-04-26 |title=Trial by Fire: Major-General Christopher Vokes at the Battles of the Moro River and Ortona, December 1943 |url=https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol16/iss3/3 |journal=Canadian Military History |volume=16 |issue=3 |issn=1195-8472 |access-date=28 December 2021 |archive-date=28 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228194642/https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol16/iss3/3/ |url-status=live }}

Some historians indicate that Ortona was of high strategic importance, as it was one of Italy's few usable deep water ports on the east coast, and was needed for docking Allied ships and to shorten Eighth Army's lines of supply which at the time stretched back to Bari and Taranto. Allied forces were ordered to maintain the offensive, and going through the built-up areas in and around Ortona was the only feasible option. Ortona was part of the Winter Line defence system and the Germans had constructed a series of interlocking defensive positions in the town. This—together with the fact that the Germans had been ordered to "fight for every last house and tree"Farley Mowat, And No Birds Sang.Zuehlke (1999), p. 160—made the town a formidable obstacle to any attacking force.

Other historians, including Rick Atkinson, assign lesser importance for Ortona. He quotes Field Marshal Albert Kesselring who said, "We do not want to defend Ortona decisively .. but the English have made it appear as important as Rome"; General Joachim Lemelsen, the temporary commander, replied, "It costs so much in blood, it cannot be justified".{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FBZJWEME4eIC&q=ortona+2300+canadian+casualties&pg=PA306 |title=The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943–1944 |author=Rick Atkinson |page=306 |date=14 September 2002 |publisher=University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division |isbn=9780805088618 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228034843/https://books.google.com/books?id=FBZJWEME4eIC&q=ortona+2300+canadian+casualties&pg=PA306#v=snippet&q=ortona%202300%20canadian%20casualties&f=false |url-status=live }} Nonetheless, the Allies believed it would be merely a minor battle and proceeded with the plan; the Germans then rose to the occasion, holding the town with great determination.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian |title=Ortona: Canada's Epic World War II Battle |author=Mark Zuehlke |pages=31, 283 |date=1 November 2003 |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=1550545574 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228034717/https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian#v=snippet&q=mouse%20holing%20ortona%20canadian&f=false |url-status=live }}

File:Ortona1.jpg and the Canadian First Infantry Division.]]

The Canadians faced elements of the German 1st Parachute Division.{{#tag:ref|"the best German troops in Italy" in [General] Alexander's estimation.Atkinson 2013, p. 303|group=Note}} These soldiers were battle-hardened after many years of war, and defended doggedly.

The initial Canadian attack on the town was made on 20 December by Canadian 2nd Brigade's Loyal Edmonton Regiment with elements of The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada under command. Meanwhile, elements of the division's 3rd Infantry Brigade launched a northerly attack to the west of the town in attempt to outflank and cut off the town's rear communications but made slow progress because of the difficult terrain and the skillful and determined German defence. On 21 December 1943, the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Seaforth Highlanders entered Ortona, assisted by the tanks of the Three Rivers Regiment, part of the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, under Brigadier Robert Andrew Wyman.{{cite web |url=https://cmea-agmc.ca/heritage-moment/mouse-holing-ortona |website=Danube Travel |date=26 October 2016 |title=Mouse Holing at Ortona |access-date=18 December 2018 |archive-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226233502/https://cmea-agmc.ca/heritage-moment/mouse-holing-ortona |url-status=dead}}

File:RCAMCJeepOrtonaDec1943.jpg (RCAMC) bringing in two wounded Canadian soldiers on the Moro River front, south of San Leonardo di Ortona, Italy, December 10, 1943.]]

The Germans had concealed various machine guns and anti-tank emplacements throughout the town, making movement by armour and infantry increasingly difficult.Bercuson, p. 175 The house-to-house fighting was vicious and the Canadians made use of a tactic that had previously infrequently been used: "mouse-holing". This tactic involved using weapons such as the PIAT or cumbersome Teller anti-tank mines to create a large aperture in the wall of a building, as houses within Ortona shared adjoining walls.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian |title=Ortona: Canada's Epic World War II Battle |author=Mark Zuehlke |pages=286–287 |date=1 November 2003 |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=1550545574 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228034717/https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian#v=snippet&q=mouse%20holing%20ortona%20canadian&f=false |url-status=live }} The soldiers would then throw in grenades and make their assault through the mouse holes, clearing the stairs to the top or bottom floor with grenades or machine guns; they would follow to reach any adversaries and struggle in repeated close-quarters combat. Mouse-holing was also used to pierce through walls into adjoining rooms, sometimes catching enemy troops by surprise. The tactic would be used repeatedly as assaulting through the streets caused heavy casualties for both Canadian and German troops.Atkinson, p. 305-6.

Mouse-holing also allowed the soldiers to progress through the town, building by building, without entering the streets where they would face enemy fire.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W4IKaP7qoaAC&q=mouse+holing+ortona&pg=PA26 |title=Last Man Standing: The Life of Smokey Smith, Vc, 1914–2005 |author=Thomas Glen Lockhart |page=26 |date=27 November 2012 |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=978-1460201992 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228034718/https://books.google.com/books?id=W4IKaP7qoaAC&q=mouse+holing+ortona&pg=PA26#v=snippet&q=mouse%20holing%20ortona&f=false |url-status=live }} While some sources attribute the strategy to the Canadian forces, a British training film of 1941 had already illustrated the concept. The Canadians were certainly early, effective and courageous users of the technique.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian |title=Ortona: Canada's Epic World War II Battle |author=Mark Zuehlke |page=286 |date=1 November 2003 |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=1550545574 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228034717/https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian#v=snippet&q=mouse%20holing%20ortona%20canadian&f=false |url-status=live }} Throughout the battle, engineers on both sides also used the brutal but effective tactic of using demolition charges to collapse entire buildings on top of enemy troops.Zuehlke (1999), p. 343{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian |title=Ortona: Canada's Epic World War II Battle |author=Mark Zuehlke |page=287 |date=1 November 2003 |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=1550545574 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228034717/https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=mouse+holing+ortona+canadian#v=snippet&q=mouse%20holing%20ortona%20canadian&f=false |url-status=live }}

On 28 December, after eight days of fighting, the depleted German troops finally withdrew from the town. The Canadians suffered 1,375 dead{{rp|373}} during the Moro River battles of which Ortona was one part. This represented almost a quarter of all Canadians killed during the entire Italian Campaign.{{cite web |url=http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/christmas-at-the-front/history/orton |website=Veterans Canada |date=27 April 2005 |title=Remembering a bloody Christmas in Ortona |access-date=26 December 2018}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Other sources placed Canadian casualties as high as 2,300 (including 500 dead) before the town was won for the Allies.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z7E-j1UWuOMC&q=ortona+canadian+engineers&pg=PA495 |title=Canada's Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace |author=J. L. Granatstein |page=240 |date=14 September 2002 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=9780802046918 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228035313/https://books.google.com/books?id=z7E-j1UWuOMC&q=ortona+canadian+engineers&pg=PA495#v=snippet&q=ortona%20canadian%20engineers&f=false |url-status=live }}

The battle has been examined post-war for lessons in urban fighting, drawing upon articles.{{Cite web |url=http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo8/no4/gooderso-eng.asp |title=Military History |access-date=23 July 2020 |archive-date=25 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825152707/http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo8/no4/gooderso-eng.asp |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.seaforthhighlanders.ca/stories/470 |title=Analyzing Ortona |date=3 December 2013 |access-date=23 July 2020 |archive-date=23 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723085350/https://www.seaforthhighlanders.ca/stories/470 |url-status=live }} A detailed online account exists.{{Cite web |url=http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo8/no4/gooderso-eng.asp |title=Military History |access-date=23 July 2020 |archive-date=25 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825152707/http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo8/no4/gooderso-eng.asp |url-status=live }}

The Canadians destroyed the dome on the church of St Thomas in the town centre using tank fire, to prevent it being used for spotting. On Christmas Day the Allies (who had by then occupied a smaller church), were ordered to destroy both the cathedral and the civilian hospital, but this was largely avoided.World War 2, episode 2/7, Bloody Ortona December 1943

File:The Canadian Army in Italy 1944 NA10975.jpg, 1st Canadian Division, places flowers on the grave of his brother, who was killed in action at Ortona, 16 January 1944.]]

Ortona was successfully liberated but the month would be considered as "Bloody December" by Canadian forces because of the numerous casualties in and around the town. As well, over 5,000 Canadians were evacuated due to battle exhaustion and illness. In addition to the Canadian losses, the German 1st Parachute Division and the 90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) also suffered numerous casualties.

{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/ortonacanadasepi0000zueh |url-access=registration |title=Canadian Military Atlas: Four Centuries of Conflict from New France to Kosovo |author=Mark Zuehlke, C. Stuart Daniel |page=160 |date=19 October 2016 |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=978-1553652090 |access-date=26 December 2018}}

The contribution made by Canadian troops was summarized as follows by Major General Christopher Vokes in his report on the Ortona offensive: "We smashed the 90th Panzer Grenadier Division and we gave the 1st German Parachute Division a mauling which it will long remember".{{cite journal |author= |title=The Canadians in Italy 1943–1945 Volume II |url=http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2009/forces/D2-502E.pdf |journal=Publications Canada |pages=339 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=13 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813131800/https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2009/forces/D2-502E.pdf |url-status=live }} Nonetheless, after the war, the significance of the battle in Ortona was minimized by others such as Rick Atkinson, perhaps because it did not have a significant impact on winning the war.

In November 2000, the Government of Canada erected a plaque at the Piazza Plebiscito in Ortona, in recognition of the battle as a National Historic Event of Canada that "symbolized the efforts of the Canadian Army in the Italian Campaign during World War II". The plaque reads as follows: "In early December 1943 the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade began their most savage battle of the Italian Campaign. In the mud and rain troops attacked from the Moro River to Ortona. Then, from house to house and room to room there raged a ferocious battle against resolute German defenders. With extraordinary courage the Canadians prevailed, and just after Christmas finally secured the town".{{cite web |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=1925 |website=Parks Canada |date=15 November 2000 |title=Battle for Ortona National Historic Event of Canada |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=27 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227040816/https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=1925 |url-status=live }}

1375 Canadian soldiers are buried at the Ortona Canadian Military Cemetery south of Ortona.

{{reflist|group=Note}}

{{reflist|group=nb}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Cite book |last=Atkinson |first=Rick |author-link=Rick Atkinson |orig-year=2007 |year=2013 |title=The Day of Battle |publisher=Abacus |isbn=978-0-349-11635-8}}
• {{Cite book |last=Bercuson |first=David |orig-year=1996 |year=2001 |title=Maple Leaf Against the Axis |publisher=Red Deer Press |isbn=0-88995-305-8 |oclc=55973783 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mapleleafagainst0000berc}}
• {{Cite book |first=Farley |last=Mowat |author-link=Farley Mowat |title=And No Birds Sang |publisher=McClelland & Stewart |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-7710-6618-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qu0l5h_Y99gC&q=And%20No%20Birds%20Sang&pg=PP1 |page=219 pages}}
• {{Cite book |last=Zuehlke |first=Mark |year=1999 |title=Ortona: Canada's epic World War II battle |location=Vancouver |author-link=Mark Zuehlke |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzL7VE3o24wC&q=Canada%20World%20War&pg=PP1 |isbn=1-55054-557-4}}

{{Commons category|Battle of Ortona}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

• [http://www.ortonaamare.it/1943.html ortonaamare.it]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070621182506/http://www.ortona.ca/ Remembering Ortona - 65th Anniversary]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080314131038/http://www.italiancampaign.ca/ Ortona and the Italian Campaign – 65th Anniversary]
• [http://www.canadaatwar.ca/page44.html The Battle of Ortona (The "Italian Stalingrad") – Complete overview, video / audio and a large picture gallery.] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308124602/http://www.canadaatwar.ca/page44.html |date=8 March 2018 }}
• [http://www.cdnmilitary.ca/ortona/index.htm CdnMilitary.ca Battle of Ortona website for Veterans Week 2004]
• [http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/ortona/ CBC history on the Battle of Ortona]
• [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-ortona/ "Battle of Ortona"]. The Canadian Encyclopedia.
• [https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b4231321?urlappend=%3Bseq=573 "How the Enemy Defended the Town of Ortona"], Intelligence Bulletin, July 1944, Vol. II, No. 11, MIS 461, US War Department ([https://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ortona/index.html HTML version])
• [http://www.junobeach.org/e/2/can-eve-rod-ita-ort-e.htm Juno Beach center: Ortona] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215107/http://www.junobeach.org/e/2/can-eve-rod-ita-ort-e.htm |date=27 September 2007 }}
• [http://canadiansoldiers.com/history/battlehonours/italiancampaign/ortona.htm canadiansoldiers.com article on Ortona]

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Category:1943 in Italy

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