Battle of Ortona 1943 Autumn Butler Victoria Smith Canadian History

Ortona Battle  Ortona was a Battle Honour granted to Canadian units participating in actions to liberate the city of Ortona in December 1943 as part of the fighting of the Italian Campaign during the Second World War.

Background  The 1 st Canadian Infantry Division help the British 78th Division on the Adriatic coast of Italy at the start of December 1943.The Canadians had landed on the Italian mainland in September to find the Germans had retreated to the north.  The government in Rome had some changes, and official Italian capitulation, did not result in peace. German forces quickly mobilized throughout Italy, and as the Canadians began their march north on the right flank of the Allied armies, resistance stiffened.

Background…  The US 5th Army was hung up in Rome, and it was the intention of the British 8th Army, working up on their right along the east coast of Italy, to come in behind the German defences.  If the British 78th Division was worn out their opponents, the inexperienced infantry Division 65. The division was replaced after their defensive battles on the Sangro, they were replaced by the Leichte Division 90, after their destruction in North Africa.  In the start of December, Allied troops had broken the German lines. The 2nd New Zealand Division crossed the River Moro to the west of the Canadians but failed to take Orosgna.

Attack on Ortona  Bloody December was under way, this would be the first real divisional level battle fought by Canadians in the Second World War. All of the division's infantry battalions fought desperate actions during the next two weeks and the Canadians fought their way through the Moro River Valley, taking villages, towns, crossroads and a feature known only as "The Gully." Losses were high, the weather and mud challenging, and pressure from higher headquarters, including General Montgomery, was intense.  When The Gully was finally taken, no one expected the Germans to remain in Ortona for many reasons.

“The Gully”

Attack on Ortona..  Standard German practice was to go to an easily defensible terrain; the Arielli River was only three miles north of Ortona and would make a fine defensive obstacle.  The German 6th Army - and their Soviet opponents - were destroyed piece by piece in Stalingrad less than a year previously, highlighting the dangers of committing to urban combat.  Allied forces advancing to the west, including Indian and New Zealand troops, might easily cut the main highway north of Ortona, trapping a large German force in the city itself. Ortona's location right on the coast gave complications to the ability of German defenders to extricate themselves when and if necessary. To the west was a deep ravine and the only route out of Ortona was Highway 16.

The enemy  The Germans demolished the port and collapsed many of the houses in the city to clear fields of fire and prevent the movement of tanks in the streets. German paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Division had begun relieving exhausted units of the 90th Light Division, and elements of the 3rd Parachute Regiment prepared to defend the city. Kill zones were created and side streets were blocked off, attackers would walk up and down the main street.  The better part of two battalions of the 1st Parachute Division were involved in the fighting inside Ortona proper, aided considerably by pioneers. Booby traps and demolitions were used; on 26 December a Canadian platoon of 24 men would be wiped out when German engineers demolished it.  Limited use of flame weapons were used in Ortona; the bulk and weight of the equipment made flamethrower operators easy targets, and flame weapons were much feared by the Canadians who brought all firepower to bear whenever a flamethrower operator was spotted.

The Battle began:  The fighting in Ortona took place largely between small groups of men, often one house or one room at a time and booby traps, on-call demolitions and tunnels all played a role in the skilful German defence. The battle developed slowly, with the Canadians having to create ways of using firepower to kill Germans.  Germans arrive in Ortona with tanks on December,6. They took position in the South-eastern area of the city.  The battle began from there, German forces have delayed the Canadians to the south of the city, buying time for extensive defensive preparations to be made. Civilians come out of hiding in the city by German troops, to spare innocent lives. Demolitions in the town are completed as the main street is blocked, and the clock removed from city hall to be replaced with automatic weapons.

What happened: Ortona’s importance was because it was a “transportation hub”. The battle was important because of this. Ortona had the main roads and railways to other locations in the area. The Seaforth Highlander and the Loyal Edmonton Regiment took 7 days to clear out the town.

The Map:

Bibliography  aign/ortona.htm aign/ortona.htm aign/ortona.htm 