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History |
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Wars & Campaigns |
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►Boer
War
►First
World War
►►Western
Front
►►►Trench
Warfare: 1914-1916
►►►Allied
Offensive: 1916
►►►Allied
Offensives: 1917
►►►German
Offensive: 1918
►►►Advance
to Victory: 1918
►►Siberia
►Second
World War
►►War
Against Japan
►►North
Africa
►►Italian
Campaign
►►►Sicily
►►►Southern
Italy
►►►The
Sangro and Moro
►►►Battles
of the FSSF
►►►Cassino
►►►Liri
Valley
►►►Advance
to Florence
►►►Gothic
Line
►►►Winter
Lines
►►North-West
Europe
►►►Normandy
►►►Southern
France
►►►Channel
Ports
►►►Scheldt
►►►Nijmegen
Salient
►►►Rhineland
►►►Final
Phase
►Korean
War
►Cold
War
►Gulf
War |
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Operations |
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Battle Honours |
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Boer War
First World War
Western Front
Trench Warfare: 1914-1916
Allied Offensive: 1916
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►Somme, 1916 |
1
Jul-18 Nov 16 |
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►Albert |
.1-13
Jul 16 |
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►Bazentin |
.14-17
Jul 16 |
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►Pozieres |
.23
Jul-3 Sep 16 |
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►Guillemont |
.3-6
Sep 16 |
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►Ginchy |
.9
Sep 16 |
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►Flers-Courcelette |
15-22
Sep 16 |
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►Thiepval |
26-29
Sep 16 |
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►Le Transloy |
.
1-18 Oct 16 |
Allied
Offensives: 1917
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►Arras 1917 |
8
Apr-4 May 17 |
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►Vimy, 1917 |
.9-14
Apr 17 |
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►Arleux |
28-29 Apr 17 |
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►Scarpe, 1917 |
.3-4
May17 |
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►Hill 70 |
.15-25
Aug 17 |
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►Messines, 1917 |
.7-14
Jun 17 |
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►Ypres, 1917 |
..31
Jul-10 Nov 17 |
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►Pilckem |
31
Jul-2 Aug 17 |
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►Langemarck, 1917 |
.16-18
Aug 17 |
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►Menin Road |
.20-25
Sep 17 |
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►Polygon Wood |
26
Sep-3 Oct 17 |
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►Broodseinde |
.4
Oct 17 |
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►Poelcapelle |
.9
Oct 17 |
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►Passchendaele |
.12
Oct 17 |
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►Cambrai, 1917 |
20
Nov-3 Dec 17 |
German Offensive: 1918
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►Somme, 1918 |
.21
Mar-5 Apr 18 |
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►St. Quentin |
.21-23
Mar 18 |
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►Bapaume, 1918 |
.24-25
Mar 18 |
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►Rosieres |
.26-27
Mar 18 |
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►Avre |
.4
Apr 18 |
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►Lys |
.9-29
Apr 18 |
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►Estaires |
.9-11
Apr 18 |
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►Messines, 1918 |
.10-11
Apr 18 |
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►Bailleul |
.13-15
Apr 18 |
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►Kemmel |
.17-19
Apr 18 |
Advance to Victory: 1918
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►Arras, 1918 |
.26
Aug-3 Sep 18 |
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►Scarpe, 1918 |
26-30 Aug 18. |
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►Drocourt-Queant |
.2-3
Sep 18 |
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►Hindenburg Line |
.12
Sep-9 Oct 18 |
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►Canal du Nord |
.27
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
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►St. Quentin Canal |
.29
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
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►Epehy |
3-5
Oct 18 |
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►Cambrai, 1918 |
.8-9
Oct 18 |
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►Valenciennes |
.1-2
Nov 18 |
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►Sambre |
.4
Nov 18 |
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►Pursuit to Mons |
.28 Sep-11Nov |
Second World War
War Against Japan
South-East Asia
Italian Campaign
Battle of Sicily
Southern
Italy
The Sangro and Moro
Battles of the FSSF
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►Anzio |
22
Jan-22 May 44 |
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►Rome |
.22
May-4 Jun 44 |
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►Advance
|
.22
May-22 Jun 44 |
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to the Tiber |
. |
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►Monte Arrestino |
25
May 44 |
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►Rocca Massima |
27
May 44 |
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►Colle Ferro |
2
Jun 44 |
Cassino
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►Cassino II |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Gustav Line |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Sant' Angelo in
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13
May 44 |
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Teodice |
. |
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►Pignataro |
14-15 May 44 |
Liri Valley
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►Hitler Line |
18-24 May 44 |
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►Melfa Crossing |
24-25 May 44 |
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►Torrice Crossroads |
30
May 44 |
Advance to Florence
Gothic Line
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►Gothic Line |
25 Aug-22 Sep 44 |
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►Monteciccardo |
27-28 Aug 44 |
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►Point 204 (Pozzo Alto) |
31 Aug 44 |
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►Borgo Santa Maria |
1 Sep 44 |
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►Tomba di Pesaro |
1-2 Sep 44 |
Winter Lines
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►Rimini Line |
14-21 Sep 44 |
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►San Martino- |
14-18 Sep 44 |
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San Lorenzo |
. |
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►San Fortunato |
18-20 Sep 44 |
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►Sant' Angelo |
11-15 Sep 44 |
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in Salute |
. |
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►Bulgaria Village |
13-14 Sep 44 |
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►Pisciatello |
16-19 Sep 44 |
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►Savio Bridgehead |
20-23
Sep 44 |
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►Monte La Pieve |
13-19
Oct 44 |
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►Monte Spaduro |
19-24 Oct 44 |
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►Monte San Bartolo |
11-14
Nov 44 |
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►Lamone Crossing |
2-13
Dec 44 |
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►Capture of Ravenna |
3-4
Dec 44 |
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►Naviglio Canal |
12-15 Dec 44 |
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►Fosso Vecchio |
16-18 Dec 44 |
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►Fosso Munio |
19-21 Dec 44 |
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►Conventello- |
2-6 Jan 45 |
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Comacchio |
. |
Northwest Europe
Battle of Normandy
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►Quesnay Road |
10-11 Aug 44 |
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►St. Lambert-sur- |
19-22 Aug 44 |
Southern France
Channel Ports
The Scheldt
Nijmegen Salient
Rhineland
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►The
Reichswald |
8-13 Feb 45 |
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►Waal
Flats |
8-15 Feb 45 |
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►Moyland
Wood |
14-21 Feb 45 |
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►Goch-Calcar
Road |
19-21 Feb 45 |
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►The
Hochwald |
26
Feb- |
| . |
4
Mar 45 |
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►Veen |
6-10 Mar 45 |
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►Xanten |
8-9
Mar 45 |
Final Phase
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►The
Rhine |
23
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
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►Emmerich-Hoch
|
28
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
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Elten |
. |
Korean War
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Domestic Missions |
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►FLQ
Crisis |
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International
Missions |
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►ICCS
Vietnam 1973
►MFO
Sinai 1986- |
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Peacekeeping |
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►UNTEA |
W. N. Guinea 1963-1964 |
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►ONUCA |
C. America
1989-1992 |
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►UNTAC |
Cambodia
1992-1993 |
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►UNMOP |
Prevlaka
1996-2001 |
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Exercises |
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Landing at Reggio
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Landing at Reggio
was a Battle Honour granted to units participating in the initial
landings in Italy, the opening battle of operations in Southern Italy
and a phase of the Italian Campaign of the Second World War.
Background
The invasion of Italy,
just as Sicily had been, was the subject of much debate between the
Americans and the British. Planning for the invasion of the mainland
began in earnest when on 26 May 1943, General Eisenhower was ordered to
prepare for post-Sicily operations. His Allied Force Headquarters
undertook this planning, with the usual limitations in mind. The need to
have invasion beaches protected by friendly air cover limited operations
to those within range of bases in Sicily. Other considerations were the
movement of formations, ships and planes to the UK to begin training for
the invasion of North-West Europe.
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Planning
Planning focused on
several prospective landing sites, including Taranto, Crotone,
Salerna, and right across the Straits of Messina to Calabria. The
British 8th Army was expected to make the first landings in Italy;
on 25 July 1943 Mussolini was deposed and Italy's imminent surrender
changed the focus of planning. Salerno was assigned to a new
formation, the US 5th Army, who would land the US VI and British X
Corps on 7 Sep 1943 and drive to Naples. Operation AVALANCHE, as the
Salerno operation was known, was to be supported by Operation
BAYTOWN, with the 8th Army now playing a secondary role, landing at
Calabria to secure the "toe" of Italy, and allow ships to pass
through the Straits of Messina unharmed. The British XIII Corps was
to land the British 5th Division on the left with the 1st Canadian
Infantry Division landing on the right at Reggio; the 3rd Brigade
was tasked with this operation, with their objective the airfield at
Reggio. |
Personnel of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade landing at Reggio
di Calabria, Italy, 3 September 1943. PAC Photo.
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The Landings
The landings were made on 3 September 1943,
four days in advance of the Salerno landings. The Axis did not resist
strongly; the Italian XXXI Corps was given responsibility for the
defences at Calabria, with one field and four coastal divisions under
command. Opposite the Canadians were the 211 Coastal Division, with
support from Blackshirt militia and a parchute battalion from the Nembo
Division. Beach defences consisted of a few machine guns and anti-tank
guns; the coastal batteries were not well sited to cover the beaches,
being designed to fire at ships out at sea. German units in the area
were paltry; two battalions of Panzergrenadier Division 15 and combat
engineers; the German plan was to stage a slow withdrawal, using
demolitions of roads and bridges as well as long range fire, all as they
had done in Sicily, to delay the Allied advance with a minimum of risk
to themselves.
Several days of naval and air bombardment preceded the landing, with
additional guns firing from across the Strait on Sicily in the final
hours. The Canadians touched down on two beached; Fox Amber on the left
where The West Nova Scotia Regiment landed at Torrente Torbido and Fox
Green where The Carleton and York Regiment landed at Reggio on the
right. The Royal 22e Regiment, in reserve, passed through both, landing
in reserve. While heavy smoke from the bombardment made navigation
difficult for the West Novas (some of who landed on the 5th Division
front, others who landed to far south among the Carleton and Yorks),
they found opposition weak and objectives quickly taken.
By afternoon, the 1st and 2nd Brigades were ashore and took over the
lead of the advance; the 48th Highlanders advanced up the San Stefano
road and the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment took Mount Callea, a
3300 foot high feature. By the end of the day, at a cost of only nine
Canadian casualties, the bridgehead had been enlarged and the port and
airfield at Reggio were being readied for operation.
Aftermath
The Germans had not believed the landings at Calabria to be the main
Allied effort; their reinforcements went to Salerno, where the landings
had actually been launched on 9 September. Even the surrender of Italy
on 8 September 1943 did not materially help the Allies; the Germans had
prepared for this eventuality and disarmed the military of their former
allies, taking over defence of the peninsula. The landings at Reggio
were the start of an 18-month trial for the Canadian Army, who would
eventually have an entire corps committed there.
Battle Honours
The following Canadian units were awarded the Battle Honour "Landing
at Reggio" for
participation in these actions:
1st Canadian Division
1st Canadian Infantry Brigade
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The Royal Canadian Regiment
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The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
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The 48th Highlanders of Canada
3rd Canadian Brigade
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