Sanfatucchio

The Germans successfully withdrew more than 100 miles north, to the Gothic Line running from Pisa to Rimini and barring the way to the Po Valley. The defensive works on the line were unfinished, and the Germans intended to buy time by manning incomplete defences further south. The Albert-Frieda Line centred on Lake Trasimene (Lago Trasimeno in Italian)."³

The 8th Army began its advance on 21 June. The 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade was tasked with supporting the 4th and 78th Divisions as they attacked over two natural axes of attack, Highway 71 and a secondary road along the Tiber River.

The Trasimene Line
(adapted from map compiled by Historical Section, General Staff and originally published in Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Vol II)

Sanfatucchio

The commander of the 13th Corps, Lieutenant-General Sidney C. Kirkman, realized a full-scale attack would be needed to move the Germans from the Trasimene Line. Captured enemy documents stated the Germans' intent to stand firm on the line and permit an orderly withdrawal to the Gothic Line.⁴ Kirkman committed his reserves and ordered the 4th Division under Major-General A.D. Ward with the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade to move up left of the 78th Division. The Ontario Regiment was placed temporarily under the command of the 78th Division while the 4th moved into the centre of the corps front opposite Vaiano. Early on the 21st, two squadrons of the Ontario regiment's tanks went into action in support of two battalions of the 38th (Irish) Brigade.⁵

The operation began at 0400 hours June 21st, a fair, cool morning. At 1917 hours, "B" Squadron was established on the west side of Sanfatucchio. In spite of their orders, the Germans did not offer very strenuous resistance. The infantry mopped up the town and turned their prisoners over to the guardianship of the tanks. The town was cleared by 1130 hours and the advance moved on to the northwest.

Beyond Sanfatucchio, enemy resistance stiffened. The advance came under heavy mortar and shellfire. Lieutenant Hopkins and Corporal Toye had their tanks knocked out by an anti-tank gun. Somewhat displeased by the belligerence of this gun, Lieutenant Hopkins was successful in directing artillery fire upon it, and it was satisfactorily destroyed. But the toll of the Ontario's tanks was high. Within a rather short time "B" Squadron had only seven tanks in operating order.

"A" Squadron, with the (6th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers), was moving up the right flank of the advance and by 1030 hours had rached Carraia, northeast of Sanfatucchio, and midway between the highway and the lake. An objectionable anti-tank gun 1,500 yards to the northwest was deftly written off by the 392nd Battery. With the able assistance of the artillerymen, enough of the resistance to the advance was wiped out to let the tanks and infantrymen move forward again.

The advance was continued towards Pucciarelli, with "B" Squadron edging in from the left and "A" Squadron from the right. One of "A" Squadron's tanks was knocked out just before the town was reached. Lieutenant T.A. McIver seized the initiative and pushed on through the town to consolidate a line across the railway tracks toward the lake shore. The position was held for the night while the town was being mopped up.⁶

The Canadian Official History differs with the account above by the Ontario Regiment, stating that Sanfatucchio was cleared only "after extremely bitter hand-to-hand fighting" by the infantry.⁷ The Ontario history identifies them as the 2nd Battalion, London Irish Rifles. The War Diary of the 38th (Irish) Brigade has the following entry on 21 June:

0800 Zero hour for attack by 2 LIR on Sanfatucchio. There was considerable resistance from this village, which was the enemy main defence line and, as was afterwards found out, he had been ordered to hold for three days at all costs.

The attack by 2 LIR supported by B Squadron CAR was completely successful. Heavy fighting took place with fierce exchanges of small arms fire. Most of the opposition came from the west edge of the town. 36 PoWs were taken in all, coming from I Bttn 755 IR, I and II Bttns 754 IR..

2 LIR consolidated their positions after clearing up the western edge of the village and the cemetery at San Felice 405895.

Troop of M 10s (released by 11 Brigade) now going to B Squadron 11 CAR.

A counter attack by about a company came in on the left of the London Irish at about 1625 hrs. The fighting took place mainly in the cemetery area and was successfully repulsed by E Coy.

The bridge at 408920 was captured intact and steps taken by 17 Field Regiment to ensure that it would not be destroyed by the enemy DF.⁸

The history notes that German counter-attacks failed to regain the eastern end of their forward line. The Ontario Regiment history mentions that the LIR were "strongly counterattacked" and that the attack was "beaten off with heavy loss to the enemy."⁹

By evening on 23 June, the left flank of the 78th Division had been taken over by the 4th Division between Vaiano and Chiusi, and preparations for an attack on the 24th were completed. Two battalions of the 38th (Irish) Brigade stepped off on the morning of the 24th to the left of Highway 71. The Ontario Regiment once again provided armour suppor, tasked with protecting both flanks of the advance from Pucciarelli.¹⁰ "C" Squadron supported the Royal Irish Fusiliers in their attack on Pescia while the 5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment of the 11th Brigade sent a company on the right, with a troop of "A" Squadron in support.¹¹

As the Fusiliers neared Pescia, German tanks attacked from a collection of farmhouses known as Case Ranciano, on the left flank.¹² "A" Squadron, operating left of the highway, made first contact with the enemy. Incredibly, a PzKpfw V "Panther" was knocked out and another damaged, and within a few minutes a third Panther was destroyed.

This engagement produced one of the most remarkable pieces of gunnery in the Italian campaign. The Shermans were outgunned by the Panthers, but when a "post-mortem" was held, it was found that the gun on one Panther had been burst open. Shards of the barrel were curled back like the skin of a banana; the Ontarios had placed one well-directed and fortunate shot right in the muzzle of the gun.¹³

The remaining tanks withdrew while "C" Squadron continued its advance with the Royal Irish Fusiliers to Pescia and Case Ranciano.¹⁴ The two forward troops were attacked by a trio of PzKpfw IV tanks approaching from Ranciano, to the west. Opening fire at 500 yards range, one enemy tank was knocked out and another damaged, forcing the last to withdraw. The village was cleared by 11:00hrs. "A" Squadron meanwhile encountered more tanks, losing one Sherman to enemy action. Anti-tank guns of the 392nd Battery drove the German armour off. "C" Squadron continued on with the infantry west from Pescia to Ranciano, which was secured by 16:00hrs. It was there that the third Panther tank that they had encountered earlier was discovered, in woods left of the village. It too was quickly knocked out. In recognition of the day's fighting, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the 8th Army, Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese, wrote to the Commanding Officer of the Ontario Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel R.L. Purves:

I send to you and the squadron concerned my warmest congratulations on the fine engagements at Pescia and Ranciano, in which you knocked out a number of Panthers and Mark IV tanks. Please congratulate squadrons concerned.¹⁵

The Ontario Regiment had suffered 7 killed and 18 wounded in four days of fighting. That evening the 78th Division crossed the Pescia River astride the highway. That the German 334th Infantry Division had put up stubborn resistance as ordered was attested to by the fact many of the 200 prisoners taken across its front had been wounded.¹⁶

Battle Honours

The following Canadian unit was awarded the Battle Honour "Sanfatucchio":

1st Canadian Armoured Brigade

• 11th Canadian Armoured Regiment (The Ontario Regiment)

Notes

1. Greenhous, Brereton "Italian Odyssey, 1943-45" We Stand on Guard: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Army (Ovale Publications, Montreal, PQ, 1992) ISBN 2894290438 p.280

2. Dancocks, Daniel G. D-Day Dodgers: The Canadians in Italy 1943-1945 (McClelland & Stewart Inc., Toronto, ON, 1991) ISBN 0771025440 p.293

3. Ibid

4. History of the 11th Canadian Armoured Regiment (The Ontario Regiment) in the Field, 1939-1945 (n.p., n.d.) accessed online at the following URL
   http://localhistory.oshawalibrary.ca/pdfportal/pdfskins/11th/pg_0001.toc.php?book=11th via the Oshawa Public Library website 24 May 2015

5. Nicholson, Gerald Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War: Volume II: The Canadians in Italy (2nd printing, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, ON, 1957) p.467

6. Schragg, Lex History of The Ontario Regiment 1866-1951 pp.217-218

7. Nicholson, Ibid, p.467

8. Transcribed version of online image of 38 (Irish) Brigade War Diary page, accessed at www.irishbrigade.uk.co website 24 May 2015:
   http://www.irishbrigade.co.uk/pages/original-war-diaries---1942-to-1945/war-diaries-of-38-irish-brigade/war-diaries-of-38-irish-brigade---1944/june-1944-transcript.php

9. Schragg, Ibid, pp.217-218

10. Nicholson, Ibid

11. Schragg, Ibid, p.218.

12. Nicholson, Ibid

13. Schragg, Ibid, pp.218-219

14. Nicholson, Ibid

15. Schragg, Ibid, p.219

16. Nicholson, Ibid