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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
►►Italian
Campaign
►►►Sicily
►►►Southern
Italy
►►►The
Sangro
►►►Battles
of the FSSF
►►►Cassino
►►►Liri
Valley
►►►Advance
to Florence
►►►Gothic
Line
►►►Winter
Lines
►►North-West
Europe
►►►Normandy
►►►Channel
Ports
►►►Scheldt
►►►Nijmegen
Salient
►►►Rhineland
►►►Final
Phase
►Korean
War
►Cold
War
►Gulf
War |
|
Operations |
►GAUNTLET
Aug 1941
►HUSKY
Jul 1943
►OVERLORD
Jun 1944
►VERITABLE
Feb 1945 |
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Battle Honours |
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First World War
Western Front
Trench Warfare: 1914-1916
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►Ypres,
1915 |
22
Apr-25 May 15 |
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►Gravenstafel |
22-23 Apr 15 |
|
►St. Julien |
24
Apr-4 May 15 |
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►Frezenberg |
8-13 May 15 |
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►Bellewaarde |
24-25 May 15 |
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►Festubert, 1915 |
15-25 May 15 |
|
►Loos |
25
Sep- 8 Oct 15 |
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►Mount Sorrel |
2-13 Jun 15 |
Allied Offensive: 1916
|
►Somme, 1916 |
1
Jul-18 Nov 16 |
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►Albert |
.1-13
Jul 16 |
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►Razentin |
.14-17
Jul 16 |
|
►Pozieres |
.23
Jul-3 Sep 16 |
|
►Guillemont |
.3-6
Sep 16 |
|
►Ginchy |
.9
Sep 16 |
|
►Flers-Courcelette |
.15-22
Sep 16 |
|
►Thiepval |
.26-29
Sep 16 |
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►Le Transloy |
.
1-18 Oct 16 |
|
►Ancre Heights |
1
Oct-11 Nov 16 |
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►Ancre, 1916 |
13-18 Nov 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 |
|
►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
|
►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
|
►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 |
|
►Hindenburg Line |
.12
Sep-9 Oct 18 |
|
►Canal du Nord |
.27
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
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►St. Quentin Canal |
.29
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
|
►Epehy |
3-5
Oct 18 |
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►Ypres, 1918 |
.8-9
Oct 18 |
|
►Valenciennes |
.1-2
Nov 18 |
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►Sambre |
.4
Nov 18 |
|
►Pursuit to Mons |
.28 Sep-11Nov |
Second World War
War Against Japan
South-East Asia
Italian Campaign
Battle of Sicily
Southern
Italy
|
►Motta
Montecorvino |
1-3 Oct 43 |
The Sangro
|
►The Sangro |
19
Nov-3 Dec 43 |
|
►Castel
di Sangro |
.23-24
Nov 43 |
|
►The
Moro |
.5-7
Dec 43 |
|
►San
Leonardo |
..8-9
Dec 43 |
|
►The
Gully |
..10-19
Dec 43 |
|
►Casa
Berardi |
..14-15
Dec 43 |
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►Ortona |
20-28 Dec 43 |
|
►Villa Grande |
122-28 Dec 43 |
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►San
Nicola-San |
.31
Dec 43 |
|
Tommaso |
. |
|
►Point
59/ |
.29
Dev 43- |
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Torre
Mucchia |
.4
Jan 44 |
Battles of the FSSF
|
►Monte
Camino |
.5
Nov-9 Dec 43 |
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►Monte
la Difensa- |
.2-8
Dec 43 |
|
Monte la Remetanea |
. |
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►Monte
Majo |
3-8 Jan
44. |
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►Hill 720 |
25 Dec
43 |
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►Radicosa |
4 Jan
44 |
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►Monte Vischiataro |
8 Jan
44 |
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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 |
|
to the Tiber |
. |
|
►Monte Arrestino |
25
May 44 |
|
►Rocca Massima |
27
May 44 |
|
►Colle Ferro |
2
Jun 44 |
Cassino
|
►Cassino II |
11-18
May 44 |
|
►Gustav Line |
11-18
May 44 |
|
►Sant' Angelo in
|
13
May 44 |
|
Teodice |
. |
|
►Pignataro |
14-15 May 44 |
Liri Valley
|
►Liri Valley |
18-30
May 44 |
|
►Hitler Line |
18-24 May 44 |
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►Melfa Crossing |
24-25 May 44 |
|
►Torrice Crossroads |
30
May 44 |
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►Trasimene Line |
20-30 Jun 44 |
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►Sanfatucchio |
20-21 Jun 44 |
Advance to Florence
Gothic Line
Winter Lines
Northwest Europe
Battle of Normandy
|
►Verrières Ridge-Tilly-- |
25 Jul 44 |
|
►Quesnay Road |
10-11 Aug 44 |
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►St. Lambert-sur- |
19-22 Aug 44 |
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►Dives Crossing |
17-20 Aug 44 |
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►Forêt
de la Londe |
27-29 Aug 44 |
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►The Seine, 1944 |
25-28 Aug 44 |
Southern France
| ►Southern
France |
15-28
Aug 44 |
Channel Ports
The Scheldt
|
►The Scheldt |
1 Oct-8 Nov 44 |
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►Leopold
Canal |
6-16
Oct-44 |
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►Savojaards Platt |
9-10
Oct 44 |
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►Breskens Pocket |
11 Oct
-3 Nov 44 |
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►Woensdrecht |
1-27
Oct 44 |
|
►The Lower Maas |
20 Oct
-7 Nov 44 |
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►South Beveland |
24-31
Oct 44 |
|
►Walcheren |
31 Oct
-4 Nov 44 |
|
Causeway |
. |
Nijmegen Salient
Rhineland
|
►The
Reichswald |
8-13 Feb 45 |
|
►Waal
Flats |
8-15 Feb 45 |
|
►Moyland
Wood |
14-21 Feb 45 |
|
►Goch-Calcar
Road |
19-21 Feb 45 |
|
►The
Hochwald |
26
Feb- |
| . |
4
Mar 45 |
|
►Veen |
6-10 Mar 45 |
|
►Xanten |
8-9
Mar 45 |
Final Phase
|
►The Rhine |
23
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
|
►Emmerich-Hoch
|
28
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
|
Elten |
. |
|
►Twente Canal |
2-4 Apr
45 |
|
►Zutphen |
6-8 Apr
45 |
|
►Deventer |
8-11
Apr 45 |
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►Apeldoorn |
11-17
Apr 45 |
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►Arnhem,
1945 |
12-14
Apr 45 |
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►Groningen |
13-16
Apr 45 |
|
►Friesoythe |
14 Apr
45 |
|
►Ijselmeer |
15-18
Apr 45 |
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►Küsten Canal |
17-24
Apr 45 |
|
►Wagenborgen |
21-23
Apr 45 |
|
►Delfzijl Pocket |
23
Apr-2 May 45 |
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►Leer |
28-29
Apr 45 |
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►Bad Zwischen |
23
Apr-4 May 45 |
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►Oldenburg |
27
Apr-5 May 45 |
Korean War
|
|
Domestic Missions |
|
►FLQ
Crisis |
|
International
Missions |
|
►ICCS
Vietnam 1973
►MFO
Sinai 1986- |
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Peacekeeping |
|
►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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Southern Italy
|
The campaign in
Southern Italy marked the beginning battles of the fighting on
the Italian mainland and the next phase of the the Italian Campaign of the Second World War
for Canadian forces deployed to Europe.
Background
Before the Battle of
Sicily was even underway, Allied planners were confronting
post-Sicily strategy in the Mediterranean. Limited by the range of
fighter aircraft, among other tactical considerations, the use of
Sicily as a base limited the next step into Italy to only a few
options. In September 1943, Operation BAYTOWN put Allied troops
ashore across the Straits of Messina at Reggio; among the first
troops ashore were the 1st Canadian Infantry Division.
Invasion of Italy
The 8th Army, to whom
the Canadians still belonged, was scheduled to land in Calabria four
days ahead of the American 5th Army's landings at Salerno further
north. A small number of German defenders were present, tasked with
fighting a delaying action, alongside Italian defenders whose
quality was in doubt, given Italian political upheaval following the
deposing of wartime leader Benito Mussolini. The Canadians returned
to continental Europe behind a massive bombardment at a cost of only
9 casualties, to find the enemy skilfully using demolitions among
the rugged countryside to keep the advance painfully slow.
The American landings
at Salerno on 9 September were a costly affair, with the invasion
force bogged down in the beachhead and British forces tasked to link
up unable to do so on schedule. The link-up between British and
Americans came on the 16th. The Canadians shifted their advance from
the west coast, to the east, fighting their way into Potenza on
September 20th. By the next day, the Allied front in Italy extended
from the Salerno beaches to Bari. A month of fighting had cost the
Canadians fewer than 200 casualties.
October
The 1st Canadian
Division was sent next towards Campobasso at the start of October
over mountainous roads, to repeat a sequence of events that would
become familiar during the course of the Italian campaign - costly
attacks over treacherous terrain against determined resistance,
followed by repeated attacks, after which the Germans simply
withdrew to the next defensible positions. A Canadian column of
tanks and infantry attacked for five days to gain 18 miles as the
crow flew. Various small-unit actions during October cost the
Canadian Army in Italy 650 casualties. |
|
Battle Honours
The following Battle
Honours were granted to Canadian units for participating in the battles
in Southern Italy:
-
Landing at Reggio
-
Potenza
-
Motta Montecorvino
-
Termoli
-
Monte San Marco
-
Gambatesa
-
Campobasso
-
Baranello
-
Colle d'Anchise
-
Torella
Bibliography
-
Volume II of the
Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War by
Gerald Nicholson is entitled The Canadians in Italy, 1943-1945
and was first published by the Queen's Printer on 15 Sep 1956 with a
second, corrected edition appearing in Feb 1957.
-
Dancocks, Daniel G.
D-Day Dodgers: The Canadians in Italy 1943-1945 (McClelland
& Stewart Inc., Toronto, ON, 1991) ISBN 0771025440
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