On December 28th 1943 the battle of Ortona was won by the British. The battle was small yet extremely fierce lasting only 8 days. Without reinforcements the Germans had to withdraw. But victory came at a price for the British; the Loyal Edmonton Regiment had 172 casualties, and 63 of them died; the Seaforth Highlanders had 103, and 41 of them died. Also some support units were lost. The total number of Allied casualties reached 650 officers and men of all ranks. Although the battle didn’t last long it took many lives and had many casualties. But Canadians and Americans tried to protect their soldiers at all costs and would rather lose a historical monument then a life. Therefore many structures with heritage value were greatly damaged or even destroyed during the battle. Some of these structures included churches, and bridges. Ortona would never be the same place it once was after the war was over. Many people living in Ortona at this time continued with their daily lives after the battle even though so much had been lost and destroyed.
After 90 percent of Ortona was in Canada’s hands there was little choice for Ortona. Ortona had to be captured for Canadian troops to move forward and for Britain to advance. So the soldiers pushed on. Both sides fought hard from house to house. But in the end Canadian troops won over Ortona using their new fighting tactic where they would use artillery to pierce through walls instead of fighting in the streets. Ortona’s tactic of bombing buildings to destroy them and block the streets did not work to stop the British and Canadian troops. Ortona was a victory for not just the Canadian troops but all Canadians. Ordinary men left civilian life because they were need and in the end it was a huge accomplishment for most. The battle of Ortona also marked the final public battle for Canadians on the Italian front.
On December 28th 1943 the battle of Ortona was won by the British. The battle was small yet extremely fierce lasting only 8 days. Without reinforcements the Germans had to withdraw. But victory came at a price for the British; the Loyal Edmonton Regiment had 172 casualties, and 63 of them died; the Seaforth Highlanders had 103, and 41 of them died. Also some support units were lost. The total number of Allied casualties reached 650 officers and men of all ranks. Although the battle didn’t last long it took many lives and had many casualties. But Canadians and Americans tried to protect their soldiers at all costs and would rather lose a historical monument then a life. Therefore many structures with heritage value were greatly damaged or even destroyed during the battle. Some of these structures included churches, and bridges. Ortona would never be the same place it once was after the war was over. Many people living in Ortona at this time continued with their daily lives after the battle even though so much had been lost and destroyed.
After 90 percent of Ortona was in Canada’s hands there was little choice for Ortona. Ortona had to be captured for Canadian troops to move forward and for Britain to advance. So the soldiers pushed on. Both sides fought hard from house to house. But in the end Canadian troops won over Ortona using their new fighting tactic where they would use artillery to pierce through walls instead of fighting in the streets. Ortona’s tactic of bombing buildings to destroy them and block the streets did not work to stop the British and Canadian troops. Ortona was a victory for not just the Canadian troops but all Canadians. Ordinary men left civilian life because they were need and in the end it was a huge accomplishment for most. The battle of Ortona also marked the final public battle for Canadians on the Italian front.
After 90 percent of Ortona was in Canada’s hands there was little choice for Ortona. Ortona had to be captured for Canadian troops to move forward and for Britain to advance. So the soldiers pushed on. Both sides fought hard from house to house. But in the end Canadian troops won over Ortona using their new fighting tactic where they would use artillery to pierce through walls instead of fighting in the streets. Ortona’s tactic of bombing buildings to destroy them and block the streets did not work to stop the British and Canadian troops. Ortona was a victory for not just the Canadian troops but all Canadians. Ordinary men left civilian life because they were need and in the end it was a huge accomplishment for most. The battle of Ortona also marked the final public battle for Canadians on the Italian front.
The Battle of Ortona was NOT won by the British, no British soldiers took part. The battle was won by the Canadians! The Canadians were NOT British. Their shoulder patch said Canada, not the United Kingdom. Canada had declared war on its own on September 10, 1939.
ReplyDeleteThe battle was fought so Canada could to advance. Canada was not part of Britain.
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