Battle Of Ortona: The Bloodiest Fighting Of The Italian Stalingrad | War Story | War Stories

That's a strange thing in war, it's such a devastating feeling if you're trapped alone somewhere and you get shot at and there's no one there to help you, in fact, I openly said mother please. help me, how bad was it, uh, there are days still when I don't want to have any connection with humans at all, nothing to do with them. I have certain places where we live now and I had places where we lived before, yes. I want to get away from that. I could go to those places in the woods and I could raise my hands and scream as loud as I could to try to get this demon off of me.

Something epic is happening amidst the crumbling and burning walls of the compact city upon the sullen green waves of the Adriatic. Western Canadian troops arrived on the outskirts today. Can you tell me about Ortona? Oh, Ortona, yes, Ortona was just a town on the east coast of Italy of no particular importance and never entirely safe. Why did the Germans decide to take a stand there, but did they? Artona's troops were a little cocky and said when they entered: "We will have Artona for you in the morning." They got the surprise of their lives. They didn't realize what kind of troops the Germans had there they had their best airborne troops against us and I don't think there was one of those bastards under 6 feet tall.

They had big leather boots up here. They were cruel. Not human, our excellent troops found themselves facing a division of paratroopers, a formation of wild, cunning young fanatics, as good as anything the German warriors had ever produced. The best day was to get from this side of the street to that side, why not? I don't know why we had to go from here to there because to me everything seemed the same going up houses on both sides because the town of Bona was full of rubble, the Germans had demolished many houses and the streets were literally full of rubble, they did this deliberately , they demolished houses on both sides to fill the street with rubble, they placed their machine gun on top of that and they are looking down on you and if you go out into the open You are dead and now in Ortona the action is as fierce perhaps as the modern man.

F The troops and tanks of the Canadian West are

fighting

a cruel street

battle

against the Germans who dispute every window and every yard with cunning, skill and desperate courage that you could not. Stick your head outside and they had you covered, that's why we ended up doing mous huling, well mous hauling, most of those houses were all tied together and with the tips of our roles we would bang and bang on the walls until you opened a hole and then we just throw the grenade, sometimes when possible we use the anti-tank gun and make a big hole and then we just go from room to room, you know, then someone else comes to clean up the bodies and you just carry on, you know , you see a guy all bleeding and hurt and shot with his guts hanging out, you just forgot about fear or stress or anything, you just went out and tried to go save them, this is what that is. what I joined for and this is, uh, what we did at the command post.

Captain Vic I'm from above said something that made my spine shiver, he pointed to two slightly wounded men and said that those two men and several other wounded men had disobeyed orders. they refused to evacuate they don't argue they refuse one of them said sir let's take this to the end in the city of Artona let's say the first day you lose 30 men they are replaced you are still standing there the next day or the next night you lose 20 or 30 or whatever and you're still standing there. I've done this for 23 months, so you can imagine how I felt.

You know your luck keeps running out and running out and you're down to the last breath of air and you're still standing and I'd like an answer to that like Stalingrad and through the same apocalyptic pole of smoke and fire and manic determination the

battle

has this quality. nightmare and noise The hurricane of machine guns never stops, no one could move, it was one of Hitler's last positions in Italy. He told his troops to fight until the end. I know you are still wondering in God's name if this will ever stop. Do you know when? It will stop?

It was one of the fiercest battles you have ever seen. One of our guys got shot really bad in the leg and was hanging there, so I ran over and tried to put a field bandage on them and I'm. Ripping off these pants and everything and Dr. Granger walks up and says Rudy real quick, get out your knife. I took him out and thought he wanted to cut the rest of his paths so we can get out of his wounds, oh. He said he cut his leg, he cut the rest of his leg, it was horrible, the square was the battlefield in the morning when we left, Sgt.

Hold on, let's go out and take a look, but don't go too far, but when we arrive. I went out and looked what I saw was a dead German lying there with no head and right next to him was a big donkey that was very swollen but that head thing bothers me because it wasn't there and I seem to dream that I wonder what it looked like . I don't know what happened to his head. I don't know and that's still burned into my brain. It was a mix of noise and hot steel breaking. They brought maybe 30 or 40 Canadian German machine guns. immediately but it sounded like H if it wasn't hell, it was the courtyard of hell's order.

I remember that in this incident a German machine gun was set up on one of the highest mounds of rubble on the street and the machine gunner was just a child and they hit him in the face and his eyes were hanging from his cheeks. Corporal Squire could speak German. He yelled at her to give up. He says to come look and just dodge the machine guns like this until he runs out of ammo. what they were like he was about 17 years old did you shoot him or yes I didn't but yes they shot him because even though he is blind he is still pouring the Le?

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of this extraordinary time by registering through the link in the description. You know, it was a terrible feeling to see people die. I know I left a lot of the Germans with morine that we used to bring. We brought him in, there were German prisoners that were wounded, they were shot in the lungs and I remember Fairfield, Dr.

Granger and the two of them, Dr. Anderson, and they said well, we can't help him, so just give him a couple injections and more. We go and bury him and we did. I know I buried some Germans who weren't even dead, but we just threw it in a little dug grave and put some dirt on it, they weren't even there. dead, well, well, you have to give them a couple of shots of Mor Fe, they're out, you don't know if they're dead or not, but they're going to die anyway, you know, with long shots, did he do it?

Did he bother you oh yeah did he bother you? I still have nightmares about it. That's why I haven't talked about it for years and years. He was trying to prevent these memories from coming back. en Christmas Eve there are still tougher fights in the streets of

ortona

every day we thought the bloody combat would become less intense every day it became more intense the enemy would not break

ortona

was about to blow up Debris on December 24 The Germans blew up the cathedral of St Thomas. There were hundreds of hidden Italians taking refuge there. They threw them into the streets before blowing it up.

There was no Christmas truce there at all. Christmas Day. I am speaking now from this Canadian countryside. station not many miles behind the front where Canada is

fighting

one of the biggest battles in our history on Christmas Day, right near me there are some Canadian soldiers in the world who are going to sing Christmas carols for the benefit of the wounded who are just beginning I sang and there was an interesting part that I found surprising is that General V, who was in command of a division, decided that his people were going to have a Christmas lunch, war or not, and we had captured a large church on our way. to Ortona and him, him.

He brought all his cooks and his kitchens there and made a kiss, Christmas lunch, Christmas dinner, it started at 11:00 on December 25, they celebrated it in a small church, they called one company at a time, They had dinner and, eh, the pipe. Major Essen would play the bagpipes and he would play the orgone and they would sing Christmas carols and all that and they would have a big dinner, all the food you could eat. I don't know how they mentioned it. They must have gone as far as they could with a jeep and then carried it away in containers.

It was hot and I'm not sure if it was beef or pork, but it was hot meat, sauce, potatoes and a bottle. of beer it was Christmas dinner within the range of the German guns oh yes yes you were still the German guns the shells are still breaking everywhere the Germans with their 88 guns still launching their shells towards our Dona yes, I never took part in this because we were too busy picking up the wounded. Were your thoughts about Christmas that day? No. I thought about staying alive. I realized it was Christmas Day and I guess for this movie I could also add that I actually shot a German on Christmas.

Day and uh at that time he was just another day and he was just another enemy he was in the square he was in the square of the St staircase coming towards the building I was in, kill him, I don't know, he fell. and two guys ran out and dragged him back and I held the fire and uh, at that point, you know, I was just doing my job, it was just another day, but, uh, I hate talking about it now, because it was Christmas, You know? If I think about it now, you know, I should have taken my chances and let them go because you know it just bothers me because I killed someone on Christmas Day or hurt someone.

I don't know if he was wounded or killed. I have no idea, but just thinking about me doing that is a little disturbing, very disturbing, in fact, but, uh, when I talk to the kids, sometimes they still cry. At 8:00 this morning there was a strange silence, Colonel Grim. When I came in I told him not to tell me and he said yes. I think we got Ortona Ember because everything was quiet. What a feeling to hear that nothing was silent. It's hard for you to put all these thoughts together. Suddenly you know everything comes to a standstill, it was a nice feeling, what a relief, you know everyone is tired and you've been going straight for eight days, day and night, I don't know where people lived.

In Noron, I have no idea where they went, but I know that the day they left there, the Germans came out, they were coming from the caves they had dug and I always remember a woman carrying a newborn baby. I suppose in a cake a burlap carrying it over this cave and everyone asked for food and we never had food to give them so the poor population also suffered for the dead of Orona the bell of their cathedral the cathedral of Saint Thomas the apostles home for the Canadians who died taking the city by the Germans who fell defending it and by the dust and ashes of the cathedral itself the bell said for the living also the bell said calling them to pray the priest I have nights where I dream that I return to Ortona and see this German going with this long winter coat.

There are three guys who tried to get me but they still haven't got me. You could see flames coming out of some of the tanks that have been. had already been hit and if you couldn't see the tanks you could see the smoke rising into the air, it was a terrifying scene hearing those tanks explode and the flames shooting into the air, sparks coming out of them, it was quite impressive, you're in these tanks, you've been knocked out, you burn, the tanks are still hot, warm and they smell bad and you smell the meat, everything else and you have to go into the tanks and they get these L groups of blood and uniforms, things like that and deliver these bodies to be identified and buried and uh job, it's a horrible fucking job what a good place to die it's definitely not a tank, it wasn't a country of tanks, Italy is the shape of a shoe and there are mountains running down the half every 3 or four miles there was another river that we had to fight our way through some very very rough Bad Country for tanks, we found canals, we found ditches, we found Vines, we found rivers, we never found tank country, this It's Peter.

CBC's Stursberg reporting from the Italian f After the Canadian core broke through the adult attack line and firm base was established, Rond was ordered to advance SE and hold the Mela River crossings before we were all ready. to go I was sitting in the shit, I opened a can of beef and I had breakfast and I washed it down with CU rum I always had a lot of rum on hand and I was scared I knew what was coming and I knew I could be dead I knew my tank could explode and I would try to tell funny

stories

over the microphone to my men, even if they weren't funny, they would laugh because they were as tense as me, we were Sherman tanks, it is an American tank that weighs 31 tons, they are not almost armored, just like pancers or German grenadiers, our projectiles would only bearmor-piercing, armor-piercing shells would just bounce off a panther ATT, but we move quickly, fighting a tank is complicated, there is not just one tanker, there are five tankers and they have to work. together and they came to they learned to do it and they lived together and they became almost like brothers, they have to do it.

I'd say we were pretty close, but they kept changing too. Many of them died, we went into action, at about 6:00 in The morning sun was, you know, it was May, the sun came up early and we started heading towards the next river, which the Germans were behind, as always, When we arrived at Melfa we were immobilized, so the leftist Ed Perkins crossed with his tanks. the M River and he reached a position where they were outnumbered by German troops and large German tanks Panthers and Tigers and was wounded. I believe it twice, twice the colonel told him to evacuate and he said no, I'm staying. now on the north bank of the Mala and our tanks are completely down there was a considerable amount of tank fire meanwhile Perkins is coming and going along the bank and no doubt he is looking for places where he can put the western ministers when they arrive, unfortunately the western ministers They didn't arrive until 2 hours after we got there, 2 hours, so Perkins thought and it was a good idea that we should fire all the ammunition we had left the Germans the impression that we had a strong force, so we fired P 5 machine guns and BR guns, uh, three-year-olds, anything and we would shoot them in front of the German tanks and infantry so they would think those guys are some.

There is some strength and it worked at least I guess it worked CU we are still here the night the River M and the next morning and in total we lost 25 guys in 24 hours Perkins and his team established the bridge across the river that allowed us to break the line and advance Bud mlan was part of the group with Perkins who grabbed and held the side of the river that they both won. Perkins won a medal and Bud mlan also the mm for maintaining that position. but the worst thing about the Mur River was that the next day there was a lot of fog between the Mela and the lii due to the smoke of the battle but I could distinguish some movement on the road stretched over the green field where the Canadian tanks were and some were advancing because there were dust tissues.

Hing for them May 24 was the day of the Mur River we turned back on May 25 we were not seasoned veterans, we all withdrew our tanks, parked them close to each other and jumped out of the tanks. To see who had been hit and who was alive, etc., and unbeknownst to us, there was a German with a radio not far away and he brought the Nebble workers, as they called them, and attacked them directly on our tanks. Well, they found me in a field. Evidently I got out of the tank and was wandering around. I don't remember exactly what happened.

I was in a field somewhere and the tanks were burning. We lost 26 men. I am the only one alive for my troop, the tanks. prepared, they call stretcher bearers and you have to go out there, whether the shells are bursting or where the bullets were flying, that this is their job and there were very few of us who could do it, many of the others. When the boys fired the projectiles, they wouldn't dare come out. Many times I volunteered to do different things where other guys didn't go and when we took people out of the tanks, I would grab them by the arm or their heads would fall off there they would cook like a shooter, a German came up and shot and fortunately For me it was over 45° and they needed to be almost 90° to penetrate and it bounced. the tank and I can tell you my heart was in my throat but if it bounced off the tank, if it didn't it would create a drink and unfortunately some of my tanks did.

Everyone dies, usually call it beer, that's an army expression meaning it catches fire, explodes and rises, yeah that would be a horrible way to die to burn, yeah we took out one of my friends in a shoebox. A third of our tanks were lost on that day and a third of our officers, which was worse for us in terms of casualties than the actual action at Melfa, went through in a solid wedge of armor alongside the best German armor, the famous Pank and although they knew themselves as commander of another group, often the ger, the Germans were retreating at this point, yes, we put them to flight, we were advancing along this entire line, there are not only the Strath konas but also other recording brigades and the Perth Regiment and the Irish. and the Cape Rett infantry and the Highlanders, they were all coming in line behind us, the tanks went in there first, you were trying to advance basically to kill the Germans and you saw them, you started killing them.

I was too busy to be afraid. and I wanted to do what I came to do in the first place, which was beat the Germans. We shot the first Tiger tank in Italy and if you shoot it from the front you can't, you can't penetrate it, the only way is from behind or we take off the tread, which has to be a good lucky shot and we took out the first tiger The tread and the Tiger tank crews evacuated and we shot them with machine guns, it was a feeling of euphoria. Yes, we caught them, as far as I know, we never killed a prisoner, but we could refuse to take prisoners, which is what they were doing and we made a case.

I overran a position and people jumped, dropped their rifles and stuck their hands in. The air and I started shouting camad camad and refused to accept his surrender. I just turned my gunner on them and took them out after the Hitler L. 3 days later we were still picking up, we had our wounded picked out, so we were loading the dead onto a flatcar onto a flatbed of a truck and our sergeant He picked up his own son, didn't know he was in the army, and went completely crazy. I tell you there were so many dead and and the Germans and our guys and everything else that they had to push them off the side to get our artillery and our tanks through and after 3 days we didn't have our father picked up so the bulldozers came in. and he dug big holes and he just pushed everyone in so they were Germans and Canadians from both German Canadians and there were animals and everything else, the Meler River was the breakthrough that paved the road to Rome, the road to Rome was lined with the salary of the Nazi legions destroyed by Allied air power that advance at the Meler River was probably the last big fight the Germans fought before we assumed they were going to find another river and establish another line that we would have to break again it turns out that they left they didn't go to Rome we didn't know that films taken by Italian anti-fascists show the evacuation of Rome one of the biggest blows of the war to Nazi prestige the streets were deserted the Nazis left we were told to stop and we sent a message saying we are only 26 miles from Rome when they are running we can be there in 2 hours they told us it would stop immediately don't go any further stop where it is and We stopped where we were and then found out that the Americans wanted to take Rome the Canadians definitely They were the ones who broke Hitler's line, which then opened the way to Rome, there is no doubt about it, but within a short distance of being Rome, they took us out. back and the Americans marched that was two days before D-Day, by the way, on June 4, 1944, Rome was liberated after 21 years of fascist rule, we could never understand it, we were there to liberate it, but politically the Americans marched towards more citizens.

We go out to greet the Yankees as they now in formal order pass through the gates of the ancient city. We did all the work and all the hard work, the difficulties and all that and they took the glory. General Clark enters the first capital in Europe to fall to the Allies. The Liberation armies are now officially occupied, the Roman population begins to gather in a joyous reception. General Mark Clark, the American, took out the Canadians and sent the Americans to Rome. Oh, we were so furious that we would kill the Americans and model the Germans if he got them, but nevertheless, Clark I think got his advantage and Slater I think even from the Americans because by going to Rome like that and reaping the glory He allowed an entire day of the German army to group together to escape and they came to us.

He had to fight them on the Gothic line on August 31 with many more casualties, many more dead and wounded troops and lost tanks and all that, and that shouldn't have happened if he had done his job and surrounded Rome instead. of going in and isolating all those German armies, we looked back at what we had achieved, we had to get the Italian army out of the war. All together we contained about a million Germans, more than 900 and something thousand Germans, we contained them in Italy and if we had not done that, both the Italian and the German troops would have been transported quickly to the northwest of Europe and would have done that the campaign was even harder than it was and, of course, June 6 D in Normandy and that kind of forgetfulness. about us back in Italy on D-Day, the people of the world watched the Allied armies cross the channel and crush Hitler's Atlantic Wall after D-Day.

We were a little forgotten that we were known as the D-Day Dodgers. We felt that It was a It's hard for them to say because they called us the D-Day Dodgers because we had already had 11 months of front-line service when D-Day happened, yes, and I'm sure the world knew that Italy was no child's play at the time. that I have returned. Italy five times, he and I have visited at one time or another all the cemeteries in which we have friends of mine buried. How does that feel? It's cathartic in a way because sometimes I've felt guilty that I'm alive and they're dead.

You understand that we landed after showing us the SES and the USA, we are all free, we are in the Sun of Italy and a couple of names only we are there, and when you look around the mountains through the mud and the rain, you find the crosses that carry without name, the heart breaks and the suffering disappears, they were the makers of the day, they will remain in the morning.