by Mark Zuehlke
ORDERS GROUP (O GROUP)
An Orders Group is a session at which the orders setting out the tactics to be
used in a forthcoming action are given to the participating commanders. Most actions entail multiple O Groups starting at the highest level and descending downward. A brigade planning an attack, for example, will have its first O Group called by the Brigadier. He and brigade HQ staff will brief battalion commanders and the commanders of included supporting arms (artillery, heavy mortars, etc.). Battalion commanders then brief the company commanders, who in turn brief platoon commanders, who pass the information down to the individual sections. What will start as a broad-stroke tactical plan at the brigade level will, by the time it hits platoon and section stages, become a set of intensely specified tasks that must be accomplished for the overall attack to succeed. A process of filtering out non-essential detail occurs all down the line until the section leader will have little idea of the purpose of his assigned tasks.
PIAT
Projector Infantry Anti-tank. The hand-held antitank weapon of Commonwealth forces, weighing thirty-two pounds and firing two-and-a-half-pound hollow-charge explosive bomb. Difficult to load, prone to mechanical failure, and complicated to operate, the PIAT was an unpopular weapon. Effective against German tanks only if fired against thinner side and rear armour plate, or against the tracks.
PIONEERS
Engineering personnel who were members of an infantry battalion’s pioneer company. Pioneers had a higher level of expertise with regard to handling explosive, laying charges, carrying out demolitions, and defusing enemy mines and booby traps than the average soldier.
PLOUGH JOCKEYS
Nickname for Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment.
PPCLI
Acronym for Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, also known as Patricias.
RAP
Regimental Aid Post. This first aid post was usually located near the forward regimental HQ.
RCE
Royal Canadian Engineers.
RCHA
Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. This regiment was also designated the 1st Field Regiment.
RCR
Royal Canadian Regiment.
SAPPER
A term used to describe explosive and engineering personnel in the Royal Canadian Engineers, equivalent to private in the infantry.
SHERMAN TANK
The standard tank used by Canadian forces at Ortona was the Sherman M-4A2, usually called the M-4. It weighed just under thirty-five tons. The Sherman had a five-man crew, consisting of commander, gunner, loader, driver, and assistant driver. Its main armament was a 75-millimetre gun. Fixed into the front of the tank was also a .30-calibre machine gun and a .50-calibre machine gun that could quickly be mounted on top of the turret for use as an anti-aircraft weapon. The Sherman had a top speed of about twenty-nine miles per hour and a maximum range without refuelling of 150 miles. Although the Sherman would undergo only slight modifications over the course of the war, it was generally considered inferior to most German tanks in terms of both firepower and armour. It also had a higher profile, which made it harder to get into a hull-down (protected) stance than German tanks.
SLI
Saskatoon Light Infantry Regiment. The more official, but less commonly used, abbreviation was Sask LI.
START POINT (SP)
Also called the Start Line (SL) or Jumping Off Point. This was where a unit of any size formed up immediately before going into an attack.
THOMPSON SUBMACHINE GUN
Fondly referred to as the Tommy gun by those who carried it, the Thompson was a .45-calibre submachine gun. The favoured submachine gun of Canadian forces and the only American weapon they respected. The Thompson could fit either a box or drum-shaped magazine. The use of .45-calibre ammunition gave the gun tremendous stopping power.
TNT
Trinitrotoluene (explosive).
TROOPER
The armoured corps equivalent to a private. Trooper harkens back to the armour’s cavalry heritage.
TWENTY-FIVE POUNDER
The workhorse artillery gun of Commonwealth forces. Incredibly durable and reliable, the twenty-five pounder was manned by a crew of six. It was generally used as a howitzer — firing high-explosive shells at a high angle — but could also fire armour-piercing shot at flat trajectories. Effective range of 12,500 yards. Weighed four tons.
TYPE 36 GRENADE
The standard grenade of Commonwealth forces. Metal case was ribbed, leading to its being called the “pineapple.” Each of the eighty ribs broke into a separate shrapnel piece upon exploding. This type of grenade was usually thrown overhand in a lobbing manner. In Ortona, the grenade proved excellent for house fighting because it could be bounced down stairwells or rolled like a bowling ball down the length of hallways.
VAN DOOS
Semi-official nickname for Royal 22e Regiment. Derived from vingt-deux.
VICKERS .303 MACHINE GUN, MARK 1
Remarkably, the medium machine gun that the Canadians used throughout World War II was virtually the same gun Canadian forces had used in World War I. With a simple gas-assisted recoil system, the gun was water-cooled and fired belts of .303 ammunition. Its accurate range was 1,100 yards, but it could fling bursts much farther. At full automatic, the Vickers put out bursts of ten to twenty rounds. Rate of fire varied from 60 rounds a minute to 250 rounds, depending on whether the gunner was using slow or rapid fire. The Vickers weighed in at forty pounds. It had amazing endurance, seldom failing to operate in even the most adverse conditions. In 1st Canadian Infantry Division, the Vickers were manned by members of the Saskatoon Light Infantry Regiment.
Although an adequate weapon, the Vickers was outclassed in performance by its German counterpart. The MG42 was rated the best gun of its type in the world for years after the war. Introduced in 1942, it had a remarkable firing rate of 1,200 rounds a minute. The MG42 had another advantage over the Vickers. It was actually a light machine gun, weighing only 25.35 pounds. When fired using a bipod, the gun had a light-machine gun range of about 600 yards. On a tripod, the range more than doubled and the weapon proved effective as an anti-aircraft gun.
WEST NOVAS
West Nova Scotia Regiment.
NOTES
CHAPTER 1 / A COLOSSAL CRACK
1. Dr. Jerry Richards, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 6 Nov. 1998.
2. Appendix 46 to War Diary, General Staff, Headquarters, 1st Canadian Infantry Division, Nov. 1943, National Archives of Canada.
3. Richards’s replacement was killed at Ortona while acting as liaison officer for the PPCLI at 2 CIB HQ. Richards felt terrible when he heard the news, sure that he was responsible for his friend’s death after convincing him to switch roles.
4. Eric Morris, Circles of Hell: The War in Italy, 1943–1945 (New York: Crown Publishers, 1993), 222.
5. Nigel Hamilton, Master of the Battlefield (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1983), 449.
6. Morris, Circles of Hell, 223.
7. G.R. Stevens, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry: 1919–1957 (Griesbach, Alta: Historical Committee of the Regiment, n.d.), 121.
8. Bert Hoffmeister, interview by author, West Vancouver, B.C., 23 Nov. 1998.
9. Bert Hoffmeister, interview by B. Greenhous and W. McAndrew, Directorate of History, Department of National Defence, n.d.
10. Thomas de Faye, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 3 Nov. 1998.
11. Ibid.
12. Elwyn R. Springsteel, correspondence with author, Sept. 1998.
13. Don Smith, correspondence with author, Aug. 1998.
14. John Alpine Dougan, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 23 Oct. 1998.
15. Chris Vokes, Vokes: My Story (Ottawa: Gallery, 1985), 140.
16. Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry War Diary, 1 Dec. 1943, sheet 1, National Archives of Canada.
17. Basil Smith, “Memoirs of a Quarterbloke” (Ottawa: Directorate of History, Department of Nation
al Defence, n.d.), 34.
CHAPTER 2 / WAITING, WAITING, ALWAYS BLOODY WAITING
1. The Tools of War: 1939/45, and a chronology of important events (Montreal: Reader’s Digest Association (Canada), 1969), 26.
2. Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks, Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, 6th ed. (Northbrook, Ill: DBI Books, Inc., n.d.), 104.
3. Ibid., 288–89.
4. Ibid., 243.
5. Harry Rankin, interview by author, Vancouver, B.C., 15 Oct. 1998.
6. Alon Johnson, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 25 Sept. 1998.
7. Thomas de Faye, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 3 Nov. 1998.
8. Ibid.
9. West Nova Scotia Regiment War Diary, Dec. 1943, 42-N-2, National Archives of Canada.
10. Jerry Richards, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 6 Nov. 1998.
11. Nigel Hamilton, Master of the Battlefield (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1983), 449–50.
12. Ibid., 450–51.
13. Bernard Law Montgomery, El Alamein to the River Sangro (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1948), 132.
14. G.W.L. Nicholson, The Canadians in Italy: 1939–1945, vol. 2 (Ottawa: Queen’s Printer, 1956), 291.
15. On Canadian maps this village was mistakenly identified as Villa Roatti, while German maps identified it as Villa Ruatti. In later years, this would cause some confusion among veterans and historians alike.
16. Jerry Richards, interview.
17. 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade Headquarters War Diary, 5 Dec. 1943, p. 3, National Archives of Canada.
18. Nicholson, The Canadians in Italy, 291–92.
19. Alon Johnson, interview.
CHAPTER 3 / PEARL OF THE ADRIATIC
1. Fabio Dell’Osa, interview by author, Ortona, 9 Dec. 1998.
2. Americo Casanova, interview by author, Ortona, 8 Dec. 1998.
3. Antonio Di Cesare, interview by author, Ortona, 9 Dec. 1998.
4. Eric Morris, Circles of Hell: The War in Italy, 1943–1945 (New York: Crown Publishers, 1993), 131.
5. Associazone Archeologica Frentana, Immagini: Ottobre 1943 – Giugno 1944, Nove mesi di martiro (Ortona: Soc. Coop. Iniziativa Cristiana, 1993), n.p.
6. Antonio D’Intino, interview by author, Ortona, 8 Dec. 1998.
7. Ibid.
8. Associazione Archeologica Frentana, Immagini, n.p.
9. Antonio Di Cesare, interview.
10. Americo Casanova, interview.
11. Antonio D’Intino, interview.
12. Casanova, interview.
13. D’Intino, interview.
14. Di Cesare, interview.
15. D’Intino, interview.
16. Stephen E. Ambrose, D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), 35.
17. Ibid., 34.
18. Di Cesare, interview.
19. G.W.L. Nicholson, The Canadians in Italy: 1939–1945, vol. 2 (Ottawa: Queen’s Printer, 1956), 291.
CHAPTER 4 / THE SHARP END
1. Farley Mowat, And No Birds Sang (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1979), 228.
2. Terry Copp, Battle Exhaustion (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1990), 54.
3. Thomas de Faye, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 3 Nov. 1998.
4. W.R. Freasby (ed.), Official History of the Canadian Medical Services, 1939–1945, Volume Two: Clinical Subjects (Ottawa: Queen’s Printer, 1953), 48-52.
5. Ibid., 52–53.
6. Alon Johnson, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 25 Sept. 1998.
7. Freasby, Official History, 53.
8. Eric Bergerud, Touched With Fire: The Land War in the South Pacific (New York: Penguin Books, 1996), 92–93.
9. Dr. John Haley, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 30 Oct. 1998.
10. Johnson, interview.
11. John Alpine Dougan, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 23 Oct. 1998.
12. Peggy Turnbull and family, correspondence with author, Feb. 1999.
13. John F. Wallace, Dragons of Steel: Canadian Armour in Two World Wars (Burnstown, Ont.: General Store Publishing House, 1995), 181–82.
14. Joseph Turnbull, letter, 21 Oct. 1943, 2. Copy provided to author by Peggy Turnbull.
15. Ibid., 3.
16. Ibid., 7.
CHAPTER 5 / RUSH JOBS
1. Farley Mowat, And No Birds Sang (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1979), 219–20.
2. G.R. Stevens, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry: 1919–1957, vol. 3 (Griesbach, Alta: Historical Committee of the Regiment, n.d.), 122; Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry War Diary, Dec. 1943, sheet 2, National Archives of Canada.
3. Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment War Diary, Dec. 1943, 33-N-4, National Archives of Canada.
4. N.a. “Battle of the Moro River: Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment,” Directorate of History, Department of National Defence, n.p.
5. Hasty P’s War Diary, 33-N-4.
6. Farley Mowat, The Regiment, 2nd ed. (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Limited, 1973), 139.
7. Hasty P’s War Diary, 33-N-4.
8. Mowat, And No Birds Sang, 221.
9. Daniel Dancocks, The D-Day Dodgers: The Canadians in Italy, 1943–1945 (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1991), 157.
10. Basil Smith, “Memoirs of a Quarterbloke” (Directorate of History, Department of National Defence, n.d.), 35.
11. Hasty P’s War Diary, 33-N-4.
12. J.D. Forin, “Baranello to San Leonardo: The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, December 1943” (Directorate of History, Department of National Defence, n.d.), 3.
13. J.D. Forin, correspondence with Dr. R.H. Roy, 19 Jan. 1968, University of Victoria Special Collections, 4–10.
14. Forin, correspondence with Roy, 1; Bert Hoffmeister, interview by author, West Vancouver, B.C., 23 Nov. 1998. It is a matter of speculation that, had it not been for the shortage of commanders in the Seaforths ranks at the time, Hoffmeister would have removed Forin prior to the battle due to his illness.
15. Major S.J. Simons, “2 Canadian Field Park Company RCE Unit History, Italian Campaign Campobasso to Ortona, Dec. 43/Jan. 44” (Directorate of History, Department of National Defence, 10 Feb. 1944), 4.
16. Forin correspondence with Roy, 10.
17. A.K. Harris, “Account at Ortona,” n.p., University of Victoria Special Collections, 3.
18. Ibid., 3.
19. Reginald H. Roy, The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, 1919–1965 (Vancouver: Evergreen Press, 1969), 240–41.
20. Harris, “Account at Ortona,” footnotes, n.p.
21. Seaforth Highlanders of Canada War Diary, Dec. 1943, sheet 4, National Archives of Canada.
22. Harris, “Account at Ortona,” 4.
23. Forin, correspondence with Roy, 11.
24. Forin, “Baranello to San Leonardo,” 3.
25. Ibid.
CHAPTER 6 / NO GOOD, JOHNNY
1. G.R. Stevens, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, 1919–1957, vol. 3 (Griesbach, Alta: Historical Committee of the Regiment, n.d.), 123–24.
2. Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry War Diary, Dec. 1943, sheet 36-N-4, National Archives of Canada.
3. Stevens, Princess Patricia’s, 124-26.
4. Dr. George Garbutt, correspondence with author, 30 Nov. 1998. In the PPCLI’s War Diary and the regimental history by Stevens, which drew from the diaries, it is stated that Garbutt was with ‘B’ Company and single-handedly destroyed several machine-gun positions before running out of ammunition. This is false. Garbutt’s exploits before Villa Rogatti are as given here. The destruction of the machine guns by ‘B’ Company appears to have been the result of the combined operations of numerous soldiers of that unit, not any one individual.
5. Cameron Ware, interview by Dr. Reginald Roy, 23, 25 June, and 10 July 1979, University of Victoria Special Collections.
6. Dr. John Haley, interview by author, Victoria, B.C., 30 Oct. 1998.
7. Garbutt, correspondence. The prisoners Garbutt�
��s platoon took probably were Poles. By 1943 many foreign nationals from occupied nations were being forcibly conscripted into the German army. Although these were usually assigned only to regular infantry units, rather than to more elite formations such as the 90th Panzer Grenadiers, a few cropped up in almost every division. In the main, these troops were nearly worthless to the Germans, fighting only so long as German officers and non-commissioned officers were at their backs, ready to shoot any who flagged in their devotion to duty. Once the officers were gone, the foreign conscripts usually threw down their guns and surrendered. Surrendered Poles became the primary source of new recruits for the Allied Polish II Corps in Italy, possibly history’s only example of an army unit reinforced from the front.
8. Stevens, Princess Patricia’s, 123.
9. Ware, interview.
10. Stevens, Princess Patricia’s, 126.
11. Haley, interview.
12. PPCLI War Diary, sheet 4.
13. Garbutt, correspondence.
14. Ware, interview.
15. Haley, interview.
16. Stevens, Princess Patricia’s, 126.
17. n.a., “Miscellaneous Biographies Army Personnel: Lieut.-Col. C.B. Ware, D.S.O.,” Directorate of History, Department of National Defence, n.d., 10–11.
18. Haley, interview.
19. PPCLI War Diary, sheet 5.
20. Haley, interview.
21. The Tools of War: 1939/45, and a chronology of important events (Montreal: Reader’s Digest Association (Canada), 1969), 39.
22. PPCLI War Diary, sheet 5.
23. Ware, interview.
24. Stevens, Princess Patricia’s, 127.
25. Haley, interview.
26. “Miscellaneous Biographies: Ware,” 10–11. For his courage at Villa Rogatti throughout December 6, 1943, Ware would be awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
27. Lieutenant Ruckdeschel, “Combat Report of the attack on Ruatti on 6 Dec. 1943. Appendix ‘O’” of “Report #18 Historical Section Army Headquarters: The Campaign in Southern Italy (Sept.–Dec. 1943), Information from German Military Documents regarding Allied operations in general and Canadian operations in particular,” Directorate of History, Department of National Defence, n.d., n.p.