When did the battle of Ortona take place?

December 20, 1943
Battle of Ortona/Start dates

What happened at the Battle of Ortona?

The battle took place in the small Adriatic Sea town of Ortona, with a peacetime population of 10,000. Part of the Italian Campaign (World War II), the battle to liberate Ortona resulted in 2,300 Canadian casualties in a single month (including 500 dead) before the town was won for the Allies.

Why did Canada invade Ortona?

All the battalions of the Infantry Division fought a desperate battle for two weeks through the valley of the Moro River. The Canadians arrived about a kilometer from Ortona to find that the Germans had dug a deep ditch in the south bank to defend themselves from artillery fire.

What made the Battle of Ortona difficult?

Arguably, taking “The Gully” was the most difficult part of the pre-Ortona fighting. The horrible December weather made the fighting in valley seem more like a WWI battle with the heavy mud soldiers had to trudge through.

Why was Ortona known as Little Stalingrad?

Some information in it may no longer be current. Ortona, Italy, 1944: Canadian troops arrive after a hard-fought battle for the Adriatic port city. The conflict is known as ‘Little Stalingrad’ for its fierce house-to-house combat and high death toll.

Did Canada fight Italy in ww2?

Soldiers of the 1st Canadian Division, engaged in brutal house-to-house fighting in Ortona, Italy in 1943 during the Second World War….More videos on YouTube.

The Italian Campaign
Date 10 July 1943–2 May 1945
Canadian Casualties (approximate) 26,200 in total 5,300 killed 19,400 wounded

Did Canada win the battle of Ortona?

The month-long campaign — first at the Moro River outside Ortona, then with vicious street fighting in the town itself — cost more than 2,300 Canadian casualties, but eventually won Ortona for the Allies.

How did the Germans defend Ortona?

The Germans had started preparing to defend Ortona on 12 December by using explosives to blow many houses apart to create piles of rubble into which they dug deep fighting positions. Canadian soldiers evacuate wounded comrades during the Battle of Ortona, Italy in 1943 during the Second World War.

How many Canadians died in Italy?

Canadian casualties in the Italian Campaign totalled more than 26,000, nearly 6,000 of which were fatal. Most of the Canadians who died in Italy are buried in the many Commonwealth war cemeteries there, or are commemorated on the Cassino Memorial, located in the Cassino War Cemetery south of Rome.