Name: Canadians in Cassino Battlefield Tour
Brand: Monte Cassino War Tours
SKU: Canadians1
Price: 90 Eur
Availability: InStock

Table of Contents

Canadians in Cassino Battlefield Tour: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Canadians in Cassino Battlefield Tour: the Canadians must help in Cassino area

As Mark Zuelcke remembers in his Book The Liri Valley: Canada’s World War II Breakthrough to Rome on July 1943 about 26.000 Canadians landed in Sicily. When on September the Allied invaded Italy, the Canadians were involved with the 8th Army in the battle of the Moro River, Villa Rogatti, San Leonardo, Casa Berardi, Cider Crossroads and Ortona against the 90th Panzer Grenadier and the 1st Parachute Division. Due to all the difficulties the 5th Army have had on the Winter Line, General Harold Alexander decided to concentrate all the Allied’s efforts on the Gustav line from Monte Cassino to Minturno.

Monte Cassino Battlefield tours for Canadians some soldiers — Private W. Sutherland (left) of The Westminster Regiment (Motor) and Private V.A. Keddy of The Cape Breton Highlanders repacking compo rations at a supply depot, Cassino, Italy, 18 April 1944. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3210988) here

Monte Cassino Battlefield tours for Canadians Canadian cemetery

Operation Diadem on the Gustav Line

Operation Diadem started on May 11, 1944 and the 1st Canadian Corps played a great role in determining the success of this operation. When on April 18, 1944 the 1st Canadian Corps stopped all radio traffic, trying to keep the secret on the Place they were. The German 10th Army could not detect them and could not understand what was going to happen. The Radio traffic started again next to Salerno, letting the Germans thinking that the Canadians were preparing an amphibious operation

On the Gustav Line for the last battle

During the last battle of Monte Cassino, the role of the 1st Cab was to assist the 8th Indian division in crossing the Gari River. The 17th Brigade and Ontario Tanks would support the crossing with direct fire. At 06.00pm on May 11, Sir Oliver Leese sent a message to all 8th Army regiments wishing good lucke to all the troops. The attack was ready! During the night starting at 11pm the troops had to establish a bridgehead, to expand it and clear an extensive area around Sant’Angelo.

Monte Cassino Battlefield tours for Canadians kingsmill's bridge

Canadians in Cassino Battlefield Tour: the Canadian bridges on the Rapido River

But at about 03.00am, the Calgary Regiment had to abandon the building of its Cardiff bridge to help the 8th Indian Division to build the Oxford Bridge. Captain Anthony Kingsmill was already choosing the best place to build another bridge the Plymouth… at 9.50, having a lot of difficulties, but he had an excellent idea and he found a solution to all the problems. On May 13 the soldiers buildt the fourth bridge called London Bridge. The Canadian tank regiments could cross the Gari River and run norther to Rome!

Canadians in the liri Valley: Kingsmill bridge

On May 2007, a new commemorative plaque was placed along the Gari River (called by the Allies Rapido River), to remember a very special person Captain Tony Kingsmill of Vancouver. The codemname of this bridge, buildt during the forth battle of Cassino in the middle on the liri Valley was Plymouth Bridge, but in this occasion in 2007 it was renamed Kingsmill Bridge, in honor of this great man and his action during the battle. Tony served in the 61st Light aid Detachment, Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers of the Calgary Regiment.

Remembering the Canadians in the Liri Valley

His great action was to devise a mean to transport an 80 foot Bayley bridge on the top of a sherman tank without turret, and then to place it across the river by using s second tank as a pusher to steer the bridge into position. This great idea was successfull and it allowed the Calgary Regiment to make the first crossing of the Gari River by armoured vehicles, and to permit them to support the infantry of the 8th Indian Division that had been horribly decimated and needed to ha a bridgehead on the other banch of the river.

Monte Cassino Battlefield tours for Canadians taking pictures — The veterans’ testimonies will guide us through the story of Montecassino battlefields

Canadian Armoured Brigade of the Calgary Regiment

Kinksmill was responsible of a 30 men unit, experienced in repair and maintain tanks of the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade of the Calgary Regiment. This armoured brigade was condidered by General Oliver Leese the best tank brigade in Italy, having already landed in Italy in July 1943, already helped in the Battle of Ortona in December 1943, to be then sent to Cassino in May 1944