End Around MTO (id:#66671)

(Bloody December-The Gully ASL Team Tournament 2023 ID: A2)   [next]   [previous]

Southwest of Ortona, Italy 1943-12-12 (0 others)

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Overview:

General Montgomery proposed to begin Operation SEMBLANCE on 15 December, but Lieutenant-General Allfrey – the V Corps Commander and Major-General Vokes – the Canadian divisional commander – wanted the Canadians to secure Cider Crossroads and the highway before joining in the promised corps advance. Vokes decided to commit his reserve, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade to accomplish this task. The West Nova Scotia Regiment made the first attempt at dusk on 11 December, but could make no progress. The next morning, the West Novas were ordered to try again, despite a driving rain. When this attack failed, Vokes employed all available three-inch and 4.2-inch mortars with their high-trajectory fire on the reverse slope, while the artillery suppressed other enemy positions. The Carleton and York Regiment led the new advance supported by flank attacks. After some early success, “murderous machine-gun and mortar fire” from within and beyond The Gully overwhelmed the battalion, which suffered 52 casualties as well as the loss of 28 men who were taken prisoner when a platoon was cut off. As another frontal attack collapsed under the German fire, a battle group formed by a company of The West Nova Scotia Regiment, a tank squadron from the 11th Armoured Regiment (The Ontario Regiment), combat engineers, and a troop of self-propelled guns, found and destroyed a German battle group deployed to defend the shallow western end of The Gully. A platoon of West Novas, with a troop of tanks from the Ontario Regiment charged the enemy position, destroying two German tanks and capturing the others. A second troop of four Ontario Regiment tanks, working closely with a Seaforth Highlander company, swung further to the left, circling around the enemy defences before probing east towards Casa Berardi. This brilliant stroke, which might have ended German resistance at The Gully, could not be supported as Vokes had no reserves immediately available. With the tanks low on fuel and ammunition, the best the battle group could do was to defend their position near the Ortona-Orsogna road.

Defender: German (Panzergrenadierregiment 361, 90. Panzergrenadierdivision)  

Errata (source)