A Sapper’s War - 12 Fld Coy RCE History, Part 8 May 1944 (Monte Casino, the Battle for the Liri Valley and Rome)
(Amazon link to the book near the end of the blog)
A Note on Blog and Book
This
series of blogs, entitled "A Sapper's War" follows some units of the
Royal Canadian Engineers in World War 2, primarily the 12th Field Company,
which was my father's unit. The main sources are the unit War Diary, Daily
Orders, official military histories, and The History of the Corps of Royal
Canadian Engineers Volume 2. I will also include some personal accounts
of his, when this is appropriate to the history.
The
blogs will mostly relate to their time in Italy, from Oct 1943 to Jan 1945,
though it will ultimately be extended to the later events in Northwestern
Europe and the earlier events in the U.K.. They will be put together in
book form eventually, but until that time the blogs will be available for
interested readers on this "Dodecahedron Books" blog site. I
encourage anyone who in interested to read the blogs, and buy the book when it
comes available.
Naturally,
I am claiming copyright, though you can make "fair use" of content,
of course, if you are writing about similar times and events.
Though
the overall history of the war will be noted, as context, the text mainly
relates to the experiences of the 12th Field Company, as indicated in their War
Diary and related orders, and other documents. If you want a more general
history of the war, there are many other sources to more completely fill in
those details.
There
will be a fair bit of focus on what might be called "social history",
in addition to the sometimes routine, sometimes harrowing military activities
of a group of Allied sappers in the Italian Theatre of WW2. The daily
orders and company War Diary often provide an interesting window into this
day-to-day world that the strictly military lacks.
Though
this account is based is a Canadian engineer company, it is likely that
British, other Commonwealth and American sappers would have lived through
similar experiences at this time, so families and interested parties from those
nations might also find it interesting.
I
will fill in links to the blog series below, as they are posted.
Dec
1943: https://dodecahedronbooks.blogspot.com/2019/11/a-sappers-war-12-fld-coy-rce-history_30.html
Feb
1944: https://dodecahedronbooks.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-sappers-war-12-fld-coy-rce-history_27.html
May
1944: TBA
Jun
1944: TBA
Jul
1944: TBA
Aug
1944: TBA
Sep
1944: TBA
Oct
1944: TBA
Nov
1944: TBA
Dec
1944: TBA
Jan
1945: TBA
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May 1944
May 1944 saw one of the most important
engagements in the war in Italy, the breakthroughs of the Gustav Line and the
Hitler Line, on the road to Rome, which would be followed by the capture of
Rome, early the next month. This was a
multi-national and multi-front battle, with elements of the U.S. Fifth Army and
British (and Commonwealth) Eighth Army both playing significant roles. In addition, many other countries supplied
troops, either independently or as colonial troops – notably France, Morocco,
Poland, India, Nepal, New Zealand, and South Africa.
In terms of visualizing the overall battle,
the U.S. Fifth Army was on the left flank, along the coast. Then came the Free French troops to the
American right, in rather mountainous terrain.
British and Commonwealth troops (including Indian troops) were in the
center, facing the Liri Valley, which included several good routes to
Rome. On the far right were troops from
various countries, facing the obstacle of Monte Casino, which provided the
Germans with excellent observation posts and the ability to bring down pinpoint
artillery on their enemies.
Farther up the coast was the Anzio Beachhead,
where a large force of American and British troops had been landed months
earlier. Though contained by the
Germans, they presented a threat to the German rear, should they break out as
the battle progressed.
Opposing these armies were well dug in
German forces, who had two very strong lines, known as the Gustav Line and the
Hitler Line. This, along with the
quality of the experienced troops and their excellent tactical doctrine
provided a very great challenge for the Allies, one that they had expended many
troops on in the months before May 1943.
The Allied armies advanced from the
Garigliano River (also called the Rapido and the Liri, depending on where along
the river’s course the observer happened to be), 80 km south of Rome to
Florence during May and June 1944, a distance of about 200 km.
The attack itself featured a number of
hotly contested river crossings, followed by movement over open areas that the
enemy had its guns well zeroed in on, as well as heavily defended concrete 88
millimeter gun emplacements, mine fields, razor wire and other obstacles
throughout the valleys.
Eventually, the Gustav and Hitler Lines
were breached (that included the capture of the now destroyed monastery at
Monte Casino), and the German armies were thrown back and retreated to new
lines, well north of Rome. The Allied breakout
from the Anzio beachhead was an important part of this action, as well. Needless to say, all sides suffered heavy
casualties.
These battles of attrition were to continue
north, up the Italian peninsula, throughout 1944 and 1945. Due to the D-Day invasion of Normandy, on
June 6, the Italian sector was largely thought of as a sideshow after this
battle for Monte Cassino and Rome. But
the D-Day Dodgers, as they were sometimes called, suffered just as badly as the troops in
northwestern Europe.
As far as Canadian troops were concerned,
the battle for the Liri Valley and Rome really got going on May 11, and lasted until
June 4. This was preceded by training
during April of 1944, in preparation for the attack, followed by a well
concealed movement into the Monte Cassino area, which included a successful
deception plan, which had the German commander, Kesselring convinced that the
Canadian Corps would make a landing further up the coast to threaten the German
rear.
Canadian Corps made some of the most
important breakthroughs of the battle, in particular the initial breakthrough
of the Hitler Line, though the honor of capturing Rome was gained by U.S.
troops. Some felt that the U.S. general Mark
Clark was a “glory hog” in this regard, and his actions may well have let many
German troops escape from encirclement.
Unfortunately, that left some hard feelings.
12 Fld Coy was in the midst of the action, kept
extremely busy building and maintaining bridges, ferrying troops across rivers,
sweeping for mines and minefields, building airstrips, building POW cages and
ensuring that transportation routes remained passable and mine-free. It suffered a number of casualties in this
work, primarily due to mines and booby traps.
Following is a condensation of the 12 Fld
Coy War Diary notes for May 1944.
May 1 to 4 – Telese, Italy
The early days
of May had Platoons 1 and 2 involved a bridging exercise with 13th
Fld Coy, where they constructed a Pontoon Bailey Bridge. They build the bridge on May 1 and took it
down on May 2. This wasn’t just busy
work – in action, Bailey bridges were often constructed, only to be shortly
taken down and rebuilt further along, as the advance progressed.
Meanwhile, a
couple of corporals (Connally and Finch) were sent on a Motor Boat Course. These would be motorized assault boats, also
called storm boats, for taking troops and equipment across rivers during the
early stages of an offensive. 3 Platoon
took over Duty Company responsibilities, so it was temporarily unavailable for
most of the training that was going on.
The company was given
orders to start a mine school, so that troops from other units could learn
about mines, both their own and the German mines. Lt. Place, who was currently
on a Mine Warfare course, was given this task.
Lt. Pierce gave
lectures on Malaria, an ever present danger in the region, which would only get
worse, as the company was changing to summer drill (i.e. uniforms and kit). There was a rifle inspection and the men also
had a foot inspection, which revealed that athlete’s foot was common. Both healthy feet and reliable rifles would
be needed in the coming days.
As their Duty
Company obligations were now over, 3 Platoon was sent on a night bridging exercise
with 13 Fld Coy. A lot of bridge
construction in hotly contested areas was done in the middle of the night, when
the enemy was handicapped by the dark, so it was essential for the men to be
able to do this work quickly and reliably in the dark. A new
officer, Lt. York, was attached to the platoon for this exercise.
Sappers Jones
and Macauley were taken by the Provost for their court martial in Bonefro. This was related to their fracas with Italian
civilians, back in March.
May 5 to 8 – Telese, Italy
Corporal Moore
was also sent on the Mine Warfare course, while Lt. Place had now set up the
mine school, to train other engineering units.
Meanwhile, 2 Platoon embarked on a watermanship course on Volturno River
(practicing the operation of assault craft, etc.).
2 Platoon was
practicing demolitions, as well as building a Class 30 Bailey across a
ditch. They also did some road recees,
to train in road classification (i.e. what kind and level of traffic a road
could handle). Lt. York did research on
marking Bailey Bridge stores effectively for night bridging work and on mine
booms for floating bridges.
The trial
against Italian civilians who had stabbed some 12 Fld Coy sappers had begun, but
there was no result yet.
Most of 1
Canadian Corps was to be held in reserve during the first part of the upcoming
battle, to be used as shock troops for a breakthrough of the Gustav and Hitler
lines after those lines had been weakened, but 12 Fld Coy would be assigned to
XIII Corps, Royal Engineers, and thus would be in the battle right from the
start.
Future tasks
were assigned, for their time with XIII Corps.
Chief among these, during the opening phase, was to clear a route to the
Gari River and construct a Class 40 Bridge (suitable for tanks) over that river
during the initial offensive against the Gustav Line.
Two sections
from 3 Platoon were detailed to perform mine sweeping for the road and bridge
site, in preparation for the bridge.
May 9 to 12 – Telese and Raviscanni, Italy
Major Wade took
3 Platoon on a recee for the mine sweeping job on the 9th, leaving Capt. Thomas
in charge of the 12 Fld Coy company. The
major and 3 Platoon would be under the
command of XIII Corps Royal Engineers during this time, and command of the rest
of the company would be handed over to XIII Corps the next day. The company prepared to move to the new area,
in preparation for the bridge job.
On May 11, the company moved to Raviscanni, where it
rested and prepared for its upcoming work.
The offensive began that night at 2300, initiated by a tremendous
artillery barrage.
The company took
Route 6, leaving at 0230 and arrived at the concentration site at 0600. They also had an RE platoon assigned to help,
which came under their command at 0400. A
D-6 Caterpillar was also assigned to the company to aid in these tasks.
The detailed
assignments were: 1 Platoon was to construct a road to the bridge site and a
parallel tank, to support the offensive.
2 Platoon was assigned to construct the Class 40 Bailey Bridge across
GARI R (which was eventually called Swindon Bridge), while 3 Platoon was
responsible for mine sweeping throughout the entire route.
This was not to
be the only route across the river.
Eventually there would be four bridges build quite close by each other,
only about a mile apart – Oxford, Plymouth, Quebec and Swindon (the 12 Coy
bridge).
May 13 to 14 – Liri River, Italy
The bridge construction
and related tasks were delayed for a day (May 13), as the Indian division which
was to clear the area of enemy had some trouble completing their operation.
That was how the
Company War Diary phrased it – in fact 8th Indian Division got badly
mauled, first losing many men to gunfire and drowning while trying to cross the
river in folding boats, then they were hit by massive and well-aimed fire from
German positions once they did get across the Gari River.
Nonetheless, the
company’s bridging task was carried out after the day’s delay, under a smoke
screen, which was laid down at 0950. 1 Platoon, with the D6 cat headed off to clear
the route at 1010, then 3 Platoon proceeded to the site to sweep for mines on
the road into the bridge site and on the far bank seat and far approaches (the
other side of the river, where the bridge would be anchored and the road would
come out).
By 1035 Sgt
Clark went to the site to establish a ferry service for equipment and personnel
to get across the river, making use of assault boats for the purpose.
By 1200 an
advance bridging party started work on bank seats. Shortly thereafter, mines were found on the
near side of the river, which were cleared.
By 1330 the main bridging party and trucks with bridging equipment
arrived on site. The bridging party
headed down to the bridge site at 1400 and construction began by 1430. Meanwhile, routes on both sides of the river
were cleared of mines and these routes were marked accordingly by 3 Platoon,
right up to the San Angelo lateral (a road about a half mile up, near the
Gustav Line itself).
By 1800 hours, the
bridge was built, at least to the Class 9 level and class 9 traffic began
crossing the bridge at that time (truck traffic, Bren carriers and the like). By 2100 vehicles were using the route across
the river that had been cleared by 3 Platoon.
All cleared stretches were then marked with wire and signs.
All this took
about 12 hours to accomplish. From the
description given in the 12 Fld Coy Ward Diary, it almost sounds like a routine
training operation (there were no casualties reported in the Diary that
day). One suspects that was hardly the
case, as the Germans were fighting hard to prevent river crossings being built and
to ensure that the Allies paid for each river crossing made, when they did
succeed. A scant mile or so to the
north, this was how things were on that morning of May 14 (this passage
describes a squadron of Canadian tanks heading for the battle over the Gari River):
‘C’ Squadron
crossed Oxford Bridge at 0100 hours on May 14, followed by ‘B’ Squadron at
0400, and ‘A’ Squadron and the regimental headquarters tanks at 0500. Although
control of the bridgehead was considered firmly in XIII Corps’s hands, Beach
found this hard to believe as the headquarters unit formed up for its crossing.
“It was an eerie feeling,” he wrote, “to move along, and visibility nil, due to
fog and heavy smoke screens laid to cover the bridges. There were several
halts; finally up to the bridge and our tank drivers took them over. Still
dark, shells bursting all over, mortars, more lethal crumps, machine gun
bullets whining through the air. At last we halted, tight into the side of a
little road with steep banks on either side.”
Zuehlke, Mark. The Liri Valley: Canada's World War II Breakthrough to
Rome (p. 152). D & M Publishers. Kindle Edition.
May 15 to 17 – Liri River and San Angello, Italy
On May 15, 1
Platoon crossed the river to clear an existing tank track of mines and to begin
building another tank track. Meanwhile, 2
and 3 Platoons cleared mines on the tank track on the near side of the river. This successfully separated the tank track
from the route being used by other vehicles, which would improve traffic flow
to the front. In major actions like this, a lot of vehicles would be sharing a
few roads, so big traffic jams were not unusual. Separating roads for different types of
vehicles helped, as did having two or more roads, to allow separate traffic
flows (“up” and “down” routes).
The remainder of
the day was spent improving these routes and marking them with signs indicating
whether or not minesweeping had been done.
Sixty loads of gravel were used to spread on the routes, filling in
“soft spots”. These might have included bomb
craters, areas chewed up by tanks and trucks, or just boggy portions of the route.
1st Canadian
Division troops (infantry) then passed through, at about 1200, using this route
for the start of their offensive, which would be further up the Liri Valley,
past the Pignataro-San Georgio road.
Soon thereafter, 1 Platoon improved Swindon Bridge, bringing it up to a Class
40, which would allow tanks to be brought up to support the infantry. This was used some hours later by the
tanks. No mines exploded on the tank
tracks to and from the bridge, and the bridge itself held up well to the tank
crossings, beginning at about 2000 hours, so the company felt that they had
done that part of their job well.
One sad note for
the day involved the officer, Lt. Place, who went missing, along with a padre,
Capt. Wolfendale – it was suspected that they had been captured, while on a
recce (it turned out that this officer did become a POW and survived the war as
a prisoner, while the padre succumbed to wounds a few months in a German
Hospital, while a prisoner of war).
There was
another casualty reported on this day, L Cpl J Heaman, though the cause of his
wounding wasn’t noted in the War Diary.
May 16 saw more
mine sweeping, mine clearing, and improving of routes. 3 Platoon took over DIAMOND Route, from 56
Fld Coy RE, and was also given the job of clearing mines from gun sites for the
Army Group Royal Artillery. However, it
wasn’t long until 12 Fld Coy reverted to the command of 1 Canadian Corps, and
Diamond Route was then handed to 13 Fld Coy RCE.
2 Platoon began working
with U.S. Engineers, who were laying a pipeline to aid logistics for the
advance of 5th Army, well to the left of line of advance of the
Canadian troops. Unfortunately, there was a 2 Platoon casualty from an American
booby trap (Lt/Cpl. Chambers), while working on this job with the U.S.
engineers. The rest of 2 Platoon swept for
mines and built the needed road crossings for the pipeline job.
1 Platoon
continued improving the tank track and took over CLUB route, from Swindon
Bridge to the St. Angelo lateral. This was to become a major route needed to
move troops and supplies for the offensive.
On the May 17,
most of these activities were continued.
3 Platoon also put in a diversion for a nearby Bailey, making it a
two-way route.
May 18 to 21 – Pignataro, Italy
As the Allied
advance progressed, some of the primary tasks for engineer companies now became
the maintenance and improvement of the various transportation routes that
brought men and supplies to the front.
While pushing bridges across rivers while under fire, ferrying men on
assault boats, and opening gaps through minefields for the charging infantry was
dramatic, the ongoing problem of maintaining logistics for a large army as was
at least equally important.
For 12 Fld Coy
RCE this mostly centered around the maintenance and improvement of CLUB route,
which ran along the southern edge of the Liri Valley. As long as this route
(among others) could be kept open, supplies such as ammunition, rations, and
armor could be moved up to the front as it advanced towards the Hitler Line,
the next major obstacle after the Gustav Line.
This involved widening the route to 40 feet (helpful for enabling two
way traffic), as well as grading and ditching the route. The verges of the route (basically, the
edges) also had to be swept for mines, which became the job of 3 Platoon. An existing Bailey bridge on the route was skin-decked,
which made crossing the bridge easier and more efficient for vehicles.
3 Platoon was sent
to build a landing strip for Taylor aircraft.
These were small, light observation aircraft, mostly used for
observation. In terms of modern
aircraft, they might be compared to a Piper Cub. In fact, they sometimes served alongside
those very aircraft in the American 5th Army theatre.
A mine gapping
crew from 2 Platoon was sent to clear an area for 9 Fld Park Coy. Two sections of 1 Platoon built a POW cage,
for captured prisoners. A maintenance party was sent back to Swindon Bridge, the
key river crossing that was built earlier by 12 Fld Coy.
After helping
with the airstrip, 3 Platoon carried on with maintenance of CLUB route and opened
a gravel pit, which was needed for route maintenance, filling in bomb craters
and related engineer tasks.
May 22 to 25 – Pignataro, Italy
The attack on
the Hitler line by 1 Canadian Corps and 1st Canadian Division now
commenced, beginning on May 22 (as the Gothic Line had been breached earlier). It was a very difficult slog and a great many
casualties were incurred, though eventually success was achieved.
12 Fld Coy
played their part, by maintaining routes needed to bring supplies up to the
front. Among other duties, they built a
diversion to separate two routes, CLUB and DIAMOND. This required the construction of a new Class
40 Bailey Bridge, built by 2 Platoon, which was heavy enough for tanks to cross.
1 Platoon also skin decked an existing bridge, which enabled faster and more
efficient traffic flow.
They also
completed a POW cage, to house the
growing numbers of German prisoners of war.
In some areas, Germans (or foreign troops impressed by the Germans) were
quite eager to call it quits, while in other areas they held on with a tenacity
and professionalism that was admirable but frustrating for the Allies.
3 Platoon built
a F.B.E. Bridge (floating bridge equipment bridge), in order to connect Canadian
Corps and French Corps. French Corps was on the Canadian left and had been
successful in breaching the German lines (as had been Canadian Corps, which
broke through on the May 24) so the liaison between the two armies was
essential for the overall coordination of the Allied advance. The two armies were now connected by a Class
9 route.
Liaison was also
maintained with South African engineers, who were behind 12 Fld Coy and 1st
Canadian Division engineers, who were ahead.
May 26 to 29 – Pontecorvo, Italy
On May 26 HQ
Platoon moved to a location just west of Pontecorvo. For the next several days, the company continued
to maintain and improve CLUB route, through that bombed-out town and beyond.
3 Platoon put in
several culverts on CLUB route just west of the town and generally worked on
keeping the route clear. 1 and 2
platoons worked on a nearby Bailey bridge, which was strengthened and improved. This included the addition of a second storey
to the bridge.
On May 28, 1
Platoon build a ford across the Melfa River and also maintained and improved a
bridge at a nearby reservoir. They also
strengthened another bridge across the Melfa, bringing it up to Class 40 (able
to bear tank traffic). 3 Platoon did a
recee on a blown dam, which 2 Platoon later began repairing the next day.
The company got
a new Second in Command, Captain Eldrige, as Captain Thomas was transferred to
2 Fld Park Coy, to take command of that engineer company.
May 30 to 31 – Ceprano, Italy
On May 30, 1
Platoon did more route and bridge work, including maintaining the ford across
the MELFA River. The also commenced work
on an 80 foot Class 40 Bailey Bridge, though it was delayed due to mines. A tank had a track thrown by a mine and truck
towing a Bofors gun got stuck on a bridge approach.
2 Platoon
continued repairing the dam on the Liri River.
3 Platoon continued maintaining and improving CLUB route, from the Melfa
River to Ceprano. HQ Platoon built
another POW cage.
The company
reported a serious casualty the next day (Sapper M Jones), when two more trucks
went up from mines, though it is not stated whether his wounds were related to those
mines.
2 Platoon worked
on repairing the dam across LIRI River. H.Q. Platoon built another POW cage and
constructed another air strip. 3 Platoon carried on with maintenance of CLUB
route, including bridge maintenance and improvements.
Department of Defence Historical Documents and Miscellaneous Sources, May 1944
Following are some selected quotes from the
report on Operations during May 1944 in Italy, written by the military:
1 - Factors Slowing the Advance (note that several of these were related to lack of communication or cooperation with the engineers)
Lt.-Col. Lord Tweedsmuir in a report to
the Commander of the Eighth Army on "The Factors which Slowed up the
Eighth's Army Offensive in the LIRI Valley" stressed the fact that traffic
congestion was the greatest cause of delay.
Among avoidable mistakes he listed:
(1) Failure to pass information to the Engineers.
(2) Failure by Divisions to develop routes laid down by
Corps.
(3) Inexperience of provost personnel.
(4) Failure to prevent casual traffic.
(5) Putting more traffic on the roads than they could
stand.
Among other causes of delay he listed:
(1) Misinterpretation of maps and serial photographs.
(2) Failure to maintain direction in close country.
(3) Failure of the infantry to continue advancing when
their
supporting tanks were held up by ground.
(4) Unwillingness of the infantry to advance without
supporting weapons.
(5) Demolitions - failure to keep the Engineers informed
and general attitude of "leave it to the Sappers".
(6) Uncertainty re the situation on flanks (e.g., a day
was lost due to a misunderstanding between the Canadian and French Corps).
(7) Difficulty in the use of code names.
(8) Failure to pass back information.
2 - Sappers Use of Assault Boats
“A storm of shell swept the Liri Valley,
pounding enemy fortifications and artillery lines. Mortar teams sprang into action,
raining their bombs on infantry concentration areas...As the shoot went down
the leading infantry companies moved forward to the river bank. Among them
staggered sappers under the weight of assault boats,” (Report 179, page 49)
3 - The Dangers of CLUB route
“The first stage of the advance from the Melfa to Frosinone
was now completed. A further advance was not possible, however, until three bridges
had been constructed. 5 Armd Div, passing north of the reservoir, required the bridge
across the Liri at Ceprano. The route followed by the Adams Force south of the
reservoir, ("CLUB" Route) as we have been necessitated bridging both
the Sacco and Liri Rivers. While engineers went to work the 4 P.L.D.G. patrol
(see para 214) remained in the area of Staz di Ceprano. The two bridges were
completed and the "CLUB" Route opened at 0430 hours 28 May. During an
inspection of this route on 27 May the C.R.E. 1 Cdn Inf Div, Lt-Col K.J.
Southern, was killed with his driver when his jeep ran over two wooden box
mines.” (Report 179, page 161)
4 –Divisional and Corps Engineers Working Together
“During the 26th…the advancing
1st Division came up against its first sizable river gap. A 150 foot triple-single Bailey Bridge was
required at the crossing to the village of San Giovani Incarico. There was no opposition in this area, apart
from shell fire, and, with three platoons available, the 1st Field
Company…had the route…open on the 27th. As soon as the bridge was in place, the 12th
Field Company began doubling the Class 18 span to bring it up to Class 40…A
good example of the spirit of cooperation which existed between Divisional and
Corps Troops RCE.” (The History of the
Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, Volume 2 (page 209))
5 – Whatever Floats Your Bridge – 12 Fld Coy At the San Giovani Dam
“…on the 29th…at the Sacco, a
diversion was made and traffic was rerouted over a ford about half a mile above
the weakened bridge. Here preparations
were made to put in an 80 foot double-single bridge. The enemy must have expected that the site
would come into use, for he had sewn it with over two hundred mines, on one of
which Lt. Colonel Christian lost his wireless operator and his jeep. The 12 Fld Coy now put men to work on a set
of gates of welded Bailey Bridge panels and planks, to replace the damaged
spillway gates at the San Giovani Dam, so as to raise the water level in the
reservoir, and consequently in the Sacco (river), thus floating the 13th
Field Company’s pontoons.” (The History
of the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, Volume 2 (page 213))
6 – Churchill’s Commentary
“It fell to the
Canadian Corps to make the main attack in the Liri Valley. By noon on the 24th they had made
a clear break-through, and their Armoured Division pierced towards Ceprano. The
next day the Germans were in full retreat and hotly pursued on the whole of the
Eighth Army front.’ (The Second World War, Volume V, Closing the Ring, Winston
Churchill (page 534))
Orders and Documents Archived with the 12 Fld Coy War Diary, May 1944
Following are some selected quotes from the
documents associated with the 12 Fld Coy War Diaries during May 1944:
1 - The Ongoing Risk of Malaria:
As noted in the accompanying order,
malaria continued to be a major problem.
Mepacrine (also called quinacrine) had many unpleasant side effects,
such as nausea, headaches, and diarrhea. It could also cause could cause
neurological problems, such as nightmares, heightened anxiety, even up to
full-blown psychosis. So, it could be
difficult to get troops to comply with medical orders.
May 1, 1944
MALARIA
To prevent the outbreak of
this disease within this unit full anti-malarial measures will be put into
effect immediately. All ranks will:
(a) Consult Part 1 Orders
for hours of sunset and sunrise.
(b) Ensure that their
mosquito net is in proper position before sunset and during hours of darkness.
(c) After sunset and prior
to sunrise:
Dress – Long trousers,
gaiters, shirts fastened at neck with sleeves rolled down and fastened. Guards will in addition wear face veils.
Ointment – All exposed
portions of the skin will be smeared with mosquito ointment once every four
hours.
(d) Ensure that they
consume one mepacrine tablet each day. Disciplinary action will be taken
against offenders who do not observe the above precautions.
Times of sunset and sunrise
will be published in tomorrow’s Part 1 Orders.
2 - Other Medical Matters:
Malaria wasn’t
the only disease that could put soldiers out of action. Sexually transmitted diseases continued to be
a problem, and education was one of the main strategies employed to stem the outbreaks. One suspects that this movie probably wasn’t
a lot of fun, but necessary for a group of mostly young men, especially in a
time when sex education was not common.
May 9, 1944
PICTURE SHOW
1 The film SEX HYGIENE to be shown at outdoor cinema 9
May at 2030 hours. Persons who have not seen this film will attend. The main feature will be shown at 2110 hours.
3 - Traffic Problems, Hitchhiking:
In later years,
hippies would think that they invented hitchhiking. Not so.
May 9 was just two days before the major attack, which would begin on
the 11th, so no doubt the roads were extremely congested.
May 9, 1944
HITCHHIKING
1
Owing to volume of traffic on roads and the delays and congestion caused by
halting vehicles the practice of hitchhiking will cease from the time of
receipt of this order, dated 9 May 44.
4 - More about Relations with Civilians and the Danger of Spies:
Concerns now
arose about enemy agents being planted among the civilians sometimes employed
by Eighth Army. It was decided to
largely put a stop to the practice.
However, the relationship between the Allies and the Italians would
remain a fraught one, as the war progressed, even though Italy was now on the
Allied side, as far as resistance to German occupation was concerned.
It’s not clear
whether the term “agents 257” is a misprint, or if it has a specific military
meaning. It is possible that it might
refer to the notion of a “double agent”, but my internet searches only hinted
at that
May 27, 1944
EMPLOYMENT
OF CIVILIAN LABOUR & ITALIAN MILITARY PERSONNEL.
1 It
is expected that increasing numbers of “planted” agents 257 will be left by the
retreating enemy.
2
The casual employment of civilians as cooks, mess orderlies, etc. without
reference to security authorities, and the issue of Allied military uniforms to
other than members of the Allied Forces provides excellent opportunities for
enemy agents. One agent captured
recently had been employed for a number of weeks by a unit in EIGHTH Army area.
3.1
It has been noted that units are recruiting civilian labour and individual
Italian soldiers and permitting them to accompany the unit when it moves from
one location to another.
3.2
Any unit employing civilians, who have not been officially recruited, will
arrange for their immediate return to their homes.
3.3
Any unit employing Italian military personnel othr than those of a recognized
Italian Pioneer Company or Italian Military/Labour unit, will arrange for their
immediate return to the Italian Transit Camp at VAIR/ANO.
4
Any unit which considers that the retention of Italian military or civilian
personnel is justified, will make the necessary application to DDL, EIGHTH
Army. Authority will only be granted for
their retention in very exceptional cases and where absolute necessity is
proved.
5
Any breaches of this order will be reported and may be published in AROs.
5 - The Humble Jerry Can:
I think it is
appropriate to put in a word for the humble Jerry Can for reasons both general
and personal. These were first designed
for the German army in the 1930s and were quickly back-engineered and adapted
by other armies, as well. Thus the name, Jerry Can. “Jerry” was a somewhat comradely term used by
the British and Canadian armies for the Germans, in the same way that the
Germans tended to refer to British troops as “Tommies”. They are still in common use today, and most
of us have probably used one at some time in our lives.
One of the key
advantages of this design was that the funnel and spout were built in, on the
reverse side of the stopper, thus obviating the need for a separate
funnel. The rectangular shape made them
easy to store and transport, as they were stackable. A built-in handle and a design which allowed
for the can to expand when the contents warmed also were very convenient. They were also strong and not prone to
leakage. They held about 20 liters
(about 5 gallons).
May 9, 1944
JERRY
CANS
1
Both British and American pattern will NOT, repeat NOT, be used for anything
except petrol and derivatives. These
cans are in short supply at the present time and every economy must be enforced
to conserve present stocks. Other types
of cans such as pallicans – empty drums may be used.
Some Family Stories Related to May 1944 Events
Prisoners of War
As noted above,
there were some 12 Fld Coy personnel taken as prisoners of war by the Germans
during the taking of the Gustav Line, namely an officer and a padre on a
reconnaissance mission. During this battle in the Liri Valley, the company also
built cages to house German prisoners taken by the Allies. Also, during some of the later actions in
Italy, the 12 Fld Coy took enemy prisoners.
These situations
could become rather confused, in the ebb and flow of events, and capture and
escape could happen in quick succession, as is indicated in this passage from
the Zuehlke book:
“They found both
bridges blown and determined that Ceprano was probably unoccupied. Wood tried
radioing a report to Clark, but an intervening ridgeline blocked the
transmission. Leaving the four other ranks near the river’s edge, the two
officers returned on foot to report. While they were gone, the four soldiers
intercepted a German truck and killed the driver. Apparently deciding the shots
that had killed the driver betrayed their presence in no man’s land, the four
men got in the truck and hightailed it north on Highway 6 in an attempt to reach
the advancing Eighth Army lines. Promptly meeting a German-manned roadblock,
they were taken prisoner. Two escaped captivity six days later.” Zuehlke, Mark. The Liri Valley: Canada's
World War II Breakthrough to Rome (p. 384). D & M Publishers. Kindle
Edition.
Within my
family, there is a celebrated story of a similar nature. Martin and some comrades ended up behind the
enemy lines - perhaps this was on a recee as well. As the tale goes, they ended up getting
captured by some Germans for a short time.
Fortunately, the situation was very fluid, and they managed to escape
get back to the safety of their own lines after a few hours. It was never stated precisely where in Italy
this happened. Perhaps it was during the
Liri Valley campaign, perhaps somewhere else.
Suffice to say that they were close enough to the front to accidentally
cross the line into enemy territory.
There was some
talk about a wine cellar being discovered, and the products thereof being
indulged in, by him and his mates, which was the cause of their confused
wandering over the German lines. This seems
plausible, given the easy availability of wine, the health concerns about local
water supplies and the general stress levels that the men were under.
The Smell of the Dead
The area around
Monte Casino had been hotly contested for many months prior to this battle. Though the two sides usually had a truce to
gather their dead, that didn’t always happen.
Here’s what the Zuehlke book said about the scene at the location of the
crossing at the Gari River on May 11, 1944, at Oxford Bridge, not far from
Swindon Bridge, which 12 Fld Coy put up on May 14:
“The dead
quickly piled up on the riverbank, mingling with the badly rotted corpses of
American and German soldiers never recovered or buried after a failed assault
on January 20, 1944, by the 36th U.S. Infantry Division, in which 1,681 men
were killed or wounded in a fruitless forty-eight-hour battle.” (p. 112).
“The first thing
Cawsey saw after the two tanks came off the bridge were the many rotting
corpses of American soldiers scattered through the brush and hanging on
barbed-wire obstacles.” Zuehlke, Mark.
The Liri Valley: Canada's World War II Breakthrough to Rome (p. 122). D & M
Publishers. Kindle Edition.
My father
sometimes talked about that too. He said
that smell was one of the worst things about being at Monte Casino. It is said that the sense of smell is
intimately connected to memory, so I guess it is no surprise that people would
remember a thing like this for the rest of their lives.
The Jerry Can
On a personal note, my Scottish mother
worked in a plant during WW2 which built Jerry Cans – she was one of those
women who were taught how to weld during the war, and took a job previously
reserved for men. She had also worked in
a munitions plant, but preferred the Jerry Can factory for obvious reasons - it
is cute to think that she may have worked on a Jerry can that my father used in
the Italian theatre (not likely on statistical grounds, but a good story).
===================================================================
The Sappers' War: 12th Field Company Royal Canadian Engineers
Are you a history buff, particularly interested in World War 2? Or, did you have a family member or
other relative participate in the conflict and are therefore curious about their experiences? If so, you might want to read about the journey of a military engineering company, throughout their time in action during the war.
The book focuses on one particular company of soldier/sappers in the Canadian Army, but many of their experiences would be common to any of the Allied units in the European theatre. Some of the major battles in which they were involved included Ortona, Monte Casino, the Gothic Line, the battles for Ravenna and the Po Valley, the Liberation of Holland and final defeat of the Third Reich.
In addition, some content relates to the experiences of civilians in Britain during that time. Appendices also look at some of the details of military engineering (e.g. bridging, mines, storm boats, the M-test), casualties, the Aldershot Riots and other issues of post-war rehabilitation and return to civilian life.
Much of the material comes from company war diaries and related materials, though a brief sketch of the wider campaigns relevant to the experience of these men is included, as are some interesting side-bars (e.g. the unit served alongside the celebrated irregulars known as Popski’s Private Army during their time in Northern Italy). To get a more “micro” feel for the on-site experiences of the time, some of my own family’s stories are related (a soldier/sapper, a war bride/war worker, a P.O.W., and an Atlantic convoy merchant marine sailor, among others). The summations of the War Diaries also include much interesting information about day-to-day life, both military and non-military.
So, grab your Lee-Enfield rifle and your mine-detector, and check out the life of a war-time sapper.
U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
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Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
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Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09HSXN6Q2
==========================================
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If you are interested in history, you may
also be interested in adventure travel, whether by foot, bike, truck or
car. So, why not consider reading a
travel, for only 99 cents on Amazon:
A Ride on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail
U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GBG8JE0
U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GBG8JE0
Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01GBG8JE0
Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01GBG8JE0
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01GBG8JE0
Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01GBG8JE0
India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01GBG8JE0
U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GBG8JE0
Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01GBG8JE0
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Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01GBG8JE0
India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01GBG8JE0
The Kettle Valley Rail Trail is one of the
longest and most scenic biking and hiking trails in Canada. It covers a good
stretch of the south-central interior of British Columbia, about 600 kilometers
of scenic countryside. British Columbia is one of the most beautiful areas of
Canada, which is itself a beautiful country, ideal for those who appreciate
natural splendour and achievable adventure in the great outdoors.
The trail passes through a great variety of geographical and geological regions, from mountains to valleys, along scenic lakes and rivers, to dry near-desert condition grasslands. It often features towering canyons, spanned by a combination of high trestle bridges and long tunnels, as it passes through wild, unpopulated country. At other times, it remains quite low, in populated valleys, alongside spectacular water features such as beautiful Lake Okanagan, an area that is home to hundreds of vineyards, as well as other civilized comforts.
The trail is a nice test of one’s physical fitness, as well as one’s wits and adaptability, as much of it does travel through true wilderness. The views are spectacular, the wildlife is plentiful and the people are friendly. What more could one ask for?
What follows is a journal of two summers of adventure, biking most of the trail in the late 1990s. It is about 33,000 words in length (2 to 3 hours reading), and contains numerous photographs of the trail. There are also sections containing a brief history of the trail, geology, flora and fauna, and associated information.
After reading this account, you should have a good sense of whether the trail is right for you. If you do decide to ride the trail, it will be an experience you will never forget.
The trail passes through a great variety of geographical and geological regions, from mountains to valleys, along scenic lakes and rivers, to dry near-desert condition grasslands. It often features towering canyons, spanned by a combination of high trestle bridges and long tunnels, as it passes through wild, unpopulated country. At other times, it remains quite low, in populated valleys, alongside spectacular water features such as beautiful Lake Okanagan, an area that is home to hundreds of vineyards, as well as other civilized comforts.
The trail is a nice test of one’s physical fitness, as well as one’s wits and adaptability, as much of it does travel through true wilderness. The views are spectacular, the wildlife is plentiful and the people are friendly. What more could one ask for?
What follows is a journal of two summers of adventure, biking most of the trail in the late 1990s. It is about 33,000 words in length (2 to 3 hours reading), and contains numerous photographs of the trail. There are also sections containing a brief history of the trail, geology, flora and fauna, and associated information.
After reading this account, you should have a good sense of whether the trail is right for you. If you do decide to ride the trail, it will be an experience you will never forget.
On Grey Owl’s Trail – A Hiking Journal
While
not as spectacular as some of the more well-known Canadian coastal trails (e.g.
The Juan de Fuca Trail) or mountain trails (e.g. The Kettle Valley Trail), the
Grey Owl Trail, in north-central Saskatchewan, has a charm all of its own. It
is a very fine hiking or canoeing route, that can be done in a leisurely three
days, or faster, if one prefers. It is also part of a much larger national
park, Prince Albert National Park, which includes a variety of other trails and
canoe routes, as well as a pleasant small town-site (Waskesiu), which includes
many “civilized” amenities, such as restaurants, hotels, cabins, stores, and
pubs.
Those qualities also make it a good site tor a family hike, as it is only moderately physically challenging, and therefore a nice introduction to the activity of multi-day hiking. At any rate, that was my family’s experience.
The journal is about 20,000 words, a length that can usually be read in an hour to 90 minutes. It includes notes from the trip, some history of Grey Owl and the trail, as well as selected quotations from the writings of Grey Owl and his wife Anahareo (who were both excellent, humorous and engaging writers).
Those qualities also make it a good site tor a family hike, as it is only moderately physically challenging, and therefore a nice introduction to the activity of multi-day hiking. At any rate, that was my family’s experience.
The journal is about 20,000 words, a length that can usually be read in an hour to 90 minutes. It includes notes from the trip, some history of Grey Owl and the trail, as well as selected quotations from the writings of Grey Owl and his wife Anahareo (who were both excellent, humorous and engaging writers).
U.S. - Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071K5D79L
U.K. - Amazon.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071K5D79L
Canada - Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B071K5D79L
Australia - Amazon.au: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B071K5D79L
Germany - Amazon.de: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B071K5D79L
India - Amazon.in: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B071K5D79L
Japan - Amazon.jp: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B071K5D79L
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