German Position 17 Jan 44 as they saw it!

 German Position 17-23 Jan 44 as the Germans saw it.

German tanks coming from Santa Maria Infante. 22 Jan 44

 22 Jan 44

The German tanks were coming down this road from Santa Maria Infante. 40 Royal Tank Regiment had to stop them getting to this corner of the Cemetery. (Photo John Strafford)

Ortona, Italy. December 1943.

 

Ortona, Italy.   December 1943.   1 York and Lancs. were based just west of here at this time.

Michael Pare:

The artist was Major Charles Comfort, an official Canadian war artist and member of the Group of Seven. He painted this in London from his sketches in November 1944. It is part of the war artist collection of the Canadian War Museum.

It shows tanks of the 14th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Calgary Regiment) passing through Piazza Plebiscito in Ortona.

Grenadier Georg Duscher was killed on 22 Jan 44 at Solacciano

 

NEW INFORMATION RECEIVED SINCE BOOK PUBLISHED.

Book: Battle For Monte Natale Page  133

Translation of the German Text

Grenadier Georg Duscher was killed on 22 Jan 44 at Solacciano which is one kilometre West of the (Minturno) cemetery and two kilometres North of Tremensuoli.   He was with the 361 Grenadier Regiment.

**In pious remembrance of our dear

Senior Grenadier

Georg Duscher

Farmer’s son from the Basen farm in Achleiten,

Parish of Schardenberg,

who, in his 20th year of life, met a hero’s death in the heavy fighting in southern Italy.**

 

Poetic Verse

You left us with a courageous heart

And hoped for a reunion.

But now our pain is greater,

Since this can no longer happen.

Yet when the bell from the tower tolls

That death has been ordained for me so soon,

Then do not weep, my loved ones—

You must be where I am now.

I went with two of my brothers

As a hero to the homeland of heaven.

Grid HQ 5 Infantry Division

 Map of the Minturno area, each square is one km in width and length. this is the grid used by HQ 5 Infantry Division. Some units used slightly different grids. (Map TNA)

5 Infantry Division Revised Plan of attack 18 Jan 44

 XBR Corps War Diary.

18 Jan 44

5 Infantry Division Revised Plan of Attack showing 15 Infantry Brigade moving ahead to take Tufo and Minturno. 13 Infantry Brigade are to the right of them. No area was safe from mines.  (TNA)

dd

Between 18 and 22 Jan 44 X Corps had lost almost 1,500 men.

 

NEW INFORMATION RECEIVED SINCE BOOK PUBLISHED

Book "Battle For Monte Natale" Page 128

From Norway to Burma by Roger Holgate

22 Jan 44 

Between 18 and 22 Jan 44 X Corps had lost almost 1,500 men.

13 Brigade was in the area between Tufo and Minturno, when the counter attack began on 20 Jan 44 and 15 Brigade was moving forward to take the ridge behind Tremensuoli.   For two days 1 KOYLI, with 1 Green Howards and 1 York & Lancs., stood firm against Kesselring’s counter attack, which surged along the boundary of the bridgehead, and on towards Mount Damiano, Mount Castiello and theSujo valley.   The front line on the right of the attack moved back and forth, as the Germans fought to throw it back to the river.   As the casualties began to mount, the entire front started to stabilise into na position that was roughly the same as had existed when the German counter attack had been launched.