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| In September 1943, our Regiment had been moved across Tunisia from an area near Sousse, to a camp in Bizerta. From here we crossed the Mediterranean by landing craft to Taranto, in the 'heel' of Southern Italy, where we joined up with the 2nd Parachute Brigade. When Taranto harbour was secured, orders were received to advance northwards towards Foggia, a strategically located town with vital military airfields that the enemy used to protect South-Central Italy. Mopping up pockets of enemy resistance on the way the advance moved rapidly northwards. During this period and whilst an attack was being made on the town of Castellaneta, our Divisional Commander, General Hopkinson, was killed by an airburst shell. Although the enemy appeared to be in fast retreat they frequently took time to demolish bridges and lay mines at approaches to vilages and towns These tactics slowed down the advance, but some of the greatest delays we encountered resulted from supply lines from Taranto and other bases being stretched to the limit. This forced us at times to improvise from local resources and captured enemy supplies. By the time the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment had reached Foggia, many other units of the 1st Airborne Division had been relieved and withdrawn to Taranto to reorganise. The bulk of the Ist Division was soon to return to the UK to prepare for the invasion of NW Europe. Our Regiment, however, was destined to take on a frequently hectic and sometirnes difficult role over the next few months, for it must have been that, during the advance north of Taranto, someone in higher echelons of the Eighth Army had seen or heard of the small but highly mobile Artillery Regiment whose guns could be taken into the most difficult and mountainous terrain that naturally favoured the defending German troops. Whatever the reason, we became 'Corps Troops' and the Corps Commander would deploy us wherever he felt our guns could best be used. It was in this capacity that we took on a close support role with the 1st Canadian Division in its advance to Campobasso. |
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| One of Canada's official war artists, Charles Comfort, who had also been trained as a combat soldier, was later to write from personal observation that the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment was an extremely mobile and hard-hitting artillery force, armed with 75inm Howitzers which he claimed were “astounding" weapons. He wrote that the role of the gunners was often to clear the enemy from remote mountain locations, at times adopting mules as their motive power. The type of situation that would call for our involvement took place around the 6th of October. Elements of the 1st Canadian Division were forcing their way along Highway 17 from Foggia to Campobasso, which was the next major obective. The Royal 22e Regiment (Van Doo's) had attempted to establish a foothold on the west bank of the Fortore River, above a 13 span demolished bridge, but had been driven back by heavy fire from the 15th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. The next day, the West Nova Scotia's made a successful crossing of the river further south, and by the 8th, the town of Gambatesa had been taken. The Germans continued to heavily shell the highway and river crossings and, as a result, Canadian Artillery units could not advance along the demolished highway to find suitable gun deployrnent areas within retaliatory range. My Battery was quickly moved into the area, and by using secondary roads, often no more than goat tracks across the rugged terrain, we were able to place our Howitzers within range to take on the enemy self-propelled guns. By this time our CO, Lt Col W. Thompson, had recognised there would be occasions when even our jeeps could not make their way through mountainous areas and acoss ravines towing guns and ammo trailers. Our Howitzers were of the type that could be readily dismantled into what became known as 'Sherman Packs', capable of being loaded on top of Sherman tanks of the Canadian Armoured Brigade. Such an occasion was to arise later in October to the NW of Campobasso. |
 An F Troop gun unit in an Italian village in November 1943. The Battery was awaiting orders to move into the Abbruzzi mountain area. |
| The village of Torella lay on the road which formed the main axis of withdrawal for the 29th Panzer Grenadier Division, and it was being strongly defended by them. On October 5th, the 48th Highlanders had crossed the River Biferno, on the attack to take Torella, but were brought to a halt by heavy shelling and mortar fire. Canadian Engineers had made a detour across the gully beside the demolished bridge, but were unable to complete a vehicle crossing over the Biferno, which would have allowed the Canadian Artillery to move forward. Tanks of the Ontario Regiment were ordered to cross the river at detour and although several bogged down, the remainder were able to scale the far bank. Some of those that made it carried our dismantled 75's and gun crews, now badly needed to give support to the 48th Highlanders. These actions were typical of the many that we were to carry out, not only for the 1st Canadian Division, but also for the 5th British Infantry Division during its advance to Rionero, then the New Zealand Division in its unsuccessful attack on Orsogna, and the 78th Division and the 2nd Parachute Brigade in the area of Casoli. By November bad weather had settled in, and heavy rains had turned the mountain streams and rivers into fast flowing torrents. This was soon followed by heavy snowfalls in the higher regions where we frequently found ourselves, and many of us lacked the kinds of winter equipment that had not been needed on the slopes of southern sunny Italy, not too many weeks before. The Germans by then had decided it was time for them to establish a defensive winter line across Italy, at its narrowest part south of Rome. This became apparent, as their delaying actions became more obstinate. Operating as we did for much of the time in mountainous rocky terrain, communication between our forward observation posts and our gun troops became a constant challenge for our signallers. There were times when wireless contact was out of the question because of the surroundings, and we had to rely on our Army Telephone Systems, even though they would often be put out of action by shell or mortar fire breaking telephone lines, strung out overhead or on the ground. It was on one such occasion, when I was out searching for a break in a snow covered line with one of my Section signallers, that we were pinned down by enemy mortar fire. Both of us were forced to lie for several hours covered in a snow bank. Fortunately we were close to the break in the line, whicb we repaired, enabling us to relay back to our gun position the location of the German mortars. Being out for days on end in this type of weather was probably what brought me down with double pneumonia and got me back to Military Hospital, in Bari, over Christmas and New Year. By the time I returned to my Unit the Regiment was being pulled out of the line in preparation for its return to the UK in January 1944. |
| Brief as our Italian Campaign involvement was, losses to the Regiment included one officer and nine other ranks killed in action and many wounded. Two officers were awarded the Military Cross, and one the American Bronze Star. Three gunners, two of whom were signallers in my Section, received the Military Medal, and three other members of the Regiment were Mentioned in Despatches. All in all, the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment RA was given a taste of action in Italy which was to prepare it for the more deadly events it was to encounter in Operation Market Garden, at Arnhem, in September 1944. |
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| Jack was born and brought up in Edinburgh, Scotland and now lives in Canada. As well as being a member of the Lothian Branch he is a member of BAFACanada (British Airborne Forces Association Canada) |