“I’ll send all the rum up… eh… sir?”
“Why, sure, send it all up. It’s raining, isn’t it? It’s nearly Christmas, isn’t it? What else will they get in their stockings?”
Company Quarter Master Sergeant (CQMS) Gunn to Officer Commanding Headquarters Company (OC HQ), Captain Beal
The 48th Highlanders of Canada earned one of their most distinguished battle honours at the Battle of Ortona, a battle remembered as ‘Little Stalingrad’ due to the intense and brutal house to house combat. The battle began on December 20, 1943, and was fought between the elite German Fallschirmjäger and the 1st Canadian Infantry Division led by Major-General Christopher Vokes. Ortona had a deepwater port and a rail line, as such it was of high strategic importance.
On the December 20, Major-General Vokes sent the soldiers of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade into Ortona. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Seaforth Highlanders, along with armour from the Three Rivers Regiment, began their advance into the town. As this offensive slowed, due to the tenacious German defence, General Vokes assigned the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade to outflank Ortona to the north and cut off the coastal road into the town. The 48th, as part of the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade, would form a critical part of Operation MORNING GLORY.
The initial plan for MORNING GLORY had the 48th Highlanders passing through the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment to seize the high ground between Ortona and San Tommaso, threatening the German’s escape route from Ortona. When the initial attack failed to reach its objectives, the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ian Johnston, decided to attempt an infiltration instead. The 48th advanced into enemy held territory after dark, moving without direct artillery or armour support, or any security on the flanks. The risks were high, but Johnston believed it offered the only chance of success.
Under command of Major Clarke, Able Company took the lead. Along the way to their objective, they came across two houses full of German soldiers. The soldiers of Able Company caught the Germans off guard while they were having a Christmas party. Able Company silently killed three and captured thirteen Germans from the first house, and then captured another in the second. A short while later, the 48th arrived at their objective, 1200 meters behind enemy lines, all without firing a shot.
The 48th furiously began to dig to establish a defensive position before sunrise. They were quickly prepared to hold their ground. The first German counterattack occurred at dusk on December 24; half of Baker Company was pinned down until Christmas morning. The 48th were besieged that Christmas Day. The Highlanders kept under cover as Fallschirmjäger moved in around them. Able and Dog Companies attempted to send patrols out to attack the suspected German headquarters and sniper nest located in two houses nearby. Unfortunately, the Germans were able to pin down the Highlanders with machine gun fire.
Despite the intense fighting, Private Crockford presented a Christmas treat to the headquarters. He made a cake out of cornmeal, his chocolate ration, walnuts he found in a farmhouse, and issued powdered milk. Pte Crockford even wrote “Merry Christmas” in the icing with his finger. His efforts lifted the spirits of everyone in the headquarters.
The morning of December 26 was cold, and the Highlanders were all tired, wet, and hungry. At 1000 exactly, the Germans launched a major counterattack against Able Company’s position. Able Company fought ferociously against the Germans, even engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Eight German soldiers made their way towards the entrance of the Able Company headquarters, Company Sergeant Major Keeler jumped into action, leading a handful of men against the Germans. Of the eight Germans that approached the headquarters, all were killed, the majority by CSM Keeler himself—three with his bayonet. As regimental historian Captain Kim Beattie later wrote, “The fight became so fierce that victory went to the Highlanders only because of their sheer defiance. They should have been beaten and overrun by all the laws of odds and tactics, but they were not.”
The Fallschirmjäger were held off, but organized themselves and came back twice more. The Highlanders of Able Company fought back. In the mid-afternoon, Johnston was planning an attack by Dog Company to draw attention away from Able, when Baker Company started to cheer. Lieutenant Clarkson, an intelligence officer, had arrived with three Sherman tanks from the Ontario Regiment. Within thirty minutes of the tanks arriving, the Highlanders took to the offensive. They swiftly repelled the German Fallschirmjäger, causing them to flee from their positions in a panic. The Highlanders all cheered with triumph as they fired at the retreating Germans.
On December 26, the Germans sustained 120 casualties with the 48th Highlanders suffering only 8. The next day, thanks to the hard fighting in Ortona itself and the closing trap around their escape route, the Germans in Ortona retreated.
by Lieutenant William Syron
