The Italian Campaign

Canadian troops landed in Sicily in July 1943 and in mainland Italy in September. After brutal hand-to-hand fighting, they captured the port of Ortona in December. They played a leading role in breaking the German fortified defences known as the Hitler Line, south of Rome, in May 1944. In August, having crossed more of the rugged Italian terrain, they led the successful assault on the northern Gothic Line. Early in 1945, after eighteen months of hard fighting, the Canadian Corps moved to northwestern Europe. In all, 92,757 Canadians served in Italy. Of those, 5,399 were killed, 19,486 were wounded and 1,004 were captured.
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