...Dominion Nations Have Thier Character and Heroism, Unfortunately Most Times identified as English under The U.K.So Many sacrifices and Strategic Victories aren't directed back to Them , Newfoundland, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Burma, Malta, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and Canada!...Definitely made the Difference on All Fronts!!!...
My great uncle said it was so bad that after the Canadian captured parts of Italy they would be pulled back and the tanks would roll in and take the credit
@@ThePerch-m1m I don't care about the democracy. My founders didn't give me a democracy, they gave me a Republic. It's the Republic for which I stand in the Pledge of Allegiance, not the democracy. Unfortunately, too many people don't know the difference. Our founders knew that. They said we've given you a Republic, but can you hold on to it.
A Canadian living in the US. I am proud of all the Canadian contributions to the 2nd WW. Many, many Americans are as well. To this day, US military vets brag on any training or operations done with the Canadian Armed Forces! I have heard many times that if you want someone to stand and fight along side of you, call for the Canadians! They will ALWAYS be there.
Complain to RU-vid for blocking/demonetising/age restricting gory images, which are being censored. If you want to watch this on YT, you'll have to put up with it until YT changes their policy. Stop complaining if you don't understand what you're complaining about.
I know these brave men will be resting in the most serene of peace. The following generations are lucky 2 have had these men 2 secure their future in freedom. The debt is huge but so is the gratitude. I salute them. From an ex squaddie in England. 🫡
Quote " *Clark wanted Rome for his own selfish aggrandizement, and it would lead him into wrecking Alexander's plans for destroying the German 10th Army south of Rome."* " A Question of Leadership: The 5th Army in Italy
My father was with in a Sherman tank group of the 8th New Brunswick Hazars. He was wounded just out side of Rome and was sent home to Saskatchewan. This is the first documentary I’ve seen detailing the Canadians advance to Rome….thank-you so much for this series! RIP Dad!
I am ashamed to say I have been ignorant of this significant battle all of my 71 years! My father and his cousin were veterans of the US/Texas 36th Infantry facing similar on the western side from Salerno, Cassino and beyond. Thank you for publishing this video!
My great uncle flew B-26 Marauders over and bombed Monte Casino before the troops went in but he rarely talked about his time at war except right before he died in 2014
Not taking away from anything but D-Day and the Pacific have almost completely overshadowed the Italian Campaign. There really need to be more in depth studies of these fierce battles and the men who fought them. Much love and respect to the Greatest Generation.
Americans and many others, like Brits, Kiwis, Indians, and Poles earned the glory too. As long as the stories are told and understood, I think it's all good.
And because he went to Rome instead of cutting off the retreat of thousands of Germans, American and Canadian lives were lost fighting them all the way up Italy.
My Uncle served in the Italian campaign. When they found out the Americans were to take Rome, he and a few others thought about shooting Gen Clarke if they saw him. So many people killed opening the road to Rome only to have another army get all the credit.
I know My Grandfather's outfit was attached to General Mark Clarke's 5th Army. He was in The First Special Service Force. He said they lost a lot of Men during The Battle for Monte La Difensa.
They were fighting Fallshirmjager, that's why it was so bad for them. The same was true at Monte Cassino andf many other battles in Italy. It's why the campaign lasted so long. Albert Kesselring's defensive genius combined with elite troops like the Fallshirmjager including the elite Herman Goering Division slowed the Allied advance considerably.
It’s sad to see the veterans still hurting after all these years it’s something that never leaves you no one wants to kill but war forces the hand and the pain of doing what u have to do only goes when you die 😢
@@IrishAmerican17 Any account of the Canadians in WW2, is filled with Honour. All the troops who fought in Italy were called the D-Day Dodgers. But they fought under horrific conditions where every yard was paid for in blood. Their Sacrifice should never be forgotten.
Speaking as an American, the brave Canadians should have been allowed to March into Rome alongside the Americans. I denounce LTG Matt Clark's shabby treatment of our Canadian brothers.
It wasn't necessarily intentional, it was geographical. The British and Canadians went up the east side, the US went up the west side and faced Monte Casino. There was a whole mountain range between them.
I'm not defending what Mark Clark did But there was Canadians in the Liberation of Rome. My Grandfather marched into the City as a member of The U.S./Canada First Special Service Force.
Why do you censor history. The censorship I'm America has become horrible. Let the information out and the ones that can handle it and the ones that can't grow a pair
D Day Dodgers??? How could they be so cruel??? My word, the war was all over. Not only fought in Normandy... No mannnnn.. I as a South African salute you all for what you have done.. May you all find peace and rest in peace. Great respect, from Capetown South Africa... ❤❤😢😢
HUGE RESPECT to all war veterans. You can feel the pain they endured, it's in their eyes, the 1000 thousand yard stare 😢 War is the lowest creation of the human race, still seems it goes on repeating every time more deadly...
Well what a humbling experience to listen to those brave, brave men. I'm embarrassed that I knew nothing of their heroism but I do know that all our Commonwealth cousins who fought against fascism did so with extreme bravery and courage. Hats off indeed to those heroic "D-Day Dodgers"
A very fine and fascinating documentary. It is a tribute to the Canadian soldiers in World War II. I honor them as much as I honor our own WW2 veterans. And YES, Gen. Mark Clark was a glory-hound of the worst sort!
Clarke was warned and told bypass casino but he ignored the advice and look how that turned out, then at Anzio he just turned for Rome like the glory useless hound he was.
TY for a good glance into forgotten heros. Among the best work of this channel, the D-day dodgers saw more blood , and no glory. Gen. Clark was a ballerina of fake glory.
Relatives of the US 36th (Texas) Infantry are not fans of General Markie! Those veterans got a Congressional Hearing held on Clark, but he got thru the hearing without censure, perhaps with the help of Ike.
Huge respect for the veterans interviewed here. What terrors they lived through! Remembrance for the Canadian troops that liberated Rome. It can't have been easy to have to relive what they went through to tell their stories. But they did so, that others might know. And likely with hope that others might endeavor to make sure it doesn't have to happen again. Because of such struggles, we enjoy freedoms today that should not be taken for granted. When we take it for granted, when we don't remain vigilant and strong, it sets the stage for such events to happen again.
General Clark was the one to claim the credit to be the first to enter Rome, huh? Maybe the reason why the U.S. army gets the glory is due to many of the American soldiers, who were American Italians, was meant to be a boost in moral of the troops, as well as the civilians on the home front. I agree that the Canadian veterans deserved to inter the city of Rome first. I guess the situation was a conflict of interest.
I'm assuming these were filmed about 15 years ago ? These guys are getting older and older and they all look about 85 here not 97. It's saddens me to say every year we lose more and more I am glad we've got some of these stories captured here.
I enrolled in 92. On Remembrance Day the parade scare was full of these heroes. I was posted in Valcartier with R22R and after the parade we would go back our Mess had a blast with these old men. Got my shirt sleeves rip off by 2 of em. 😂. Now looking back, such a privilege to have that interaction. Today! sadly time goes on. 🫡
A wonderful historical coverage video about Ortona battles, furious and stubbornly fought occurred between Canadian soldiers and infamous furious Germans Parachutes ...thank you for sharing
im wondering if its a new youtube policy. the dark powers that be, dont want young people to know how horrible war really is because they have "big plans" for them. by blurring them out they take away the seriousness and the horror. sad
The Canadian soldier as usual fought above their weight in both wars. We just don't have a Hollywood to show the world like our brothers south of us. The Americans were real late getting into both wars and we had already lost a lot of good men before they arrived. Thank God they finally arrived though. Earlier would have saved many lives but such is hindsight.
@@TheMrherbgreen Its a little thing called saving democracy and all of our Freedom. We all fought for that so you could spout of all you want like now. These were called WORLD WARS FOR A REASON. You need to start reading.
That glory hound Clark should have faced a court martial for his actions in Italy his "come up'ns" was that all the headlines were about d-day not Rome. It was the young men that got the Gustaf "come up'ns"
It was the Stalingrad of Italy. My Uncle was a Sgt there. It shook his nerves as well as Monte Cassino. In the early 60's, I talked to an old Perth R (33 min Bold but Cautius) vet who did talk about it. I was also in the RCR's but there was no vets there who talked of Ortona which is one of their battle honours.
I don’t doubt the gallantry and guts of the Canadians but, the Battle of Ortona lasted 7 days, the of Stalingrad lasted more than 6 months which involved hundreds of thousand of troops. Calling Ortona Canada’s Stalingrad is Hype on very tall stilts. Calm down in the rhetoric.
When I was about 14 I was at my friends house and his dad was watching the game on HNIC with the voume turned way up. I asked my friend why so loud and he replied that his dad suffered hearing loss serving in the Royal Canadian Artillery in Italy during WW2. My friend then added "and don't ask my dad about the war....he won't talk about it"
Lessons will never be learned when the people and the subject matter never change. It all began with the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden when Cain killed his brother Abel. There was a time when all the people in this world spoke the same language, and that all changed at the Tower of Babel. Men tried to build a tower to the heights of heaven in an attempt to be like God. Because of the arrogance of man, God confused the language of man and scattered them all over the land. You may not believe this, but how do you account for the different languages and cultures in this world. You take the separation of men and the changing of languages and the development of different cultures and you throw in man's sinful nature and you have a toxic brew that throughout the centuries that have brought us to this point. There is no other explanation, before the fall in the garden as He created the things in the world God looked at all that He made and said it was good. We then see the creation of Adam and Eve and all was good, as a result of their sin God removed them from the garden and nothing has been the same ever since. Man has been stained by sin ever since then, passing from one generation to the next. Sin is passed on through the seed of man. How do I know that Mary the mother of Jesus was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and since no man's seed was involved in the birth of Jesus He was sinless. What are you going to do with Jesus, he preached the gospel and fed the poor he healed the lame but He came not so much to live but to die. God came down and was born in human flesh, so why was he crucified, it says in the Bible without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. He paid the price for humanity when God placed all the sins of the world on Him, and he shed his sinless blood while being crucified. Why did God do this, ever since the fall in the garden man's sin has separated him from God. The question I have for you if you died tonight where would you spend eternity? Would you like peace, and joy in your life, how about a new heart and new mind and eternity with God? It is a free gift of God showing us His mercy and love, as God is holy and righteous no man can stand before Him, when you reject his offer of forgiveness you're telling God that you want no part of Him. God gives you the desire of your heart an eternity separated from Him. The question is do you want to be saved? If you love your sin, keep doing what you are doing. What must a person do to be saved, confess your sins and repent of them meaning turn away from the things you're doing and make Jesus your Lord and Savior. The reason most people don't become Christians is not because of a lack of knowledge or a lack of faith it is because of pride. People aren't willing to admit to themselves that they have sinned in their life much less God. They try and save themselves through good works or religion or numbing their mind and bodies with the things of this world. Know this, the only thing you can contribute to your sin is your salvation, and God is only as far away as your knees are to the floor.
I grew up in a veteran's settlement area (my Dad was in the Navy) in Ottawa called Carleton Heights. All of the streets were named after places in Europe that figured in the war. I am embarrassed to say that I know very little about any of these places save for Normandy Crescent. Watching this documentary was very enlightening as the United Church that was built in the neighbourhood, which was the cornerstone of the community, was on Melfa Crescent. Ortona Ave was one of the streets that I cycled on as a kid (as were Senio Ave, Apledorn Ave, Arnhem St to name a few). Up until now I was completely oblivious as to why Ortona and Melfa were commemorated in such a way. Thank you for this documentary and thank you to all who served.
I've been blessed going through life, not having to fight in any wars in my lifetime. Knowing myself over sixty years, I know I couldn't kill. I'm probably a coward to I just can't do violence. These men on all sides we're brave men. ✌️
I served & no sane person wants a war. Not wanting to go to war & kill doesn't make you a coward. People who don't know a damn thing about the military or war are the ones who cheer for a war.
you get thrown into the thick of every battle again and again... Tip of the spear everytime for the Canadians... I'm Buddhist and shudder even at the thought of swatting a mosquito, but these men were in the thick of it, week in and week out. These men won our freedom, they beat back fascism in the old countries. Ya, in the heat of battle they weren't angels but they were democracy's angels. ANd we need to honour their sacrifice by upholding and advancing our democracies today.
Great doc, with some stuff I didn't know, and I wrote a book about Ortona! The best thing is the interviews with the vets. Man, you can see the effects of the war lingering decades afterward. That's the true cost of freedom. Sad to see these old guys pass.
The Germans fighting in Italy were of much better quality than those that fought Eisenhower’s troops in France, and they had mountains and rivers to help in their defense
People seem to think war is an honourable thing but the reality is it’s scary very scary nothing but tragedy in war even if you win 😯 there are no winners
The winner is whoever is still standing at the end of it all. War happens when negotiation becomes impossible, either through ideology or impossible demands by one or both sides. There is only one honourable form of warfare, and that is whatever way gives you the quickest victory.
The German paratroopers had everything against them, but they fought exceptionally. Take ideology aside, the German army was the best, and it took the whole world to bring it down. P.s. IMO Kesselrig was the best general, second maybe to Heinrichi .
Thank you for your service ❤❤❤, The history books don't always know the truth, you served with honour. Rest with that peace of mind, gentlemen. God Bless Canada.... from Australia 🇦🇺 ♥
As a Canadian whose father-in-law flew out of India against the Japanese, much respect back to the Aussies and New Zealanders, who fought both the Japanese and Germans with ferocity and courage. The father-in-law was a bombadier in a B-24, skipping bombs into the sides of ships from 50 feet off the deck. VERY hairy stuff!
Takes guts to admit you killed surrendering soldiers...but honestly,I fully understand why and would probably have done the same.The hatred for the enemy was beyond any kind of compassion most of the time.Its war...you been killing germans all day long why take a chance letting some live.
I now know why they called them the greatest generation, as late 70s born I salute you all from allies countries to axis countries because men as soldiers did thier duty base on interview so sad
The only thing close to this is the Ukraine war I feel so bad for the Ukrainian people God bless them they are fighting the modern day Nazis Slava Ukraini 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇦
....MY FATHERS COUSINS WHERE IN THE CANADIAN NAVY THEY WHERE IRISH .. CELTIC....THATS WHY THE CANADIANS WHERE SO GOOD ..AT FIGHTING ...THEY WHERE CELTIC .. SCOTTISH ...IRISH ..WELSH.... BRITISH.....
This is one of the best presentations on warfare that I've ever seen. It's real. It's honest. It's terrifying, especially in the words of those who fought.
My Uncle was a Master Sargent and his Lieutenant was Bob Dole, they were hit by 88s, Vernon almost lost his right leg and ended up on the Hospital Ship, the Repose.(US Army)
The Place was the Pole Valley and the Pole River, where they were hit, Recon Patrol while the 10th Mountain Division seeked out the 88s on the Pole Mountains.
