"Preserving our Past for the Future since 1973"
The Association & Museum of the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) Inc.
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The Gothic Line: The 8th Hussars in the Italian Campaign I                                                       by Makayla Cole

8/27/2018

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By the end of 1943 Italy had been divided, yet Germany continued to devote significant quantities of manpower and material to its defence. However, in the fall of 1943, the Allied powers occupied Sicily and conquered as far as Naples by the end of the year. The 8th New Brunswick Hussars were eagerly preparing to join the forces in Italy at this critical point in the war. They disembarked in Naples to move forward into battle as a regiment for the first time.
 
The conflict in Italy traced back to World War I. Italy had been an ally of the Triple Entente Powers. Britain, France and Russia had persuaded  Italy to align with them by promising them territorial compensations that they had been interested in. However, after the war Italy discovered that the Entente had never intended to fulfil their promises. During the inter-war period, fascist governments began to rise to power in several countries across the world. In Italy, this was the National Fascist Party under the authority of Benito Mussolini. One of Mussolini's key campaign points was drawing attention to the Entente's betrayal of their promises. He believed that if Italy would not be granted the territory that rightfully belonged to them, that he would acquire it through military force.
 
Mussolini was anti-communist and also had many imperialist objectives for Italy. He wanted to colonize parts of North Africa as well as claim territory on the Dalmatian Coast. With both territorial expansion and the destruction of communism as common interests, the fascist states of  Italy, Japan and Germany signed several treaties throughout the 1930's solidifying the Axis alliance. After the conflict broke out between Germany and the Allies in 1939, Italy declared war on Albania and joined the conflict on the side of the Axis.  

​In the years leading up to 1943 Italy had suffered great defeats in both the Eastern European and North African campaigns. The Italian Empire had essentially collapsed, Mussolini was arrested, and occupied and annexed territories fell under German control. The Royal Italian Army fell with the empire. However, because of the division with Germany occupying Northern Italy and the Allies occupying the south, Italians were recruited to fight for both sides. The Axis acquired more than 500,000 soldiers from the North. The Allies raised the Italian Co-belligerent Army of 50,000 soldiers, and also acquired approximately 350,000 partisans.
  
The 8th Hussars spent their first few months taking in the sights and culture of Italy between training. In some regions, the looming presence of fascism was apparent through posters and propaganda, and the desolate people who remained in fragmented cities. However, other regions such as the Volturno River and Rome remained mostly unharmed and beautiful. Many leaves were granted for extended vacations, and the Hussars were able to enjoy the warm sunshine on the beach, or the world-class food and wine in the city. When the time came for them to see action, they were well rested and prepared.

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Throughout 1944, the 8th Hussars and the Allied forces proved to be stronger. They advanced  to Rome on June 4th, and Florence on August 4th and began closing in on the Gothic Line; the last major German defence of the Italian Campaign. The Gothic Line was commanded by Albert Kesselring, one of Germany's most skilled and experienced commanders.  This heavily-armed defence was the only thing standing in the way of the allies occupying the rest of Italy.  It stretched approximately from Pisa on the Tyrrhenian coast, to Rimini on the Adriatic coast. 
 
The Germans created a string of fortified positions 16km deep along the Apennine mountain range to defend the territory. They used over 15,000 slave-labourers to create a wall of approximately 2,000 machine gun nests, bunkers, artillery positions, and anything else they could use to repel the allied forces. The terrain was also working in favour of the Germans. They established various smaller positions in front of the main line, each one situated behind a river.
 
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The main task of breaking the line fell on the Canadian corps. They were assigned a sector of the line along the Adriatic coast. The Hussars quickly realized how difficult of a task this would be. On August 25th, 1944 the Canadians forced a crossing of the Metauro river. Crossing the river alone took five days.  The plan from there was a two-division operation of the Eighth Army, tasked with breaking through the layers of the defensive line one at a time, until they reached Rimini. However, things did not go as planned.
 
The 5th Canadian Armoured Division, including the 8th Hussars, was in the Foglia River region. Their commander, Major-General Bert Hoffmeister was overlooking the river from a hilltop and noticed that the main German positions seemed to be unoccupied. He realized that the Germans were struggling to replace worn-out troops after the fighting that had preceded them, leaving key positions deserted. Hoffmeister immediately proposed to the Canadian Corps commander that they attack; creating  a hole in the Gothic Line where they would be able to feed tanks and troops through to the other side. This was the action the 8th Hussars had trained so long for. 
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The following day the new plan was underway. Despite heavy casualties, the Canadians were successful in breaking through, allowing tanks to move 5km into the Gothic Line. They encountered a German Panzerturm at this point that could have destroyed the allied Sherman tanks, but was unmanned. The Gothic Line had been fractured in three days, and the vulnerability of the Germans at this stage in the war was becoming evident.
 
It was September 21st 1944 when the last German defensive position fell. The Canadians, including the Hussars were left overlooking the Po River with confidence that the 5th Armoured Division would be able to push the remaining German forces out of Italy. Breaking the Gothic Line resulted in over 40,000 casualties; 4,500 casualties for the Canadians. Although  commonly overshadowed by the events in Normandy around the same time; this marked the last major allied gain in Italy and was one of the most important victories for the Canadians during War.
 
If you would like to find out more about the Gothic Line, The Italian Campaign, or about the 8th Hussars in general, stop by the 8th Hussars Museum located in the historic Sussex Train Station along Broad Street.


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Sussex Summerfest: 8th Hussars Museum Homecoming Presentation

8/27/2018

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​By 1945, it was becoming clear that the war in Europe was coming to a close. German High Command had exhausted most of its forces on the Western Front in the failed Ardennes Offensive, and the Red Army was nearing Berlin. On April 30th, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker. By May 8th, 1945, Germany had surrendered.
 
Following V-E Day, the 8th New Brunswick Hussars had the good fortune of being garrisoned in the Netherlands rather than in truculent and devastated Germany. Thanks to this fortunate reality, a lively social life sprang up complete with dances, movies, sightseeing, and sailing.
 
As a result, Headquarters added other responsibilities and opportunities to stave off boredom and indiscipline among the men. Leaves were granted to England and Paris, among other places, and particular emphasis was placed on educational courses and sports to keep the soldiers at the top of their game.
 
Others occupied their time working on the regimental newspaper, known as the 8th Hussar, which proved to be instrumental in maintaining morale and keeping former members in touch.
 
More importantly, however, the 8th New Brunswick Hussars provided vital support to the people of Eelde in the tough times after the war. In addition to providing support in the area's reconstruction, the Hussars provided help in other ways. For instance, the townspeople burned peat to heat their homes, but had no way of moving it because the Germans had taken with them all heavy equipment and functional vehicles. So, the regimental command arranged a driver-maintained course that took the trucks out to where the peat was stored. From there it was driven back and distributed from the town square. 

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​Eventually, the men began to return home in various ways. 202 men got home early by volunteering to join the continuing fight against Japan, while others got home based on a complicated points system that took into consideration a variety of factors including time spent in the army and overseas. Soldiers received two points for each month of service in Canada, three points for each month of service overseas and a twenty percent bonus if they were married. The higher the score the better the chance was for a speedy return home.
 
In July 1945, the men were forced to part with their M4 Sherman tanks. Though inanimate steel machines, the men often formed special bonds with these vehicles forged throughout years of war.
 
Finally, the Regiment withdrew from the Netherlands on November 27th, 1945.   
 
The 8th Hussars returned home on January 26th, 1946. The liner Ile de France made port in Halifax. From there they embarked on a train headed towards Sussex.
 
The train was hours late and it was early in the morning of the 27th before it reached Sussex.
 
Upon disembarking from the train, the men were greeted by the Mayor, military and civil dignitaries, cheering crowds, and a band.
 
Veterans received $100.00 to buy civilian clothing.
 
65 Hussars paid the ultimate sacrifice and never made it home 

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Revenge of the 8th Hussars: The Shelling of Tollo Crossroads

8/8/2018

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By Matthew Gamble 
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​​In January 1944, the men of the 8th New Brunswick Hussars found themselves embroiled in the mud and blood of the Italian campaign outside the infamous town of Ortona. Only days before, the town had been the scene of a vicious battle between elite German paratroopers and the Canadian 1st Infantry Division. The house-to-house fighting was so fierce Canadians referred to the town as “Little Stalingrad”. Nevertheless, despite heavy casualties, Canadian forces wrested the town from German control.  

By early January, however, the Germans were seeking their revenge. German artillery fire was pounding Canadian artillery gun-pits, attempting to knock them out, and each salvo of Canadian artillery fire attracted a torrential German response. Eventually, the shelling began to wear on the nerves of the men, and the Hussars found themselves positioned amid the maelstrom, adjacent to the gun-pits. One Hussar noted at the time, “We took a lot of shelling and there were all kinds of narrow escapes. God knows there should have been casualties, but the fact remains there weren’t. Not one death. Not one serous wound. We began to figure we were a lucky outfit”.

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From their position, there was little the Hussars thought they could do to knock out the German artillery, as the enemy guns could not be seen from where the Canadians were situated. Yet, day by day the urge for retaliation grew. Brigadier Bradbrooke of 5th Brigade lobbied Corps HQ to send a representative to discuss the situation with the artillery commanders. Major Howard Keirstead of the 8th NB Hussars was selected to go.

After hours of discussion it was decided that B Squadron of the 8th Hussars, with the assistance of the Corps Artillery Survey Regiment, would attempt to demonstrate firing the main guns of tanks against unseen targets out in the Adriatic Sea. This was unprecedented, as the 75mm guns fitted to M4 Sherman tanks were designed for direct fire – that is, firing at a target within the gunner’s line of sight. In this case, however, the 75mm guns on the Shermans would be acting as artillery, firing indirectly at targets beyond the gunner’s line of sight. Such a task was a tall order, as the tanks lacked the instruments required to do this accurately. 

To overcome the problem, the Hussars and their counterparts in the Artillery Survey Regiment worked out an intricate system of pegs to direct the tanks into position and then to direct their fire. Tanks would drive up on embankments so their guns could be positioned at predetermined angles. If all went according to plan, the shells would follow a parabolic arc and rain down on the target.  Throughout this process, the Regiment's own Sergeant Prosser was integral to conceptualizing and planning the operation. When all was said and done, the exploit was a stunning success. Despite being given only five rounds of ammunition per tank, the Hussars obliterated the targets floating in the Adriatic. The stage was set. B Squadron had proved that tanks could act as artillery. 


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Next came the real show – putting the technique to use against German forces. Preparations to bombard German positions had already begin before approval came down from Headquarters, but a suitable target still needed to be selected. The crossroads at Tollo, a village a few miles past Ortona, was chosen as the target. An observation plane was ordered to survey the area during the operation, so the results could be monitored. Soon everything was in place, and at the order of Major Bob Ross 48 tanks opened up, each firing 15 rounds in rapid succession. The loaders, fueled by weeks of built up resentment and frustration as a result of German bombardment, completed their task in less than two minutes. By the time the tanks ceased firing, Tollo crossroads had been pounded by over 720 high explosive shells.The whole spectacle was visible from the air. Upon seeing the results of the shelling, the pilot of the observation plane reportedly said that it was “the most beautiful sight I’ve seen in a long time.” The target was destroyed and the mission accomplished. 

When the tanks finished firing, they quickly exfiltrated their positions and headed back to their pits to avoid German counter-battery fire. Moments later the German response came. The positions where the Hussar tanks had been were torn up by German counter-battery fire. Thankfully, the Sherman tanks and their excellent mobility afforded the Hussars the ability to evacuate quickly. Not one man was injured.
The shelling of Tollo crossroads is believed to have been the first instance of tanks firing their guns indirectly. The technique perfected by the Hussars and their comrades in the Artillery Survey Regiment would go on to be emulated by American and British forces in Italy and elsewhere. Nevertheless, the plucky Canadians who developed the technique rarely get the credit they deserve.

To find out more about the shelling of Tollo, or about the 8th Hussars in general, stop by the 8th Hussars Museum located in the historic Sussex Train Station along Broad Street. The Museum is fortunate to have Sergeant Prosser's medals and bracelet in its possession. 

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    Welcome to the 8th Hussars Museum
     The 8th Hussars Museum is located in the historic Train Station in Sussex, NB. The building has been restored to its original grandeur and is situated in the hub of the Town of Sussex. The Victorian-era structure houses many of the important artifacts of the museum and is accessible to the general public. Since the later part of the 19th century, countless Hussars arrived by rail to train at Camp Sussex and later to serve in the South African War, WWI and WWII.
    The collection includes many items representing the life of the Regiment with original uniforms dating back to 1881, original Routine Orders dating back to 1893, memorabilia from members who represented the Regiment at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, WWI, WWII, UN/NATO peacekeeping tours as well as the Afghanistan engagement. Of particular interest are the flags from each of these eras. The Museum also proudly holds the original accouterments of HRH The Princess Royal who is Colonel Commandant of the Regiment.

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