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Misano Ridge  2-5 September, 1944                                       by Dylan Capstick

11/8/2020

32 Comments

 
​During the autumn of 1944, the 8th Hussars took part in a great Allied offensive intended to break the Gothic Line; a 200-mile long, 10-mile deep wall of German artillery and fortifications. Stretching from the port of La Spezia on the Tyrrhenian Sea to the city of Pesaro on Italy’s eastern shore, the Gothic Line provided a near-impenetrable barrier to the heartland of the Italian Social Republic, the Nazi puppet state that played host to all the German troops in Italy. If the Allies were to liberate Italy, the Gothic Line had to fall.​
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​After a long summer spent training and relaxing in the Roman countryside, the 8th Hussars mounted their tanks for another campaign. They travelled north, battling their way through the Apennine Mountains, skirting German defenses as they went. As August faded and the first traces of autumn were felt, the Canadians came to the narrow plain that separated the mountains from the Adriatic Sea. Between them and their destination of Rimini lay 40 kilometers of alternating valleys and ridges, bristling with the strength of the German 10th Army. The 8th Hussars, as part of the 5th Division, were a part of the initial force tasked with breaching the Gothic Line and pushing to Rimini, a contrast to their role in the battle of Monte Cassino, where they had played a supporting part in the action.
            The first action they saw on the Gothic Line was the battle at Montecchio, in which the Cape Breton Highlanders attacked three times before withdrawing. Eventually, the Hussars came to their assistance, and they captured the village, taking 130 prisoners. At the same time, A Squadron defended Point 111 a short distance away. The villages of Monte Luro, Monte Marrone, and Tomba di Pesaro fell shortly afterwards to the advancing Canadians. On September 3rd, 1944, the Canadian forces arrived at Misano, a small village perched atop a ridge, and one of many anchors of the Gothic Line. The Royal Canadian Regiment and the Westminster Regiment led the charge, with the 8th Hussars providing armoured support to the infantry units.
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​There was no major battle at Misano Ridge. Instead, the next four days would prove to be a series of confused skirmishes between the attacking Canadians and the Germans, now on the defensive. A Lieutenant Burns of the RCR would bravely lead a bayonet charge against the enemy, driving them from the town square. The 48th Highlanders advanced to attack, but were forced to retreat when heavy enemy fire pinned them down. The 8th Hussars attacked the hamlet of Besanigo, a hamlet on the seaward slope of Misano Ridge, early on the 4th of September. Mortars held them up, with "B" Squadron pinned on the ridge for most of the day, as "A" Squadron tried futilely to help. They fired smoke shells at enemy guns on neighbouring Coriano Ridge, but the enemy were not fazed, and the Hussars did not capture Besanigo.
            The 8th Hussars lost six tanks that day, but one Hussar received the Regiment's first Distinguished Conduct Medal during the battle. Sgt. W. P. Fleck dismounted his tank when daylight was running out and making it hard for crew commanders to see anything. Fleck led his tanks to their objective, killing five Germans with a machine-carbine and capturing eight more. He was wounded by shrapnel, but continued on with his injury until he passed out from loss of blood.
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​The following morning, the Cape Breton Highlanders and the Irish Regiment of Canada were able to capture Besagino. Two days previous, the Hastings and Prince Edward companies captured the village of Santa Maria di Scacciano from the enemy. By the end of the fifth, all of Misano Ridge was under Canadian control.  The battle for the Gothic Line, however, was just getting started. A ridge over, at Coriano, the Germans began a vicious mortar and shelling campaign, a resistance unanticipated by the Allies, but calculated and executed coldly and precisely by the defending Nazis. Just as the first skirmishes were beginning to pay off, the advance to Rimini was abruptly halted.
            For the next ten days, the Canadians fought for every scrap of land they could hold. The center of that struggle, a simple, idyllic hilltop village, was to be the sight of one of the most destructive and hard-fought battles in the 8th Hussars' entire career as a regiment. In the end, Misano was a warm-up, paling in comparison to the utter, indiscriminate destruction of Coriano Ridge.
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At the same time, the 5th Division headed inland and took the village of Misano.

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7/10/2022 19:27:14

However before reinforcements could arrive the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards now fighting as infantry in the 12th Brigade captured Tomba di Pesaro Tavulla. For a unit that had been raised as a reconnaissance regiment and having just converted to infantry the PLDG demonstrated tremendous courage and tenacity in its first infantry battle writes historian Doug Delaney.

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The passage describes the participation of the 8th Hussars in the Allied offensive against the Gothic Line, a formidable German defense system in Italy during World War II. The 8th Hussars, part of the 5th Division, were tasked with breaching the Gothic Line and pushing towards Rimini. They saw their first action at the battle of Montecchio and later fought alongside other Canadian units to capture various villages, including Misano Ridge, which was one of the anchors of the Gothic Line. Although there was no major battle at Misano Ridge, the Canadians faced four days of confused skirmishes with the Germans. The 8th Hussars lost six tanks, but Sgt. W. P. Fleck received the Regiment's first Distinguished Conduct Medal during the battle. The passage also mentions the fierce resistance the Germans put up at Coriano Ridge, which halted the Allied advance to Rimini. The following ten days saw a hard-fought battle for every inch of land, culminating in the destruction of Coriano Ridge.

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Dylan Capstick's account of the Misano Ridge operations during September 1944 is a gripping portrayal of the Allied offensive against the formidable Gothic Line. It's astounding to think about the challenges faced by the 8th Hussars and their fellow Canadian soldiers as they fought their way through the rugged Apennine Mountains and faced the daunting German defenses. The description of the small village of Misano, perched on a ridge and serving as a key anchor of the Gothic Line, paints a vivid picture of the strategic importance of this location. Capstick's narrative skillfully captures the tension and bravery displayed by the troops during these skirmishes. This is a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought to liberate Italy and break through the Gothic Line, marking a significant chapter in history.

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1/28/2024 15:04:06

My dad served with the 8th Hussars as a co-driver in a Sherman during WWII, and once told me a memory he had of a tank member, in a scramble to get back into the tank, caught some shrapnel in the buttocks, and it bled profusely. I wonder if that was Sgt Fleck.

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Forty kilometers of alternating valleys and peaks, bristling with the might of the German 10th Army, stood between them and their destination of Rimini.

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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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