Canadian Forces

CANADIANS FIGHTING AT ORTONA

gsellars

Canadian soldiers have always been noted for their individualism and willingness to improvise. In Ortona they literally rewrote the book on fighting in built-up areas. In the long years of arduous preparation in England they had mastered the British army textbook method: enter on the ground floor, clear every room to the top, and then move into the next building and repeat the process. The deadly reality of Ortona was that the German defenders had the advantage as they could shower grenades on the Canadians from the floors above. Following the British method meant returning to the street to gain access to the next building. Ortona was a typical European town with each building attached to the next. The Canadians quickly modified this method. They entered the first building at street level if necessary. Once they secured that building, they used a Beehive shaped charge to punch a hole in the wall from an upper story, ideally the top one, creating access to the adjacent building. This became known as "mouse-holing". The Canadian soldiers could then enter the next building and lob grenades at the Germans below them as they fought their way down to street level. They attempted to take both sides of the street simultaneously until the entire block would be in Canadian hands, all without exposure to the enemy fire raking the street