The PPCLI in WW2

Patricia's were mobilized for active service on 1 September, 1939. Recruited in Winnipeg and on Vancouver Island, the Battalion was brought up to strength in October and concentrated in Winnipeg under the command of LCol W.G. (Shorty) Colquhoun, MC. The Regiment sailed from Halifax on 21 December, 1939, in the ORAMA as part of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division.

On arrival in Scotland, the Regiment moved to Aldershot Command and spent New Year's Eve in Cove, England. Immediately upon arrival in England, LCol Colquhoun reported to the Colonel-in-Chief at Bagshot Park. On 10 February, 1940, the Colonel-in-Chief inspected her Regiment for the first time in 21 years.

The Regiment spent three years in the United Kingdom, most of which was spent in coastal defence and training in various parts of the country.

On 10 July, 1943, 1st Canadian Infantry Division landed in Sicily as part of the 8th Army. The Patricia's were re-indoctrinated to war at Leonforte, their first WWII Battle Honour. Following the capture of Sicily by the Allies, the Regiment landed on Italy's Atoel on 4 September 1943. The first two months were spent advancing inland (northward) with the Regiment's progress slowed by demolished bridges and German rear guards. During December 1943, the Patricia's were heavily involved in the operations of Villa Rogatti and the Gully, winning many individual and unit honours in the process, and spent Christmas in Ortona. The next major offensive came at the Hitler Line, west of Monte Cassino, in late May 1944 during the Allied advance to Rome. Towards the end of August, the Regiment moved back to the Adriatic and took part in the assaults on the Gothic Line, San Fortunato and Rimini. The rugged terrain and seemingly never ending river crossings had taken their toll; both in men and equipment.

Over the next five months, the Patricia's campaigned yet further north, in the Romanga, a wide valley crossed by numerous small and medium sized waterways, winning three more Battle Honours in the process. It was during the Italian Campaign that the Regiment renewed its traditions of professionalism, tenacity and aggressiveness that it demonstrated so aptly in WWI. The Italian Battle Honours on the colours show proof of the sacrifices made and victories gained by the rank and file of the Regiment. The Patricia's embarked enroute to North West Europe on 13 March, 1945.

The Canadians faced a unit from the German 1st Parachute Division. These soldiers were battle-hardened after years of war, and were ordered by Hitler to defend Ortona at any cost. The Germans had placed various barricades and left rubble strewn throughout the narrow side streets surrounding the Piazza Municipale. The only available route for the Canadian tanks was through the Corso Vittorio, which was booby trapped; traps would serve the Germans with deadly efficiency during the eight days of bitter fighting. The Germans also concealed various machine guns and anti-tank emplacements throughout the town, making virtually any street a death trap to the advancing Canadians.

The house to house fighting was vicious and the Canadians made use of a new tactic: "mouse-holing". This tactic involved using weapons such as the PIAT (or even cumbersome anti-tank guns) to breach the walls of a building. The soldiers would then throw in grenades and assault through the mouse holes, clearing the top floors and making their way down, where both adversaries struggled in brutal close-quarters combat. Mouse-holing was also used to pierce through walls into adjoining rooms, sometimes catching enemy troops by surprise.