Today, Tuesday July 10th, 2018 marks the 75th Anniversary of the beginning of the Italian Campaign during World War II.
Canada played a very pivotal role during the Italian Campaign, as an estimated 93,000 Canadian Troops landed on the shores of Sicily first then onto mainland Italy in an effort to drive out Nazi troops and liberate the European Continent.
And for Major Mike Bobbitt of the West Nova Scotia Regiment, this is something he holds in remembrance every time he dons his military boots and uniform.
“The West Nova Scotia Regiment landed in Sicily, landed in mainland Italy and in fact was the first allied unit to land and stay in mainland Italy, so that’s quite an accomplishment that we still hold dear today,” Bobbitt tells Acadia News.
During the Battle of Italy alone, an estimated 6,000 Canadian soldiers were killed and another roughly 20,000 listed as casualties during the campaign.
Not a day goes by that Major Bobbitt doesn’t find himself, in some way, reflecting back on the importance of the men and women who went before him.
“We do try and encourage our soldiers to be aware of their history and to understand that we’re here today standing on the shoulders of those who came before us and the sacrifices that they’ve made,” adds Bobbitt.
The battle raged on until Germany’s surrender in 1945; many of the Canadian dead now lie in commonwealth cemeteries across Italy and other parts of Europe.
Lest We Forget.
Story by Craig Power
@CraigTPower
power.craig@radioabl.ca
Above Photo: White Remembrance Crosses with Poppies. Photo by Craig Power, ©2016.
