Dan Aykroyd | The Fight for Italy

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Күн бұрын

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@jaredmay9730 Жыл бұрын

My great grandfather fought in the battle of Monte Cassino and is buried in the war memorial there. I am visiting next week and am honored to learn about the sacrifices the Canadian army made to win the war against evil in WWII. Thanks for making this video and showing me his place in history.

@FrankyBlack Жыл бұрын

my Grandfather fought in the italian campaign with Princess Patricias! he had so many medals he used to show me when i was little... he was a stoic and stern man.. never elaborated on how he earned those medals.. miss him . RIP Grampa..so proud of you and love you so much. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦💪💪💪💪

@VulgarBeats902 9 ай бұрын

As did mine 🇨🇦👍

@t.paquet264 8 ай бұрын

My dad was awith the PPCLI . Injured in Leonforte. Major A.E.T. Pâquet

@t.paquet264 8 ай бұрын

They were probably on the same boat that landed in Sicily

@FrankyBlack 8 ай бұрын

@@t.paquet264 that's really cool man... I believe my Grandfather was only 17 years old when he shipped out... crazy times they lived in. We sure are lucky they fought fof whats right.. I Thank your Grandfather for his service. 🙏🏻💯👊

@rudegarami6738 2 жыл бұрын

My grandfather Sgt David Sheets served in the Italian campaign, driving a Sherman tank with the British Columbia Dragoons. He was wounded in action in October ‘44, contracted TB at an Italian field hospital, and had to have one of his lungs amputated, which ended his wartime service. I served with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment from 2009-2015, as an instructor in B Coy. I was selected to represent the unit in the last Canadian tour to Kandahar in 2011. I met Maurice White, who is mentioned in the video, at a couple regimental functions. He went on to serve with the First Special Service Force.

@PeterNgola 4 ай бұрын

You and your grandfather are legends. Much love and respect to you two. 🤝🫡

@stuartbrear6537 4 жыл бұрын

My Dad fought in this campaign. He had been a farm boy from northern Ontario when he joined up. His unit was the Irish Regiment of Canada and he seldom spoke of his experiences until the day that I put on a CF uniform. I believe he felt that I would better understand his recounting the fears, human suffering and horror and in a way I think he made a peace with himself that was long overdue. He told me long ago that he would like to go back, to see for himself that Italy and its people were now ok. Sadly, his health began taking a toll on him that prevented his return there and he died in 2006. I made a personal promise in my own way, to make that trip for him

@randyarmstrong1198 3 жыл бұрын

My father was also a Northern Ontario volunteer from the not so popular named town of Swastika. He was Royal Canadian Engineers in Ortona but never spoke of it except to Mom who also never spoke of it for many many years. I went to Dieppe and took pictures but she wouldn't let me show him because she wasn't sure how he would react.

@stuartbrear6537 3 жыл бұрын

Good thoughts Randy. We owe it to our parent’s generation to learn, understand and share what we can. The further we are removed by time and geography from war’s impact on our loved ones, the less we seem to really understand the insanity of war. I have stood and saluted the resting places in Cassino of so many Canadian soldiers from near where I was born and from my Dad’s regiment. When you visit the cemeteries that are kept so well by local Italian people, you can truly see the cost of human conflict. A visit to the Abbey is a must. The Polish soldiers paid a huge price in Cassino as their cemetery shows.

@randyarmstrong1198 3 жыл бұрын

@@stuartbrear6537 We should never forget and also understand how so many of our soldiers suffered in silence long after the war. The Canadian contribution is often forgotten in the blur of Hollywood movies showing how others ''saved the world''. Thank you for your service in the CF for a job that too many do not know of the contribution made.

@brianalexander2717 Жыл бұрын

My great uncle was also from northern Ont and in the Irish regiment, he was in Italy from feb 44 till his death in dec 44

@TrollfaceJoe 5 жыл бұрын

Simply breathtaking, well done. 🇨🇦

@rydersanderson8225 5 жыл бұрын

So proud to be Canadian

@icegypsy99 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this...My grandfather took part in that battle. He was A Cameron Highlander out of Ottawa.

@YewrinePish 4 жыл бұрын

Big ups. Mine was there, too. Rest easy, all of them.

@robertz7294 Жыл бұрын

My Great Uncle Lloyd Gilmore was with the Loyal Eddies. I was the only one in my family to visit his grave in Ortona.

@Mrkaycee7 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you brave soldiers of Canada!!

@kevintheman1129 3 жыл бұрын

My great grandfather was a part of this invasion. My mother said he never talked about the war, except for a few times. He found a book on the Italian invasion. He saw the second picture here, with all the men sitting around the table and all he said was "I'm in that picture, in the corner you just can't see."

@mitchellgunnells7883 7 ай бұрын

My grandpa died in Italy. He was American. Someone in his platoon stepped on a land mine and it killed everyone except for one person.

@laertica 3 жыл бұрын

They fought bravely while most of the equipment and supplies went in support of the D-Day Landing. They were forgotten, their efforts overshadowed and all of the hype continues to be towards the D-Day Landing to this day. They were even called D-Day doggers but they made a marching song out of it and took it in stride, One needs to appreciate the terrain that they had to go trough while battling a fierce and carefully retreating army all along the Adriatic coast. Ortona took a whole new meaning after they fought their fiercest battle there. I am glad they are being recognized here.

@r.williamcomm7693 2 жыл бұрын

Agree. These men are largely not mentioned today. They should’ve had Patton more involved. Strategically he was probably the best & if he lost lives we’d take ground instead of sitting & waiting for orders to move & letting the high ground go to the Germans. That campaign also resulted in needless destruction in Italy with scars that can be seen to this day. One historian who’s occasionally labeled a conspiracy nut has a good point when he said that this & other campaigns only make sense if there was objective to destroy as much of Europe as possible.

@mynamedoesntmatter8652 2 жыл бұрын

My father fought there as a nineteen year-old machine gunner. I have his dress jacket, his medals and mementos, a set of stoneware pitcher and cups from the 34th Div. 135th Infantry, and most importantly a suitcase full of letters - worth more than gold (to me, for sure). My father wrote the sweetest letters, always signed ‘Love, Johnny.’ They all begin with the same WWII censor friendly heading: ‘Somewhere in Italy.’ Those guys too often seem to be lumped under the same tiresome heading of Mark Clark’s massive, self serving failure. What they did, what they endured is something that sets them apart from Clark’s failings. There are some great books written on Anzio: ‘Anzio’ by Lloyd Clark; ‘Desperate Valor: Triumph at Anzio’ by Flint Whitlock (now there’s a name); ‘Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome’ by Carlo D’Este. These are three really great books, and D’Este’s is a superb, solid historical read. The guys who fought there, from North Africa to Sicily, Anzio and on to Rome (The Road to Rome) were all heroes of the highest caliber. Thank you, Daddy. I miss you every day; still and always. 🇺🇸

@lyndoncmp5751 Жыл бұрын

@r.williamcomm7693, Strategically, Patton was very one dimensional. When he couldn't manoeuvre he ran out of ideas. His Lorraine and Metz campaign was a disaster. He'd have done no better in Italy than in the Lorraine. Italy was even more difficult country.

@engineco.1494 4 жыл бұрын

The canadians cleared the Road to Rome. Veterans said they were moving so fast that command told them to stop because the Americans had to liberate Rome.

@eileencole1492 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Canada. My uncle was an engineer in the 8th British Army, he was involved laying the Bailey Bridge over the Arno in Florence. I have tried to get more information on that time but he did tell me that they had to hold back while the Americans liberated Rome.

@madtrapper1312 3 жыл бұрын

Yep we could have taken Rome but nope

@goldbug7127 3 жыл бұрын

Same thing happened in Belgium. The Canadians were still fighting to free the people and the British held a parade in Brussels for the Newsreels.

@palmergriffiths1952 3 жыл бұрын

Some Canadians did Liberate Rome. My Grandfather being one as a member of the Canadian/American First Special Service Force.

@brustar5152 2 жыл бұрын

My father was a Senior Troop Sgt, in command of three tanks and he repeated that same story to my brother and I. It was explained to him by senior officers that the Americans desperately needed to read about their army's achieving wonderful things because they were a non-volunteer force of draftees and to get more people to volunteer they had to be seen to be heroes. An agreement had been made high-up to let the Americans take Rome while the Canadians had to stop and sit on the highway waiting for Patton to catch up and have his moment of glory.

@t.paquet264 8 ай бұрын

My dad was injured in Leonforte . He was Major A.E.T. Pâquet of the PPCLI.

@JohnDoucet-v7g 8 ай бұрын

this was great...and i love Dan's voice

@chrismooy7626 5 жыл бұрын

my dad was there 1 1/2 years , then went on to Belgium and Holland

@kennethmorrison7689 2 жыл бұрын

Mine too. I've still got his dog tag.

@brettcurtis5710 3 ай бұрын

New Zealand's campaign in Italy was eerily similar to the Canadians - the 2d NZ Division had fought from Greece/Crete through Nth Africa and then onto the bloody Italian Campaign to the bitter end at Monte Cassino and Florence and finally Trieste, becoming the longest serving division in the 8th Army . Sadly our story in Italy has yet to be fully told.

@phillipsmith4814 8 ай бұрын

Mr. Aykroyd, not a bad effort for such a short video. However, I think that a more accurate title would be something along the lines of “The Canadians in the Fight for Italy”. Also, I disagree that the Allies thought it would be an easy fight. I’m currently reading a history of it now and read other history books about the Italian campaign and none of them say or imply that the allies thought it would be easy. Just the opposite. The Ultra decrypts as well as other intel info clearly showed the allies that the Germans were reinforcing their armies in Italy and preparing for a hard fight. Also, Italy was a defender’s dream with too many rugged mountains, too many rivers and weather that was miserable all year long, going from very cold, wet, snowy winters, hot dry summers and malaria infested areas that incapacitated thousands of soldiers. Good to have the Canadian efforts spotlighted. Thanks

@kenmills194 7 ай бұрын

In the middle of the battle for Ortona, the Canadians were rotated for Christmas dinner in a church court yard.

@palmergriffiths1952 3 жыл бұрын

My Grandfather landed on The Anzio Beachhead. He was on The Mussolini Canal and The Battle for Monte La Difensa. He fought his way up The Boot into Rome. He was a Canadian member of The First Special Service Force aka The Black Devils.

@MaoriMan76 9 ай бұрын

My grandfather was part of 28 Maori Battalion, 2 NZ Division. He was wounded there😊

@aquariumhobbyist2778 3 жыл бұрын

Impressive and salute to them all can you also do the British raj india that also fought and deployed a tremendous amount of soldiers and pay tribute to?

@r.williamcomm7693 2 жыл бұрын

They should’ve had Patton more involved. Strategically he was probably the best & if he lost lives we’d take ground instead of sitting & waiting for orders to move & letting the high ground go to the Germans. That campaign also resulted in needless destruction in Italy with scars that can be seen to this day. One historian who’s occasionally labeled a conspiracy nut has a good point when he said that this & other campaigns only make sense if there was objective to destroy as much of Europe as possible.

@lyndoncmp5751 Жыл бұрын

Patton did poorly in the Lorraine/Metz. He wouldn't have done any better in Italy, which was even more difficult country than the Lorraine.

@r.williamcomm7693 Жыл бұрын

@@lyndoncmp5751 I understand what you mean but there’s a great lecture called Patton: American Ajax by Victor Davis Hanson here on KZbin. Part of it addresses some of the issues that Patton faced from his own colleagues. Very worthwhile. It’s especially interesting considering Gen MacArthur’s failings on Dec 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor. Some claim that MacArthur didn’t follow Marshall’s orders. Some who were there with MacArthur were disappointed & described him in less than flattering terms. Of course history can be twisted over time & I wasn’t there. 😀

Жыл бұрын

Hey Dan you left out the part where general Mark Clark had the Canadians stand down at the gates of Rome so the Americans could get the glory by entering the city first......😢

@Turtleproof 2 жыл бұрын

God damn, when History Channel actually played history I wanted to know about the Italian Campaign, every documentary only mentioned that the Italian army was so impotent Hitler sent Wermacht soldiers. I'm not so sure I wanted to know how many thousands of Canadians died.

@goldbug7127 3 жыл бұрын

That people die in war is a terrible thing, but Canadian documentaries focus on the dead and never inform me as to how we won these battles or what kind of troops we faced or how important these objectives were to the overall plan. The Canadians seem to have been given the hardest objectives and the nazis seem to have put their best troops in front of Canadians. Documentaries from other countries, no matter how comprehensive, ignore our involvement or call it either a British or allied engagement, unless the battle was unsuccessful. We have to change this attitude of apologizing for our history.