1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Editor's Research: Invasion of Italy (21)

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Editor's Research: Invasion of Italy (21) - Montreal Star (Oct. 16-19, '43)

Good Information About Prisoner Exchanges... and Fudge!

While I comb back issues of The Montreal Star looking for specific information related to the 950 - 1,000 Canadians who served in RCNVR and Combined Operations, the war grinds on toward Rome on the Mediterranean Front and toward other goals on other fronts.

In this post there can be found many news clippings from The Star from the various fronts, some of special interest to readers who wish to know more about exchanges of prisoners, what's on at the movies, training of new servicemen (with seldom-seen-before photographs), and more.

Please note: If you think I'm trying to sell you Victory Bonds, it's not so. Adverts for Victory Bonds were relentless back in the 1940s. They were everywhere. And some of the ads seem memorable to me, especially the one I post here starring Winston Churchill smokin' a fat stogie : )

Unfortunately, there is nothing new on the Sholto Watt Front (war correspondent for The Star, hopefully typing up his next story somewhere in Italy, safely). But I have found several more of his stories on microfilm (into mid-November now) and they will appear here soon.

News clips from Oct. 16 - 19 issues follow:

"Waste not, want not"

Navy memoirs by men who were associated with the work aboard landing crafts in the Reggio and Messina area (the toe of the boot) reveal they did not have as hard a time fulfilling their duties during the invasion of the Italian peninsula as they had two months earlier during the invasion of Sicily. One of the reasons, I am certain, relates to the state of the Luftwaffe:

There were several Canadian war correspondents who followed the actions related to Canadian troops in The Mediterranean Front (three from Montreal as noted in another post on this site, i.e., Sholto Watt, Montreal Star; Lionel Shapiro, Montreal Gazette; W. Reyburn, Montreal Standard), and some listed items I have found to be very significant.

Oft-times the reports listed the names and hometowns of the Canadians who were interviewed. On three occasions I have been able to connect with family members of those involved in military actions and subsequent stories. Louis V. Hunter's article below is an excellent source for names and possible, future connections:

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (I am assuming near Montreal), merchant navy gunners are doing some significant training:

Naval Gunner Bex would like this story:

Above we read: The story has a moral. The cartoon below also has one:

Hollywood 'Canadian-style':

Art Credit - link to movi3 poster re Corvette

Part of the above story, re "5th Army... Aimed at Rome" appears below:

Some readers, after reading details below, may get the notion that someone in their family deserves the C.M. I say, go for it:

Winter is coming.

By mistake I clipped the following headline a bit too short, but the article helps explain matters. Readers may appreciate the whole idea of repatriation and what it meant to soldiers (some associated with the Dieppe raid) who were returned to Canada - after chasing down some German guards (!):