The Italian Campaign/Lanciano/Monte Cassino

Heroes Remember

The Italian Campaign/Lanciano/Monte Cassino

Transcript

The regiment was in action for a short while, in North Africa, but when they came out, we were all put together and we went to Italy in the fall of 1943. We spent all one winter on the Sangro. There was about three feet of snow, terrible. The Germans blew up the bridge over the Sangro River and our boys just couldn’t, it was such a bad weather they, so much water, they couldn’t get the bridge across. But they finally got it across, but all during that winter, we were on the Sangro, we were firing shells at the Germans and they were firing them back at us you know and that’s one thing that used to kill me, to hear the shell coming from the Germans, that terrible noise it used to make. It used to really upset me. You just couldn’t tell where the like, where it was going to land I think that was the worrying part about it, probably. The Jerry’s really laid it onto us there. We moved in under darkness but the Germans must have discovered us coming in. I remember this great big stack of hay, the Italians used to have a lot of hay and my buddy and I pull up our bivouac, we knew where the Germans were because we were setting the guns up and we pull up our bivouac by the stack of hay so the, that would protect us. They had really heavy guns after us. I can’t recall if we lost anyone at all in Lanciano. I can’t recall. I don’t know if everybody remembered it like I do, but our battery, Queen Battery, really, really got pinned down there, gave us a rough time. I remember we were right up under the Cassino and our guns was elevated right up to the maximum, yeah, and oh, we were there, must be two or three days steady shelling. That was a terrible battle, terrible battle.

Description

Mr. Spracklin describes some of the battles that the 166th Artillery Regiment went through during the Italian Campaign including the Sangro River, Lanciano, and Monte Cassino.

Leslie Milton Spracklin

Leslie Milton Spracklin was born in Charlottetown (Bonavista Bay), Newfoundland on September 4, 1917. Mr. Spracklin was going to join the navy with his friends, however his mother had a heart attack and he stayed with her. When another draft came along he joined the army and ended up in the 166th Light Artillery. He went overseas in September, 1942 and the 166th Artillery Regiment went into Italy in the fall of 1943. They spent the winter fighting on the Sangro River and then went on to attack the Germans at Monte Cassino.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 02:30
Person Interviewed:: Leslie Milton Spracklin
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Europe
Battle/Campaign:: Italian
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: 166 Field Artillery Regiment
Rank:: Bombardier
Occupation:: Officer's Assistant

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The Italian Campaign/Lanciano/Monte Cassino

Heroes Remember