| Direct from Italy |
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Contents |
The arguments over the value of the Italian campaign continue to this day, undoubtedly the Germans had to commit divisions that could have been used elsewhere, but could the Italian Campaign have achieved the same results with fewer allied casualties? The answer will never be known. For the 536,000 Germans who became casualties under the superior allied air and artillery power the end result would probably have been the same. more...
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| Pilgrimage Background |
Nearly 1,750,000 men and women served for Canada during the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean War. Approximately 116,000 died as a result of their service. Part of the mandate of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) is to keep the memory of their achievements and sacrifices alive for all Canadians. more...
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| Pilgrimage Schedule |
From the arrival in Sicily on October 1 to the Farewell Dinner on October 12, the Pilgrimage Schedule will indicate where the Pilgrimage delegation is on each day. You will also find lots of links to facts on cemeteries, memorials, the surrounding area and other tidbits of interest pertaining to the Mediterranean Campaign of 1943-1945 and the 55th anniversary pilgrimage. more...
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| Pilgrimage E-mail |
It is sometimes difficult, often emotional to travel back to places we haven't been since our youth. Perhaps more so for a veteran travelling as a delegate on a pilgrimage. To experience once again deep feelings not forgotten, comradeship once cherished and since lost, and to rediscover a country once wrought with battle reclaimed by the evolution of change.
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| Delegates' Bios |
The veterans who take part in these pilgrimages  represent the units and services which participated in the original event, or provided support to them. By returning them to their former battlefields and the surrounding war cemeteries, Canada pays tribute to the participating veterans, focuses public attention on the experiences of all veterans of that wartime event and pays its respects to those who were left behind.
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| The History |
 Canadian troops played a vital role in the 20-month Mediterranean campaign which led to the liberation of Italy during the Second World War. In fact, this campaign was the first large-scale land operation in which the Canadian Army stationed in Great Britain took part.
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| Veterans Recollect Italy |
The following are extracts from interviews of Canadian veterans who experienced first-hand the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns. more...
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