By December of 1943, the Allies had reached the historic seaport of Ortona on Italy's Adriatic coast. The town was held by Hitler's elite paratroopers, whom he had personally ordered to defend it at all costs. The Canadian troops were mostly young volunteers in their twenties who revelled in liberating town after town as they quickly advanced up the eastern side of Italy. The Canadian troops met the Germans at the Moro River, less than seven kilometres away from Ortona. It was hoped there would be a day or so of fighting. Instead, the Canadians fought their way into the town for eight bloody days.

The battle of Ortona began on December 20. That December was the wettest on record. The Moro River had risen more than eight feet and the surrounding fields became seas of mud that clung to soldiers as they tried to advance against sniper fire, mortar, artillery and tanks. The Germans counterattacked repeatedly and often the fighting was hand-to-hand as the Canadians edged forward to Ortona. What the Canadians didn't know is that they were about to crash into a German defence line that the Germans called their “winter liene,” or winter line.