Through the Hitler Line

Laurence F. Wilmot

Description

Laurence Wilmot’s Second World War memoir is a rare thing: a first-hand account of front-line battle by an army officer who is a resolute non-combatant. And it is paradoxes such as this that also make Wilmot’s book a unique and compelling document. Wilmot, as an Anglican chaplain, is a priest dressed as a warrior, a man of peace in battle fatigues. He is an incongruous figure in a theatre of war, always vigilant for opportunities to partake of silent meditation and prayer, never failing to lose sight of the larger moral issues of the war. His compassion is boundless, his sensitivity acute, and one senses his mounting emotional and spiritual enervation as the death toll of his fellow serving men steadily mounts. At the centre of the book is Wilmot’s witness of the murderous battle at the Arielli.

Wilmot’s compassion for the fighting men compels him to leave the safety of his ministry and join them at the front, at great personal risk. There, as an unarmed stretcher-bearer, he is kept busy transporting the wounded under enemy fire. In this crucible of battle we see the qualities that attest to Wilmot’s character and contribute to his memoir’s importance: an indefatigable devotion to his duty to save and comfort the wounded, and a resolve to resist despair in spite of the terrible carnage all around. In short, a singular triumph of the decency of one man in the midst of total war.

Sujets

• Religión
• Life writing
• Religion
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Date de parution: 22 octobre 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781554588220
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Through the Hitler Line
Memoirs of an Infantry Chaplain

Italy, 10 July 1943-9 June 1944
Through the Hitler Line
Memoirs of an Infantry Chaplain
Laurence F. Wilmot
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program for our publishing activities.
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Wilmot, Laurence F., 1907-
Through the Hitler line: memoirs of an infantry chaplain / Laurence F. Wilmot.
(Life writing series) ISBN 0-88920-426-8
1. Canada. Canadian Army-Chaplains-Biography. 2. Chaplains, Military- Canada-Biography. 3. World War, 1939-1945-Campaigns-Italy. 4. Canada. Canadian Army. West Nova Scotia Regiment-History. 5. World War, 1939-1945- Personal narratives, Canadian. I. Title. II. Series
D810.C36C39 2003 940.54 78 092 C2003-903074-1
2003 Wilfrid Laurier University Press Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N 2 L 3 C 5 www.wlupress.wlu.ca
Cover and text design by P.J. Woodland.
The maps on pages 15, 23, 43, 71, 79, 93 and 109 are reproduced from The Canadians in Italy 1943 - 1945, volume 2 of the Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, by Lt.-Col. G.W.L. Nicolson. Maps drawn by Capt. C.C.J. Bond. Ottawa: Queen s Printer, 1956.
Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in this text, and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called to the publisher s attention will be corrected in future printings.

Printed in Canada
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To the glory of God at work in a world in chaos and
to the memory of those gallant men of the West Nova Scotia Regiment with whom it was my privilege to serve during World War II. Many of them gave their lives to rescue from oblivion such civilization as we had been able to achieve.
C ONTENTS
L IST OF P HOTOGRAPHS
L IST OF M APS
F OREWORD
A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I NTRODUCTION
C HAPTER 1 Treading Cautiously into the Unknown
C HAPTER 2 Ministry on the Arielli Front
C HAPTER 3 Taking Up God s Armour
C HAPTER 4 Breaking the Hitler Line
C HAPTER 5 A Tourist in Wartime
C HAPTER 6 Preparing for the Attack
C HAPTER 7 Tragedy at Foglia River
C HAPTER 8 Fierce Fighting and Close Calls
C HAPTER 9 A Time of Stress and a Moment of Rest
C HAPTER 10 Roman Holiday, Russi Road
C HAPTER 11 Prayers for the Fallen
C HAPTER 12 Liberating Holland
C HAPTER 13 The Guns Fall Silent
GLOSSARY
L IST OF P HOTOGRAPHS
page 5 Laurence Wilmot, Swan River, Manitoba, June 1942
page 57 Lt. Col. R.S.E. (Ronnie) Waterman A Bren gunner at the Hitler Line Lt. Col. Frank Hiltz Padre Wilmot with Medical Officer Dr. Hyman Mendelson Three chaplains examine the steel helmet worn by Padre Wilmot during the battle of the Hitler Line
page 99 Padre Wilmot seated high up in the Colosseum At a campsite in a vineyard West Nova men who were confirmed by the Bishop of Lichfield at All Saints Anglican Cathedral, Rome West Nova officers and a casualty A tank concealed in a ruined house The Mortar Platoon of the wnsr at a front-line open-air shower stall West Nova Scotia Regiment cemetery, near San Lorenzo
page 100 A German tank taken by the West Novas in the Lamone Advance Lt. Col. A.L. Saunders Padre Wilmot with his truck Col. J.L. Ralston visiting the regiment after the battle at the Gothic Line Dedication of the wsnr cemetery at Russi Padre Wilmot giving the blessing at a farewell service
page 143 Capt. Laurence F. Wilmot at the end of his military duties, 1945
L IST OF M APS
Southern Italy, p. 15 10 July 1943-9 June 1944
The Adriatic Sector, p. 23 28 November 1943-4 January 1944
The Crossing of the Moro and the Battle for Ortona, p. 23 6 December 1943-4 January 1944
The Breaking of the Gustav and Hitler Lines, p. 43 11-23 May 1944
Northern Italy, p. 71 10 June 1944-25 February 1945
The Breaking of the Gothic Line, p. 79 30 August-3 September 1944
The Advance to Rimini, p. 93 3-22 September 1944
From the Montone to the Senio, p. 109 2 December 1944-5 January 1945
F OREWORD
I FEEL VERY HONOURED to have been asked to provide a foreword to this book, in my capacity (I suppose) as the last wartime commander of the West Nova Scotia Regiment, although, in truth, the war in Europe was over when I was given command for the happy purpose of bringing the regiment home to Canada. Padre Wilmot arrived at the regiment in February 1944, to face the misery of the Arielli position, while I spent a comfortable winter in hospital recovering from flesh wounds incurred in December 1943. I returned to the regiment on May 23, 1944, for the final breakthrough of the Hitler Line, so graphically depicted in this book, but after the battle I was sent to the brigade as Intelligence Officer and did not return to the regiment until January 1945. I relate these events only to show that I did not share first-hand in the major battles otherwise described herein. It was not long, however, before I heard of the remarkably courageous activities of the padre of the West Novas, and I had occasion to view the shell-torn helmet that evidenced at least one of his almost miraculous escapes from death.
Some padres may have been content to remain out of the immediate battle; to tend to the wounded brought in from the field; and to bury those who were killed. In fairness, this is what they were often expected, or even ordered, to do. But Laurie Wilmot was of a different ilk. He was bound to join the soldiers in their most forward positions in and out of battle, to render what physical and spiritual assistance he could in the most dire perils.
This is a book about war and great courage, but it is, above all, a story of great faith; of a priest who each morning put his life into the hands of his God, willing to face without flinching the greatest dangers that might befall him. Those who read his story will grasp some measure of that faith and the protecting presence of God in all of life.
Padre Wilmot humbly wears the Military Cross for his great bravery in the approaches to the Gothic Line defences, but anyone with an understanding of his exploits in the Hitler Line battles must feel, as I do, that no braver hero could merit the highest Canadian award for valour, the Victoria Cross.
Harry M. Eisenhauer, Major (Retired) Calgary, Alberta
A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
M ANY OF MY FRIENDS , including former officers and other ranks of the West Nova Scotia Regiment, have urged me to write a memoir of my experience as a regimental chaplain in Italy during World War ii. This is the result.
Major Harry M. Eisenhauer of Calgary, Alberta, who served as a platoon commander throughout the Liri Valley battles and subsequently as Brigade Intelligence Officer, and who brought the regiment back to Canada as its commanding officer, has kindly written the foreword.
Major R.G. (Bill) Thexton, CD , of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, who commanded A Company during most of my time with the regiment, assisted me by obtaining copies of regimental and brigade diaries, and generously permitted me to use material from his memoirs, Times to Remember, particularly for background information in our approach to the Gothic Line battles and the battles for San Lorenzo and San Fortunato Ridge. He has also written the introduction to my account.
Colonel C. Roger MacLellan, MC , CD , of Kentville, Nova Scotia, Honorary Colonel of the West Nova Scotia Regiment, has gone through the document and carefully checked my use of military terms; and, with the cooperation of Dr. Don I. Rice, cm, of Willowdale, Ontario, who served as a captain and company commander during my time with the regiment, he has made many suggestions to clarify the record and prepare it for publication. Colonel MacLellan has also prepared a glossary of military terms and abbreviations that will be most helpful to readers unfamiliar with military terminology and procedures. I owe these men special thanks for their generous assistance.
My decision to join the Chaplain Service at age thirty-five must have been a signal of doom to my wife, Hope, and our three small children: Laurence Sydney, who was nine years old at the time, Frances Mary Louise, seven, and Hope Fairfield, two. Although it seemed necessary on my part, it was still a wrenching decision for me to make. I am most thankful that Hope accepted the situation with her usual devotion. She and the children joined me at most of my postings in Canada. After saying goodbye to my family in Brockville, Ontario, I sailed on the Queen Elizabeth from Halifax. Hope wrote to me, and prayed for me every day while I was overseas, thus sustaining and inspiring me to press on with my task. After the war, we had a long and eventful life of ministry together until her death on July 2, 1986. My gratitude for her devotion is beyond bounds.
I am also indebted to my second wife, Grace, whom I married on January 21, 1995. We have had wonderful years of companionship together, with the result that I have found the energy and leisure time to bring this material together and, with the assistance of my friends mentioned above, prepare it for publication.
Laurence F. Wilmot Ex-Padre West Nova Scotia Regiment W