Fighting Up The Italian Peninsula

 Canadians at home turned out Spitfires, Hurricanes, and other planes as part of the war effort. And Canadian pilots flew them in the skies of Europe.

This display case features models of an ME-109 German fighter, and a Mosquito bomber.

Here we have a striking portrait. Sergeant M.E. Boreham, The British Empire Medal is a portrait by Robert Hyndman, depicting Myrtle Boreham, who joined the RCAF and served at their London base of operations.

Canadians took part in the invasion of Sicily and Italy, alongside other Allied forces. 

Entry Into Assoro, Sicily is a painting by William Ogilvie.

The Allies had a tough fight ahead of them.

After the Italian surrender, Germany pressed on in the Italian mainland. The Allies pushed their way forward, and Canadians fought a particularly vicious battle for the town of Ortona, literally house to house and room to room.

One walks through a corridor, with a Canadian soldier on one side.

And a German on the other.

The CBC had correspondents embedded with the troops, sending reports back on what was happening.

Charles Comfort was also embedded with the troops as a commissioned war artist. This is his work, Canadian Armour Passing Through Ortona.

Canadians would keep pushing forward in Italy, breaching the Hitler Line and the Gothic Line.

Ernest "Smokey" Smith won the Victoria Cross for his extraordinary courage during the Italian campaign.