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The Battle of Ortona was part of General Montgomery's battle plan with the British Eighth Army and the Canadian First Division to advance towards the Italian coast near the Adriatic Sea. As such, Major General Christopher Vokes was put in charge of seizing the Italian city of Ortona. The city was flanked on three sides by dangerous ravines on the western side and cliffs leading to the Adriatic Sea on the north and eastern sides, thus it was decided that the Canadian troops would attack Ortona on the southern side. The battle started on the 20th of December, leading on until 2 days after Christmas on the 27th of December. The result of the battle was a Pyrrhic victory for the Canadians as there were more than 1,300 deaths to take this insignificant city away from the Germans. Nevertheless, this battle showed how effective the new tactics, such as mouse-holing were in urban warfare environments that are still in use as of today

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