SIGHTINGS, Exploring the Scope of the Canadian Sniper

The West Nova Scout-Sniper Platoon

H. Col. John Leefe, West NS Regt

Italy 1944: the Allies had successfully driven the Italian and German forces out of Sicily and invaded the Italian mainland. The First Canadian Division was now part of the famous British 8th Army. Canadians, British and other Commonwealth forces were responsible for driving a deeply entrenched, tough adversary out of a tremendously demanding terrain consisting of mountains, cold cascading streams, deep valleys and plains always coping with the summer heat of the Mediterranean and the constant wet, cold, mud, ice and snow of late autumn through to late spring. In the vanguard was the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade comprised of R22eR (Vingt-Deuxs) from Quebec, the Carleton and York Regiment from New Brunswick and our own West Nova Scotia Regiment. Before their job was done in Italy and Northwest Europe, they would be in the thick of fighting for 22 months. Read more…

This from the May 2016 Regimental Association Newsletter