CWGC takes part in the Ortona Challenge

On Sunday 16th October the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was present at the second 'Ortona Challenge - Di corsa nella storia', an iconic 'foot race in history' created in 2018 to commemorate the soldiers and civilians who died in the Battle of Ortona in 1943.

Of those casualties, 1,615 Commonwealth soldiers, most of them from the Canadian forces, are buried in Moro River Canadian War Cemetery of San Donato, a few kilometers outside the small Italian town in the central-eastern region of Abruzzo.

For the first time, CWGC representatives were present in Ortona to promote the initiative and honour its importance to commemorate those Commonwealth troops who made the extreme sacrifice during the Second World War Italian campaign.

In 1943, this stronghold was a key strategic location at the eastern end of the German 'Gustav Line', a defensive fortified line which stretched from Minturno on the western coast to the Sangro River on the eastern coast. Ortona was one of the fiercest battles of the Italian campaign, fought street by street by the 1st Canadian Division and Winston Churchill stated: "It was the first great battle in the streets of an inhabited centre, and we learned a lot from it".

CWGC's Giordano Righetti talking to some of the competitors.

The race is organized by the nonprofit Crossroads together with Ortona For Runners team on a 9,5 km route along the historic sites where the fighting took place in the city centre. At the starting point in the central San Tommaso square, a poem was read by Tommaso Cespa, a local survivor of the Battle of Ortona who often accompanies visitors and tourists to CWGC Moro River Canadian cemetery. Then a bugler played the notes of silence to commemorate all the civilian and military fallen in Ortona during the Second World War.

The event was also attended by representatives of the Embassy of Canada to Rome and the Canadian College in Lanciano - Chieti, as well as many sports and history enthusiasts and tourists.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will participate in the organization and promotion of major events for the 2023 race during the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Ortona. In addition to the race, a large series of ceremonies and war commemorations will take place in the city as well as in Moro River Canadian War Cemetery.

The event poster and winners having their photo taken at the CWGC stand.