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Brigadier Gibson informed the Commanding Officer at approximately 1300 hours that the remnants of the leading companies of the Seaforths had succeeded in reaching the first objective but that they were being attacked by enemy tanks and had only Piats with which to defend themselves. The Commanding Officer formed a composite force of the remaining tanks of B and C Squadrons and put them under command of Capt. C. M. Thomas. Fortunately this officer was in possession of a mosaic aerial photograph and by using this, the Commanding Officer was able to guide Captain Thomas and his force away from, and around, the clearing which was now known to be the enemy tank killing ground. This force reached the objective but was unable to find any trace of the Seaforths. At this juncture, this force came under very heavy enemy artillery fire, three tanks being hit almost immediately and knocked out by heavy calibre shells, probably 210 mm. Captain Thomas displayed great coolness and judgment and ordered the force to disperse slightly. At this point the Commanding Officer ordered Captain Thomas to withdraw to a position from which he could dominate the objective but, unfortunately, in trying to carry out this order the force came under heavy fire from many enemy anti-tank guns as a result of which seven tanks were destroyed, including Captain Thomas's. Lieut. G. Mahon's Troop of three tanks, before being themselves knocked out, destroyed an enemy Panther turret emplacement and a 75 mm. anti-tank gun. It is interesting to note that both the Churchill 6-pounder and Sherman 75 mm. easily penetrated the Panther turret and that the Besa not only penetrated the two shields of the 75 mm. anti-tank gun but also killed the crew. The range was two hundred yards. Captain Thomas and the survivors were heavily engaged by enemy machine-gun fire when they evacuated their burning tanks.
At this stage Major Griffith reported the presence of several enemy tanks and self-propelled guns on the west bank of the Forme d'Aquino and near the road. After a reconnaissance he decided not to use artillery against them owing to the presence in that area of men of the Princess Pat's, but asked for Sappers to gap the minefield in front of his Squadron. The Sappers, despite casualties, did gap the minefield in one place and two Churchills led by Sjt. Best [sadly, shortly afterwards, he was killed] advanced through the gap only to be knocked out on the far side by cleverly-concealed anti-tank guns.
The Adolf Hitler Line had now been overrun twice by tanks, and men of both the Princess Pat's and Seaforths had reached the objective. It is true that both infantry and tanks sustained heavy casualties in doing this but enemy resistance began to slacken at approximately 1600 hours and it was at this stage that the Pontecorvo wing of the enemy line folded up. Major Griffith was ordered to form a firm base in his area with Princess Pat's and the Loyal Edmontons, and Brigadier Gibson ordered up anti-tank guns.
Reconnaissance during this morning showed that the enemy had withdrawn his remnants from the entire Hitler Line during the early hours of the morning, leaving all heavy equipment in our hands. At first light the 5th Canadian Armoured Division passed through the line and by the evening had pushed elements over the river Melfa. At 1300 hours A B and C Squadrons, now re-organised, were concentrated in harbour in the area of the forward assembly area and the collection of the dead had commenced. In the afternoon Brigadier Gibson honoured the Regiment by requesting the burial of N.I.H. dead in the 2nd Canadian Brigade Cemetery and congratulatory messages for our part in the action were received from the Canadian Corps Commander, G.O.C. 1st Canadian Division and Brigadier Tetley.
On Thursday evening, 25th May, a burial service was held in the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade Cemetery where a plot had been reserved for the North Irish Horse. The cemetery lies about four and a half miles to the south of Pontecorvo and is enclosed on three sides by oak trees, the open side looking across the Liri Valley towards the historic Monastery Hill and Mount Cairo.
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