War Amps Re-Releases Productions to
Mark 65^th Anniversary of the Italian Campaign

OTTAWA, ON, November 3, 2009 - The War Amps has re-released two internationally award-winning productions to mark the 65^th anniversary of the Italian Campaign.

From the time Canadian Troops landed in Sicily in July 1943, through to the epic battle of Ortona and beyond, the Italian Campaign was front page news. The War Amps documentary A War of Their Own tells how the Canadians in Sicily and Italy faced tremendous odds never before experienced by the Canadian Army and developed innovative techniques to fight in an inhospitable terrain against an experienced enemy force during almost two years of steady fighting.

The Allied troops in Italy, in a questionable jest, became known as the D-Day Dodgers. The nickname implied that the troops in Italy were avoiding the “real” war in France. Some of the boys in Italy considered the name a bit of a slur, so they put out an extremely clever and sarcastic response to the catchy tune of the famous wartime song, Lili Marlène, which was well-known to the fighting men.

The D-Day Dodgers music video was produced especially for A War of Their Own.  Featuring rare archival film, the powerful images of camaraderie, youth, friendship, and “bravery in the face of danger” are in very touching, almost haunting, contrast to the images of war with which they are juxtaposed. The song tells much of the story of what the Canadians and the Allies did in the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns.

The documentary and music video, both funded by corporate donations, were produced by War Amps CEO Cliff Chadderton and have been distributed to regular, specialty and community television channels across Canada.  A War of Their Own is available online at the cost-recovery price of $14 by calling toll-free 1 800 250-3030.