How to take Ortona in Company of Heroes 3

The Company of Heroes 3 dynamic Italian campaign lets players make their own choices on how to proceed with the Allied invasion of Italy. You can alter how the story changes with your decisions, and choose which regions to focus on taking control of on your way to Rome.

So, if you're at the point in the campaign where capturing Monte Cassino and securing the Adriatic Coast is your main objective, check out how our guide below. 

How do you take Ortona?

There are three main reasons that you would want to capture Ortona. 

Firstly, as a port, it allows you to increase the Population Cap and call in more divisions. Secondly, it's a vital part of capturing the Adriatic Coast, which gives you full control of the east side of Italy. Lastly, capturing the port and securing the Adriatic is one of the four objectives you can complete to gain access to the Monte Cassino mission. 

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Essentially, it's a key location in the campaign, and we recommend you take control of it once you are tasked with breaking the Gustav Line.

If you've made your way up the eastern coast to try and capture Ortona, shortly before the port, you'll notice the Gustav Line on the map. This prohibits you from actually starting the mission, as you cannot pass this line, however, there are workarounds to this. 

If you finish the Monte Cassino mission before capturing Ortona, this will break the line and let you gain access, but an easier method involves capturing the town of Casa Berardi directly to the west. 

If you approach Casa Berardi, you may also get a notification from General Norton about Canadian troops pinned down in the town. Capturing the town will break the line on the eastern side, letting you head directly to Ortona, and the freed Canadian troops will make the mission there easier by providing support. 

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Once you start the mission, it involves you clearing a route through the streets - which are sectioned off with blockades - on your way to the town center. It's fairly straightforward, but we recommend using your mechanized units to plow down the streets through the blockades while using your infantry to navigate the backstreets and come up behind any German defenses. 

Once you've captured this point, you have a straight path toward the Winter Line, which is the final major offensive before heading to Rome and finishing the campaign.