Following the Battle of the Sangro Line in November 1943, 38 (Irish) Brigade continued its advance along the east coast of Italy. On 1 December 1943, the 2nd Battalion The London Irish Rifles occupied positions in and forward of Rocca where, as night fell, two enemy companies were occupying the Treglio ridge. The 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers probed forward in the direction of the small coastal town of San Vito.