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Liberation of the Netherlands and Capitulation of Germany
17-2 1 minutes
Canada in the Second World War
Liberation of the Netherlands and Capitulation of Germany
The Winter by the Maas, November 8th, 1944- February 7th,
1945
After the Battle of the Scheidt the First Canadian Army prepared to
winter. For three months, between November 8th, 1944, and
February 8th , 1945, Canadians were not involved in any large-scale
operation. Rest was more than welcome. The 3rd Infantry Division
and the 2nd Armoured Brigade had been fighting since early June,
other units since July.
Members of "B" Troop, 5th Field Regiment, firing 25-pounder near
Malden, Holland, 1 February 1945. From left to right: Sergeant Jack
Brown, Bdr. Joe Wilson, Gunners Lyle Ludwig, Bill Budd, George
Spence, and Bill Stewart.
hoto by Michael M. Dean. Department of National Defence I
National Archives of Canada, PA-146868.
Those five months of action had a major impact on all First Army
battalions. Men were killed in action or evacuated after being
wounded; others suffering from battle exhaustion collapsed under
the constant stress of ever-present death , facing mortars, shells
and bullets every day. Others were made prisoners by the enemy,
to be interrogated then transferred to a stalag in German territory.
In Northwest Europe, as in Italy, Canadian units were under
strength, with no trained men to fill the voids left by heavy
casualties. By October 1944, this had become a critical issue and
Canadian Defence Minister Colonel ,LJ,.§Y.lon Ralston inspected
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Canadian troops overseas to take the measure of the problem.
Convinced of the necessity of supplying the Army with fresh troops,
Ralston tried to garner the support of the Canadian government for
compulsory overseas mil itary service . Fearing this would lead to an
even larger crisis with the Canadian population , Prime
Minister King refused to backtrack on his promise that Canadians
would never be sent to serve overseas against their will. Ralston
resigned and General And)' McNaughton replaced him as Defence
Minister. He entertained the hope that territorial defence draftees
would agree to be sent to the front; this solution did not work out
and the problem remained unsolved.
Photo by Barney J . Gloster. Department of National Defence/
National Archives of Canada, PA-138068.
Photo by Barney J. Gloster. Department of National Defence I
National Archives of Canada, PA-138068.
On the other hand, after five months of campaign, Canadian
soldiers were now experienced warriors, but the wintering by the
Maas, near Nijmegen in the Netherlands was no party. They had to
defend a bridgehead that would be used as a starting point for
crossing the Rhine. They also had to keep the Germans on their
toes. They were not far, on the other side of the Maas. While US
and British armies launched an attack further south, the Canadians
had to give the enemy the impression that an assault was imminent
to force it to leave troops in that area. Donning white uniforms as
camouflage in a snowy landscape, Canadian soldiers patrolled in
an "active and aggressive" way, making good of every opportunity
to gain some ground or make a prisoner.
An unexpected development was to postpone the planned assault
by several weeks. Between December 16th and 26th , 1944, Hitler
tried to dislodge US troops from the Ardennes in order to recapture
Antwerp. The Americans were able to stop the German advance
but the operation resulted in a delay of several weeks to the Rhine
offensive.
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The Battle of the Rhineland, February 8th - March 11th, 1945
For Operation Veritable, the First Canadian Army had to leave the
Nijmegen area and move towards the southeast to take over the
Rhineland, a narrow strip of land between the Maas and Rhine
rivers. The Dutch-German border followed the Maas in that sector.
For the first time, fighting was to take place on German soil and a
fierce opposition was expected. Three defence lines protected the
area: the first one was a series of outposts, then the Siegfried Line
that ran through the Reichswald Forest, and finally the series of
fortifications through the Hochwald Forest. To slow down the Allies'
progress, the Germans destroyed dykes and flooded the area.
February's milder weather and thaw softened the muddy ground,
hindering the advance of armoured vehicles and artillery.
Infantry of the Chaudiere Regiment going along dyke during the
clearing of the flooded area near Cleve, Germany, February 10th,
1945.
Photo by Colin C. McDougall. Department of National Defence I
National Archives of Canada, PA-159561.
Under command of General Crerar and the First Canadian Army
were the divisions of II Canadian Corps, as well as nine British
divisions, some Belgian, Dutch, Polish and US units. It was the
largest military force under Canadian command ever.
The operation was launched on February 8th with aerial bombings
and powerful artillery offensive. Fighting under the First Canadian
Army, XXX British Corps marched towards the Reichswald Forest.
On its left flank, the 3rd Canadian Division , nicknamed "the Water
Rats", had to clear the flooded region north of the Nijmegen-Calcar
road. For that purpose, the Canadian infantry used Buffalo
amphibious vehicles, but could not count on any artillery or tank
support.
"Breaches in the dykes blown by the enemy caused extensive
flooding during the night. A road built by RCE to D coy area was
washed out and the coy HQ surrounded by water. Some of our
outpost positions had to be abandoned as the water continued to
rise at the rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour during the day."
Highland Light Infantry of Canada War Diary, 6 February 1945
The Germans, for their part, could rely on excellent defence
installations - antitank ditches, networks of trenches, fortified
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positions - as well as an apparently inexhaustible supply of
weapons and ammunition. They were now fighting for their
homeland and that thought increased their determination. In
addition , it rained most of the time; the humidity and the cold
created uncomfortable combat conditions. In spite of all this , the
operation was off to a good start with the advanced positions falling
on the first day and the Siegfried Line broken as early as February
10th.
On February 16th, the 7th Brigade met with unexpected opposition
near the Mayland Wood, towards Calcar. The infantrymen
encountered machine-gun, mortar and shell fire . After a few days of
violent combat and high casualties for the Royal Winnipeg Rifles
and the Canadian Scottish, the 7th Brigade organized a systematic
assault to clear the forest of the remaining enemy. On February
21st, the wood was captured but the six days of fighting cost the
division 485 men, killed, wounded or captured.
Coy and C Coy are encountering considerable opposition for
enemy is in the Moy/and Wood. Seem to be large numbers of
enemy there despite fact that posts of enemy had been previously
cleared by British units ...
- Regina Rifle Regiment, War Diary, 16-18 Februar)' 1945
Sherman tanks of the 4th Armoured Division ready to advance near
Sonsbeck, Germany, March 9th, 1945.
Photo by Jack H. Smith. Department of National Defence I National
Archives of Canada, PA-113682.
In the mean time, the 4th Brigade was involved in bloody action
along the Goch-Calcar road: the tanks and Kangaroo troop carriers
were halted by the mud in which they got bogged down and by fire
from hidden 88-mm guns along the road . On the 19th and 20th,
violent attacks and counter-attacks followed one another. Driven
back, the 4th Brigade managed to regain some ground but it had
lost some 400 men, including several captured by the enemy.
Dear Mother and Dad,
Just a note to let you know I'm well and a Prisoner of War in
Germany Please don 't wor,y about my condition or health-you
know me, and I'm the same as ever. Your prayers have been with
me, I know, and through my experiences I have been conscious of
them and of you. I was captured late in the afternoon of Feb. 19. It
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was rather a rough time and I ended up on the wrong side of the
line when the attack was over and things were more settled. I can
receive all mail sent to me and the address is on the outside of this
sheet. Hope war is over before I hear from you.
Your army son-Bob
LUCpl Robert Sanderson, POW at Stalag XI B, to his parents, 1 O
March 1945, from Letters from a Soldier : The Wartime Experience
of a Canadian Infantryman, 1993
After the slow advance of the last few days, Lieutenant-
General Guy Simonds believed a concentrated attack could capture
Xanten and the Hochwald. This was operation Blockbuster and it
started on February 25th. II Canadian Corps made good
progression and seized Keppeln, Odem and the Calcar Ridge. The
struggle for the Hochwald Forest, bitterly disputed to the First
German Army, lasted from February 27th to March 3rd. The
Canadians captured Xanten , east of the Hochwald Forest, on
March 10th.
"On one occasion after a tank had fired three rounds of rapid HE
through the window of a building , a German soldier stuck his head
out of a window and thumbed his nose at the oncoming infantry.
Resistance was fanatical and a very smal l number of prisoners
were taken ... "
__A!gonguin Regiment, War DiarY., 7-10 March 1945
Canadian infantrymen passing German refugees near Xanten,
Germany, March 9th, 1945.
Photo by Ken Bell. Department of National Defence I National
Archives of Canada, PA-137462.
Meanwhile , the Ninth US Army moved from the south towards
Wesel. To avoid getting trapped between the two Allied armies, the
Germans retreated in good order to the opposite bank of the Rhine.
On March 11th, the 21st Army Group occupied the Rhine's left
bank: the Battle for the Rhineland was over.
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The purpose of this note is to express to you personally my
admiration for the way you conducted the attack, by your Army,
beginning February 8 and, ending when the enemy had evacuated
his last bridgehead at Wesel. Probably no assault in this war has
been conducted under more appalling conditions of terrain than
was that one. It speaks volumes for your skill and determination
and the valour of your soldiers, that you carried it through to a
successful conclusion.
Dwight D. Eisenhower to H.D.G. Crerar, March 26th, 1943
Crossing the Rhine, March 23rd, 1945
On the evening of March 23rd , Marshal Montgomery gave the
signal to operation Plunder, the crossing of the Rhine near Wesel
and Rees. A set-piece attack, with prior aerial and artillery
bombings . In flat-bottom landing crafts and amphibious vehicles,
four British and US divisions, together with a commando brigade
crossed the 500 metres to the river's opposite bank. The 9th
Canadian Infantry Brigade took part in the operation, crossing the
river north of Rees and later capturing Millingen.
Loading carriers into Buffaloes, and Buffaloes moving towards ljssel
River near Westervoort, The Netherlands, April 13th, 1945.
Photo by Jack H. Smith. Department of National Defence I National
Archives of Canada, PA-132605.
The British and Canadian troops which fought in the Rhineland
suffered tremendous losses from the German artillery. This is why
Montgomery decided that it should be silenced by a large-scale
airborne operation, codenamed Varsity. While the infantry was
crossing the Rhine, 1,589 aircraft flew over the area in successive
waves. In full daylight and despite intense counter-attacks, the
parachute battalions were dropped behind the German lines and
got to work as soon as they touched the ground. Some 1,337
gliders then landed in the drop zone with vehicles and equipment
for the airborne troops. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was
involved in that operation and landed in a wooded area along the
Wesel-Emmerich road . It was immediately met with heavy machine
gun and sniper fire; this did not halt the Canadian paratroopers who
reached and cleaned up their targets.
At the end of the afternoon , land and airborne troops made their
junction and solidified the bridgehead on the Rhine's east bank.
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The Battle was over and the Allies had succeeded in crossing one
of the last natural defences of the German Reich . A speedy end to
the war now became a definite possibility.
As March drew to an end , Canadian units moved northwards to
take Emmerich on the right bank, while General Crerar transferred
the First Army's HQ to that same side of the Rh ine. On April 1st,
1945, I Canadian Corps under Major-General Charles Foulkes was
placed under the First Canadian Army in replacement of I British
Corps of Major-General Crocker, which had been under Crerar's
orders since the campaign of Normandy and was now passed
under the Second British Army.
First Canadian Army_ at the end of WWII
After the crossing of the Rhine , the First Canadian Army was given
two tasks: to liberate western Netherlands and to march through
northeastern Netherlands and northern Germany up to the Weser
River.
The Liberation of Western Netherlands, April 2nd - 25th, 1945
In the west I Canadian Corps had been tasked with taking control of
Arnhem. The objective was to open the Arnhem-Zutphen road to
the convoys supplying the troops moving to the North-East. RAF
Spitfire and Typhoon fighters attacked German defences in Arnhem
on April 12th and in the evening artillery pounded the city. On the
14th , Arnhem was totally cleared. Apeldoorn was liberated from
April 15th to 17th.
Dutch civilians loading a Canadian-supplied truck with food,
following agreement amongst Germans, Dutch and Allies about the
distribution of food to the Dutch population. Near Wageningen ,
Netherlands, 3 May 1945.
Photo by Alexander M. Stirton. Department of National Defence I
National Archives of Canada, PA-134417.
As they moved forward , I Canadian Corps troops observed
increasing signs of malnutrition in the civilian population ; there was
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indeed a major risk of famine in western Netherlands. German
troops in the area were surrounded and likely to flood the region if
attacked. To avoid a humanitarian crisis , I Corps halted on April
22nd and started negotiating with local German authorities for a
truce that would allow food supplies to be delivered by trucks and
aircraft. Starting May 3rd, thousands of tonnes of food were
distributed.
The Northern Front, March 23rd -April 25th, 1945
For its part, II Canadian Corps progressed rapidly on the northern
front as German resistance got weaker. In many locations,
however, the enemy still put up a good fight. In Zutphen and along
the Twente Canal, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was halted by
the determination of the 361st Infantry Division reinforced by an
airborne training battalion mostly made up of teenagers. They
finally yielded on April 8th , and Zutphen was taken . Near Zutphen,
Canadians soldiers came across a heartrending sight, Stalag VI C,
a camp for prisoners captured on the Russian front.
Solid opposition was also encountered in Deventer on the ljssel
River; the 3rd Division took the city in a single day, April 10th, and
rapidly cleared it with the support of Dutch resistance fighters. The
3rd Division moved on further north but met only disorganized and
easily subdued opposition. On April 15th, ii reached Leeuwarden,
some 15 kilometres from the North Sea.
Infantry of the South Saskatchewan Regiment lying down and firing
through a hedge near Dutch farmhouse, Oranje Canal , the
Netherlands, April 12th, 1945.
Photo by Daniel Guravich. Department of National Defence I
National Archives of Canada, PA-138284.
In the meantime, the 2nd Infantry Division was moving rapidly along
the 3rd Division's right flank. Supported by airborne detachments it
reached Groningen on April 13th. Snipers on the roofs and
machine-guns hidden in cellars were some of the difficulties
encountered. SS soldiers in civilian clothing fired at Canadian
soldiers who were told to shoot on sight. Fighting went on until April
16th.
The 1st Polish Armoured Division under Major-
General Maczek joined once again II Canadian Corps on April 8th .
It moved rapidly along the Dutch-German border. The 4th Canadian
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Armoured Division for its part followed a more southerly route ,
through Meppen in Germany on April 6th, finally to reach the
Kosten Canal on the 14th.
The following weeks saw the easy cleaning up of the whole sector
under control of II Corps. Troops were able to move on quite fast,
liberating the remainder of the Dutch territory and occupying the
plains of northern Germany up to the Weser. The might of
the Wehrmacht was by then broken, and as the Allies closed in on
Berlin , Hitler committed suicide.
t 1900 hrs we heard over the BBC that the German Army in ITALY
had unconditionally surrendered and later on that BERLIN had
fallen. The general feeling is that it can 't last much longer now ...
ROY.al Winni~g Rifles , War Diary, 1-7 MaY. 1945
German soldiers being disarmed by troops of I Canadian Corps at a
small arms dump in the Netherlands, May 11th, 1945.
Photo by Alexander M. Stirton. Department of National Defence I
National Archives of Canada, PA-134398.
Throughout the Dutch countryside, a cheering population greeted
its Canadian liberators with shouts and kisses; the noise of machine
guns was a fading memory. On the evening of May 4th , Canadian
soldiers heard on BBC airwaves a long-awaited announcement:
Germany had surrendered. A few hours later, orders arrived from
HQ that all hostilities were to stop on May 5th at 0800.
War was over in Europe.
Suggested Reading:
• Terry Copp and Robert Vogel , Maple Leaf Route: Victory, 1988
• C.P. Stacey, The Victory Campaign, Volume 3 of the Official History
of The Canadian Army in the Second World War, 1960.
• W. Denis Whitaker and Shelagh Whitaker, Rhineland: The Battle to
End The War, 2000
Next
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