Seine to Antwerp 25 August –30 September 1944 · St Valéry without resistance and then moved west to join 49th Division in the siege of Le Havre. This port, surrounded on three

60The Advance from the

Seine to Antwerp25 August – 30 September 1944

ANNIVERSARY

TH

‘The days of rapid advance across North West Europe’

SECOND WORLD WAR

No.6

The Advance fromthe Seine to Antwerp

ANTWERP, BELGIUM

Cover image: British infantry advance past a destroyed 88 mm anti-aircraft gun

Antwerp is:• The second largest city in Belgium• The second largest harbour in Europe• Located at the inner point of the

Scheldt estuary• 69 km (43 miles) from the North Sea

KEY FACTS

IWM B 9982

Paris•

London•

GERMANY

FRANCE

BELGIUM

NORTH SEA

NETHERLANDS

BELGIUMFRANCE

• Paris

• Brussels• AntwerpOstend •

Calais •

London•

Le Havre•

Berlin•

NETHERLANDS

Foreword by theUnder Secretary of State for Defenceand Minister for Veterans, Ivor Caplin MP

This series of commemorative booklets is dedicated to those whofought for our freedom in World War Two. The booklets provide adetailed account of key actions of the war for those familiar with theperiod, as well as serving as an educational tool for younger peopleless familiar with the heroic actions of Allied Service personnel.

In this, the sixth booklet in the series, we commemorate the way theRoyal Navy and the RAF combined so effectively with the 21st ArmyGroup and made such a rapid leap forward from the Seine to Antwerp.

August 1944 presented the Allies with a unique opportunity to lungelike a rapier through German-held Belgium and the Netherlands andend the war in weeks rather than months. To enable such a rapidadvance, the well-fortified channel ports had to be cleared of Germanforces and opened up to Allied ships carrying the hundreds of tonsof fuel and ammunition needed to sustain the effectiveness of the rapidlyadvancing Armour and Infantry. Because the direction of the attack onthe ports was clear, commanders had to rely on thorough preparationrather than surprise to achieve their objectives with minimum losses.In contrast, the advance to Antwerp was achieved as a result of daringmanoeuvres like the night march through 48 km (30 miles) of enemy-heldterritory to secure a bridgehead across the River Somme.

Sixty years on, we must take this opportunity to salute the bravery,organisation and ingenuity of our Service personnel. Throughcommemoration, reflection and education, we can successfullypay tribute to those who served, and I hope we can pass on thebaton of remembrance to future generations, so they might understandthe sacrifice made for the freedoms we all enjoy today.

THE ADVANCE FROM THE SEINE TO ANTWERP | 1

Following the difficult Operation Overlordlandings (6 June 1944) and the slow and costlyadvance in the enclosed bocage countryside inNormandy, the last week of August and earlySeptember 1944 seemed to offer Britain, theUnited States and their Allies the prospect ofcrushing the German armies west of the RiverRhine and bringing the war to an early end.After the devastating defeat of the German Armyin the Falaise Pocket, the Allied advance acrossnorth-east France drove the disorganised andscattered remnants of the surviving Germanforces rapidly eastwards. The River Seinewould have formed a natural defensive line for theGermans to stand, reorganise their forces andstop the pursuing Allied forces. Yet, the state ofconfusion on the German side meant that the

strong natural barrier of the Seine was onlyweakly defended. Thus, the British–Canadian21st Army Group under General BernardMontgomery could cross this obstacle withrelative ease between 25 and 27 August 1944.

In order to direct the further progress of the21st Army Group, Montgomery issued adirective on 26 August. He instructed his armycommanders Lieutenant-Generals Harry Crerar(First Canadian Army) and Miles Dempsey(Second British Army) to do three things: theywere to destroy the German forces in the Pas deCalais area and Flanders, to seize the importantport of Antwerp (Belgium), and to continue theadvance towards the Ruhr region, Germany’sindustrial heartland. First Canadian Army would

| THE ADVANCE FROM THE SEINE TO ANTWERP2

IWM B 9975

The background to the Advance fromthe Seine to Antwerp

General Horrocks and Field Marshal Montgomery view the bridge over the Albert Canal


advance along the coast and Second BritishArmy would advance inland on the axisAmiens–Arras. This parallel advance by twoarmies was considered advantageous becauseany German force opposing the progress of theCanadians along the coast would be cut off bythe advance of Second Army in their flank andrear. The right (southern) flank of Second Army,in turn, was covered by the First US Army, whichwas part of General Bradley’s 12th Army Group.

Montgomery’s directive was confirmed byGeneral Eisenhower, the Supreme Commanderof Allied Forces in Europe. He stressed theimportance of crossing the River Somme,occupying the Pas de Calais area, capturingBelgian airfields for use by Allied air forces,and taking Antwerp. First Allied Airborne Armywas allocated to Montgomery for air landingoperations in the enemy’s rear, where andwhen it seemed appropriate. Fighters and fighter-bombers were to hamper enemy movementacross the rivers by attacking ferries and bridgesover the Somme, Oise and Marne. Heavybombers of the US Strategic Air Force and BritishBomber Command were to render assistance toground troops as and when required. The FrenchRésistance, organised by the FFI (French Forcesof the Interior), was asked to help the Allied

forces by harassing the retreating Germans,capturing scattered German soldiers, andpreventing the Germans from blowing upbridges and railways. It played this role well,as General Adair was to observe in his memoirs:

‘The French Résistance was anenormous help and contributedmuch to the speed of ouradvance. Besides taking overour German prisoners, if forsome reason we were held up,they always knew alternativeroutes and acted as guides.’

IWM B 9836

French Résistance fighters organised by the FFI

List of commanders mentioned in the textALLIED:Supreme Allied CommanderGeneral Dwight (‘Ike’) Eisenhower21st Army Group Commander-in-ChiefGeneral Bernard Montgomery (promotedto Field Marshal on 1 September 1944)12th Army Group Commander-in-ChiefGeneral Omar BradleyFirst Canadian ArmyLieutenant-General Harry CrerarII Canadian CorpsLieutenant-General Guy SimondsSecond British ArmyLieutenant-General Miles DempseyGuards Armoured Division CommanderMajor-General Allan Adair49th Division CommanderMajor-General ‘Bubbles’ BarkerAXIS:Commander-in-Chief WestField Marshal Walter ModelGeneral Officer CommandingFifth Panzer ArmyGeneral Heinrich Eberbach

KEY FACTS


Liberating the Channel ports(25 August – 30 September 1944)

Situation on the morning of 1 September 1944

After the crossing of the Seine, First CanadianArmy moved towards the Channel coast. ItsI (British) Corps closed in on Le Havre andSt Valéry-en-Caux, and its II CanadianCorps on Dieppe, Le Tréport and Abbeville.German forces in front of First Canadian Armyconducted a skilful retreat northwards, stoppingand fighting their pursuers from time to time. Inearly September, 51st (Highland) Division tookSt Valéry without resistance and then movedwest to join 49th Division in the siege ofLe Havre. This port, surrounded on three sidesby water, was strongly protected by fieldworks,anti-tank ditches, outlying forts, inundationsand minefields. About 11,000 German troops,supported by considerable artillery, defendedthis important port.

IWM B 9686

Crocodile Flame-thrower Tank in action

The 51st and 49th Divisions were reinforcedby flail tanks (designed to clear mines), armouredpersonnel carriers and Crocodile Flame-throwerTanks to deal with the fortifications. Because thedirection of the attack was clear, Major-General‘Bubbles’ Barker had to rely on thoroughpreparation rather than surprise to achieve hisobjective at little loss. Thus, infantry battalionspractised street-fighting. Models of the townand its defences were made and shown toofficers and men, and detailed briefings wereheld. The Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Air Force(RAF) Bomber Command bombarded the townfor two days, supplementing the alreadyawesome firepower of 18 artillery regiments.Coordinating the 15-inch guns of the battleshipHMS Warspite and the monitor HMS Erebuswith Army artillery and aerial bombardmentwas a major planning feat in its own right.

The effect was most impressive, as Brigade-Major Paul Crook (147th Brigade) recalled:‘The defences were softened up for two daysbefore the assault by shelling from Royal Navyships at sea and bombing by the RAF. […] wewere able to watch with awe and pleasure themassive raids by the air forces on the defences.


Crocodile Flame-thrower Tank•Churchill Mark VII•75 mm gun in the turret•Armour-piercing shells to use against tanks•High-explosive rounds to use against infantry•Hull-mounted flame-thrower•100 one-second flame bursts to a distance

of 100 metres•Flame-thrower fuel carried in a trailer

behind the tank.

The Crocodile was a fearsome weapon, aseffective in terrorising the enemy as in killingtroops. The flame-thrower was so detestedby the Germans that captured Crocodilecrews would be shot rather than takenprisoner. British and Canadian infantrygreatly appreciated support by Crocodiles,particularly when attacking Germanfortified positions.

KEY FACTS

IWM B 9967

A 7.2-inch Howitzer Artillery gun in action on 2 September 1944

The bombing raids were accurately carried outand had a heartening effect on the morale ofour troops and consequent disheartening effecton the enemy.’ No amount of careful planning,however, could prevent the deaths of severalthousand French civilians in the ensuing stormof steel. The attack itself required very closecooperation between tanks, engineers andinfantry to overcome strongpoints and theminefields protecting them. In the face ofheavy fire, the brigade attacks succeededat moderate loss in the course of three days.

Crook remembered one particular nightattack: ‘And what a night! There were flailtanks flashing away detonating some minesand missing others. Armoured assault Engineervehicles were chuntering around and tanksfollowing up. There were the noises and effectsof our own supporting fire from a variety ofweapons. Finally, of course, there was thedin of battle, organised chaos and danger.’

Barker was satisfied. He confided in his diary:‘I feel I put the chaps into battle with a goodplan and they had therefore been able to


do justice to their efforts and their high moraleand courage. The show went through likeclockwork in spite of the v. strong defences.Casualties are remarkably light. My tanksof all sorts cooperated superbly and thegunners were quite excellent. […] Thecooperation of the infantry and tankswas quite excellent […].’ Crook singledout the infantry for praise:

‘Although he received plentyof support, in the end it wasthe British infantry soldier whohad to go forward and attackfortified positions in the faceof enemy fire. It was dueto their dogged courage,determination and skill thatsuch a successful outcomewas so rapidly achieved.’

IWM CL 1211

Destruction of the harbour in Le Havre


IWM CL 1248

WM CL 1248

Calais under aerial bombardment

On the same day that Le Havre was liberated,4th Canadian Armoured Division crossed theGhent Canal at Bruges and 1st Polish ArmouredDivision advanced through Ypres and Roulersto Aeltre. Once Le Havre had been taken on12 September, First Canadian Army movedon to assail Boulogne and Calais. ThoughCanadian forces had already closed in onthese ports, the assault proper could onlybegin once heavy artillery and bomberswere no longer needed at Le Havre.

The ports at the Pas de Calais had beenparticularly well fortified by the Germans,since Allied landings had been expected inthis area rather than in Normandy. Thoughmost of the heavy coastal guns pointedseawards, fear of airborne operations hadprompted the Germans to build all-rounddefences. The 3rd Canadian Division hadto take Boulogne, Calais and the batteriesat Cap Gris-Nez in rapid succession as theguns of one port could shell the approaches

to the other. Mont Lambert was the key toBoulogne. It overlooked the approaches to thetown and was heavily fortified with pillboxesand gun positions. About 10,000 Germantroops defended Boulogne, outnumbering theattacking Canadians. In order to even the odds,Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, commanding3rd Canadian Division, received support fromso-called ‘Funnies’, special armoured vehiclessuch as flame-throwers, petard- (an explosive)throwing tanks, and flail tanks, which hadalready proven their worth at Le Havre. ThoughMontgomery pressed for rapid results, Creraradvised Simonds to take his time and preparecarefully in order to avoid needless losses.On 17 September, after another aerialbombardment involving 721 heavy bombers ofBomber Command as well as artillery counter-battery fire, two brigades launched the attackon Mont Lambert. Though the Canadianssuffered from German artillery and mortarfire, the combined efforts of infantry, combatengineers and tanks silenced one pillbox after

another. Remarkably effective was the veryclose cooperation between ground troops andsupporting fighter-bombers and medium bombersof the 2nd Tactical Air Force.

However, the initial aerial bombardment hadleft some of the German defences undamaged:other strong points were subdued only aftervery heavy fighting, and taking enemy positionsin close combat proved necessary againand again. Nevertheless, Boulogne wassurrendered on 22 September.

Since the remaining brigade of 3rd CanadianDivision was too weak to capture Calais onits own, the attack on the port had to waituntil 25 September when the two brigadesengaged at Boulogne had completed theirtask and could be moved forward. With thesupport of further massive aerial bombardmentsby Bomber Command, and close air supportfrom the 2nd Tactical Air Force, Germanstrongpoints at Calais were gradually taken


German fortifications on Mont Lambert

IWM B 10697

by tank–infantry cooperation. CrocodileFlame-thrower Tanks proved very useful hereas elsewhere in demoralising the defenders.Calais fell on 30 September. Meanwhile, thebatteries at Cap Gris-Nez, holding the cross-Channel guns that had fired at Dover, weretaken by the same combination of air, infantryand armoured attack. While 3rd CanadianDivision dealt with Boulogne and Calais,2nd Canadian Division spent the first twoweeks of September in hard fighting forGerman positions around Dunkirk. Loon-Plageand Bray-Dunes, east and west of Dunkirkrespectively, were taken in cooperation withfighter-bombers and the Belgian White Brigade,a unit of resistance fighters. Since Dunkirk’s maindefences had still not been reached by mid-September, Montgomery finally decided tomask Dunkirk rather than try and take it.

With Boulogne, Calais and Cap Gris-Nez in Canadian hands, two more portswere open to Allied shipping. Alas, as withLe Havre, the captured ports had been soseverely damaged during the fighting, aswell as by German demolitions, that theywere not immediately available for unloading


Allied shipping. The destruction of the harboursnotwithstanding, an important success wasthe capture of German V1 batteries fromwhich the flying bombs had been launchedagainst London. With the exception ofDunkirk, the Channel coast up to the GhentCanal was cleared of German troops by theend of September.

Allied infantry on watch after the attack on the village of Hechtel, 12 September 1944

A cross-Channel gun at Cap Gris-Nez

IWM B 10033

IWM B 10470

In late August, Second Army, consisting ofBritish VIII, XII and XXX Corps, progressed north-eastwards as planned at a rapid pace. Duringthe night of 30–31 August, 11th ArmouredDivision conducted a night march to Amiens,through 48 km (30 miles) of enemy-held territory.This was a considerable risk as a determinedenemy with a couple of anti-tank guns or tankscould easily ambush the column and causehavoc. Yet the Germans were so surprisedby this daring move that they failed to rendereffective resistance. In the small hours of the nextmorning, the Division motored into Amiens andimmediately advanced across the River Somme.The night march had paid off. Territory hadbeen gained, confused German units had beendestroyed or captured in Amiens, including the


Army Commander General Eberbach, and theSomme had been crossed.

The Guards Armoured Division had managedto cross the Somme at the same time furthersouth, subsequently establishing a bridgehead,and holding this position against repeatedGerman counter-attacks. XXX Corps and XIICorps successfully moved up to the Somme,but VIII Corps had to be left behind becauseits transport was needed to move fuel andammunition for its two sister corps. Thecrossing of the Somme was an importantsuccess because Field Marshal Walter Model,the German Army Group Commander, hadplanned to hold the line of the Somme andreorganise German forces behind this obstacle.

Advance to Antwerp (30 August – 4 September 1944)

Dispositions and intentions of Second Army on 2 September 1944

Now, with tanks of the 11th Armoured Divisionalready across, Model had to abandon theplan and order further withdrawal.

On 1 September, General Montgomery waspromoted to Field Marshal in recognition of hisachievements in Normandy. At the same timethere was good news of the rapid advance ofthe Guards Armoured Division to Arras and 11thArmoured Division’s advance to Lens. Thoughpockets of German resistance remained in theareas crossed by the two divisions, these pocketsat Doullens, Albert and Bapaume could bebypassed and left to the following 50th Divisionand 8th Armoured Brigade to clear.

On 3 September there was an important pushforward by the Guards Armoured Division,reinforced by 231st Infantry Brigade


(50th Division), to Brussels. Organised in twobrigade groups, with the 32nd Guards Brigadeon the right and the 5th Brigade Group onthe left, the Guards raced ahead, competingto reach Brussels first. Adair, the officercommanding the Guards Armoured Division,recalled in his memoirs: ‘Rivalry between thetwo brigades was becoming increasingly keenand I was persuaded to decide on a winningpost. I chose the spot where the two routes met,just beyond a railway bridge in Brussels. Boththe Grenadiers and Welsh Guards were in turnheld up by more enemy pockets, and it wasa neck-and-neck race between the two groups.[…] The Cromwells [tanks] performed miraclesof speed and endurance, a triumph for themanufacturers and fitters and drivers.’ Apartfrom strong German resistance at Pont-à-Marcq,the mostly weak opposition was brushed aside.

National Archive WO 171/1259

The SOMME was crossed without accident and the Battalion came to rest inthe suburbs of ARRAS, the same town which the Battalion had been the last Britishtroops to leave in 1940.

A late reveille and a much needed sleep. Companies were in areas round the suburbsof ARRAS and had all been given a tremendous reception. A rifle belonging to No 4Company from 1940 was handed to the Regimental Sergeant Major BAKER by a localinhabitant and Major MILLER found much of the kit he had been forced to leave behindin 1940.

FRANCE1 Sept 1944

2 Sept 1944

Extract from 1st Battalion Welsh Guards war diary, 1 and 2 September 1944

In the evening, the Welsh Guards had won therace, entering Brussels, and were celebrated bythe local population. Lieutenant-Colonel Lewisrecalled that grateful Belgians could be asdistressing as Germans shooting:

‘Crowds of joyous, deliriouslyexcited citizens barred the way,swarmed all over our tanks,screamed salutations to us,pressed fruit and drink upon thetired, dusty, hot tank crews. […]one was left wondering whichwas worse – to be kissed,hugged and screamed at byhysterical women while trying togive orders over the wireless andto control the direction of yourtank; or to be free of the crowdand shot at by the Germans.’


During their advance, the Guards had pushedfar ahead and covered 112 km (70 miles)through enemy-occupied territory. This was aremarkable feat of daring as a well-organisedenemy could have easily cut off and encircledthe Guards. The local population was as joyousabout its liberation as the Germans wereperplexed about the big leap of the Guards. TheGuards capped their success with seizing Louvainas well after heavy fighting the following day.

Meanwhile, 11th Armoured Division hadhad a less easy ride towards Antwerp asGerman resistance repeatedly stoppedthe tanks. As a consequence, the Divisionreached Antwerp on 4 September. In spiteof the delay, thanks to close cooperationwith the well-organised Belgian resistancemovement in the city, the docks of Antwerpfell to the Allies undamaged.

On the left of 11th Armoured Division, XIICorps had approached Ghent after a difficultadvance by 4 September. While 53rd Divisioncleared the Germans from St Pol, 7th ArmouredDivision moved up the Escaut valley on Ghent,repeatedly outflanking German opposition onthe way.

IWM CL 1144

Rail transport destroyed near Louvain

Throughout the advance from the Seine toAntwerp, the RAF rendered important servicewith the strategic bombers of Bomber Commandand, from within 2nd Tactical Air Force, themedium bombers of 2 Group and the tacticalfighter-bombers of 84 Group and 83 Group,which supported First Canadian Army andSecond British Army respectively. So thatassistance was always on time, the aircraftwings (groups) used leapfrog tactics fromairfield to airfield to get as close to thefrontline as possible. Typhoons used a ‘cabrank’ system, patrolling near to the battle areaand waiting to be called up for a mission bya forward air controller. In some cases, theground crews of the Typhoons could actuallyobserve targets being attacked by theirsquadrons from the airfield. When the fighter-bombers were not involved in close supportwork, they swept over roads and railways todestroy enemy vehicles and forces in transit.

All operations in France, land or air,were completely dependent on their seacommunications for deployment, reinforcementand supply. Together with maritime aircraft,ships from the Royal Navy’s home commandscontinued to safeguard shipping in the Channelfrom the significant but now rarely successfulU-Boat threat. Royal Navy port, salvage andminesweeping units were vital in openingharbours as the advance continued.


IWM CL 449

Hawker Typhoons taking off to attack targets behind enemy lines

Hawker Typhoon•Built by Hawker Aircraft Company•British single-seat fighter-bomber•Armed with four 20 mm cannon•Eight armour-piercing or high-explosive

127 mm rockets or two 1000 lb bombs•Armoured against light ground fire

KEY FACTS

In September 1944, Allied forces in Europewere so strong that supplies became a problem.Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Alliedforces in Europe, had such numbers of troops,tanks and vehicles on the continent that it becamevery difficult to supply them with the petrol to moveand the ammunition to fight. Between June andAugust, this problem had not been too seriousas Allied ground forces were fighting close tothe beaches where the supplies were unloaded.Once the armies had advanced as far as Belgium,however, the supply lines stretching back from thedivisions to the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches


became too long. The railway system hadbeen bombed by the Allies in order to inhibit themovement of German forces during OperationOverlord. On their retreat, the Germans blewup the remaining lines and bridges. Thus, therailways could not be used for the transportof bulky goods. Instead, thousands of trucks hadto pick up fuel and ammunition in the Bayeuxarea and cart them over hundreds of miles tothe frontline units. If one takes into account thatan armoured division needed hundreds of tonsof fuel and ammunition per day to be effective,the scale of the problem can be appreciated.

Narrow Front or Broad Front

Stages of the Advance to Antwerp

Because the Germans were fully awareof Eisenhower’s predicament, they decidedto defend the Channel ports for as long aspossible in order to deny their use to theAllies. Only by wresting major ports suchas Le Havre and Antwerp from the Germanscould the Allies hope to dramatically shortentheir supply lines and increase the flow of fueland ammunition to the frontline.

Faced with the supply crisis, Eisenhower couldnot hope to keep all his divisions moving at highspeed at the same time. He could either channelmost supplies to one of the two Army Groups,Montgomery’s 21st or Bradley’s 12th, enablingeither force to progress rapidly, or he coulddivide supplies between both forces, enablingboth of them to move, but at a slower rate.Throughout September, Montgomery andEisenhower discussed the most promisingapproach. Montgomery argued strongly thatsupply priority should be given to 21st ArmyGroup. He maintained that his command, ifwell supplied, could lunge like a rapier throughGerman-held Belgium and the Netherlands,through the industrial Ruhr region, across thenorth German plain, and into Berlin, Germany’sheart. This single thrust would enable the Alliesto end the war in weeks rather than months.


Eisenhower was willing to give priority toMontgomery’s advance towards the Ruhr, byallocating the First Allied Airborne Army to 21stArmy Group, for example, but he did not agreeto stop Bradley’s 12th Army Group in order tochannel most of the fuel to Montgomery.

Both Eisenhower and Montgomery, beingfixated on crossing the Rhine as soon aspossible, had overlooked the importance of theScheldt estuary. Due to their problematic supplysituation, the Allied armies urgently needed touse the port of Antwerp in order to shorten theirsupply lines. Though Antwerp itself was in Alliedhands, the inland port could not be used forshipping unless the Scheldt estuary had beencleared of German troops. To clear the Scheldt,a major military effort was required whichneither Eisenhower nor Montgomery allowedfor. The optimistic assumption was that onlyminor forces were required for this task. Thiswas a serious oversight because concentratingon gaining control of the Scheldt as quickly aspossible would not only ease supply problems,but would also trap the withdrawing GermanFifteenth Army on the south bank of the Scheldt.As it was, the Germans were given a sufficientlybroad window of opportunity to evacuate mostof this army to Holland.

Enemy transport destroyed by Hawker Typhoons

IWM B 9583

Road construction in the Pas de Calais areaand urban sprawl have considerably changedthe battlefields. The cemeteries, however, arestill mute testimony to the fighting in September1944. Canadian visitors to the battlefield areparticularly well served. There is a CanadaMuseum in the town of Adegem, dedicatedto the history of Belgium in the SecondWorld War, including its liberation. Otherinteresting museums include the Musée duMur de l’Atlantique in Audighen and theMusée de la Guerre de Calais in the Calaiscity park. Close to the Canada Museum is theAdegem Canadian War Cemetery where


845 Canadian and 302 Allied Servicepersonnel are buried. Most of these troopshad fought to clear the south bank ofthe Scheldt. Other Canadian war cemeteriescan be found at Calais and Bergen OpZoom. The Schoonselhof Cemetery inAntwerp contains the graves of 1473 membersof the Commonwealth and Allied forces.The Leopoldsburg War Cemetery is the lastresting place for 798 Commonwealth andAllied Service personnel. Those Servicepersonnel who fell in the fighting for the AlbertCanal and the Meuse-Escaut Canal are buriedin the Geel and Kasterlee War Cemeteries.

The battlefield today

Geel War Cemetery, Belgium

CWGC


Geel War Cemetery contains 400Commonwealth burials of the Second WorldWar and is located midway between Antwerp46 km (29 miles), Hasselt 38 km (24 miles)and Louvain (Leuven).

Kasterlee War Cemetery contains 100Commonwealth burials of the Second WorldWar and is located 54 km (34 miles) northof Louvain (Leuven) and 53 km (33 miles)east of Antwerp.

Kasterlee War Cemetery, Belgium

The Commonwealth War GravesCommission maintains over 1,147,192war graves (which does not include thegraves of some 40,000 foreign nationals)at 23,203 burial sites in 149 countriesaround the world. It also commemoratesa further 759,597 Commonwealth wardead on memorials to the missing.

Commonwealth governments share the costof maintenance in proportion to the numberof graves of their war dead: UK – 79%;Canada – 10%; Australia – 6%;New Zealand – 2%; South Africa – 2%;India – 1%.

KEY FACTS

CWGC

Navy Force T (support to land forces)*Le Havre Bombarding Force*Salvage and Port Clearance PartiesForces 26 and 27 (Anti-Submarine Warfare)* 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 11th, 12th, 14th and 19thEscort Groups 21st Destroyer FlotillaCoastal ForcesNos. 41, 45, 46, 47 and 48 (Royal Marine)Commandos*The ‘forces’ listed above were very

flexible organisations which included theships appropriate to the task at the time,ranging from battleships to motor launches.

ArmySecond British ArmyVIII (British) CorpsXII (British) Corps XXX (British) Corps

Guards Armoured Division5th Guards Armoured Brigade32nd Guards Brigade

7th Armoured Division22nd Armoured Brigade131st Infantry Brigade

11th Armoured Division29th Armoured Brigade159th Infantry Brigade

3rd Infantry Division8th Infantry Brigade9th Infantry Brigade185th Infantry Brigade

15th (Scottish) Infantry Division44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade227th (Highland) Infantry Brigade

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division129th Infantry Brigade 130th Infantry Brigade214th Infantry Brigade


49th (West Riding) Infantry Division56th Infantry Brigade146th Infantry Brigade147th Infantry Brigade

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division69th Infantry Brigade151st Infantry Brigade231st Infantry Brigade

51st (Highland) Infantry Division152nd Infantry Brigade153rd Infantry Brigade154th Infantry Brigade

53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division 71st Infantry Brigade158th Infantry Brigade160th Infantry Brigade

First Canadian ArmyI (British) CorpsII Canadian Corps

2nd Canadian Infantry Division4th Canadian Infantry Brigade5th Canadian Infantry Brigade6th Canadian Infantry Brigade

3rd Canadian Infantry Division7th Canadian Infantry Brigade8th Canadian Infantry Brigade9th Canadian Infantry Brigade

4th Canadian Armoured Division4th Canadian Armoured Brigade10th Canadian Infantry Brigade

1st Polish Armoured Division10th Polish Armoured Brigade3rd Polish Infantry Brigade

AirSecond Tactical Air Force (RAF) Order of Battle:2 Group, 83 Group, 84 Group, 85 Group;plus 34 Wing and Air Spotting Pool.

Bomber Command (RAF) Groups participatingin operations against theChannel ports: 1 Group, 3 Group, 4 Group,5 Group, 6 Group and 8 Group.

Forces assigned to the Advance from the Seine to Antwerp


60th Anniversary of the Advance from the Seine to Antwerp

RBL Antwerp


This booklet is intended to be of interest toyoung people as well as veterans. As theformer may not be acquainted with basicmilitary terminology, a simple glossary of

1944 British Army terms relating to variouslysized commands is included here. Thesecommands are listed in descending order of sizewith the rank of the commander shown in italics.

Glossary

TERM DESCRIPTION

Army Group The largest military command deployed by the British Army, comprising General or Field Marshal two or more armies and containing 400,000–600,000 troops.

Army A military command controlling several subordinate corps, plus Lieutenant-General supporting forces, amounting to 100,000–200,000 troops.

Corps A military command controlling two or more divisions, as well as other Lieutenant-General supporting forces, amounting to 50,000–100,000 troops.

Division The standard 1944 British Army formation, an infantry or armoured Major-General division, containing 10,000–20,000 personnel.

Brigade A formation that contains several battalions or regiments that amount toBrigadier 3000–6000 personnel, which exists either independently or else forms

part of a division.

Regiment A unit typically of armoured or artillery forces, amounting to 500–900 Lieutenant-Colonel soldiers, that equates in status and size to an infantry battalion.

Battalion A unit usually comprising 500–900 soldiers (such as an infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel engineer or signals battalion).

Squadron Typically, a sub-unit of an armoured or reconnaissance regiment that Major equates in status and size to an infantry company.

Company A sub-unit of a battalion. A typical infantry company could Major contain around 150–180 soldiers.

Battery Major A sub-unit, usually of artillery, that forms part of a regiment.

Unit A military grouping that ranges in size from a section (of 10 soldiers) up to a battalion or regiment (500–900 personnel).

Formation A large military grouping that ranges in size from a brigade up to an army group.

Bridgehead Post held on far side of river or other obstacle facing the enemy’s position.

Counter-battery fire Artillery fire aimed to destroy the enemy’s guns.

Masking Masking a fortress or a town means to observe the garrison from a distanceto prevent the garrison from receiving supplies or from leaving the fortress.

Monitor A specialised shore-bombardment ship armed with a pair of heavy guns.

Pillbox A small, enclosed fortified emplacement, made of reinforced concrete.

Pocket When a military unit is encircled, it is considered to be in a ‘pocket’.

V1 Flying bomb Vergeltungswaffe (reprisal weapon), known as the Flying bomb, Buzz bomb or Doodlebug, was the first modern guided missile.

The Advance to Antwerp August – September 1944

AcknowledgementsAuthor: Dr Claus Telp, Department of War Studies, Royal Military Academy SandhurstCommonwealth War Graves CommissionConfederation of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations (COBSEO)Department for Education and SkillsImperial War MuseumNational ArchivesRoyal British LegionVeterans Agency

Photography and mapsPhotography reproduced with the permission of the Imperial War Museum, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Ministry of Defence Air HistoricalBranch (Royal Air Force).Maps in the text taken from the Official History Series: Victory in the West, Volume 2,The Defeat of Germany, Major L. F. Ellis (HMSO 1968).

© Crown copyright 2005. Designed and produced by COI Communications, February 2005.

‘A nation that forgets its past has no future.’ These words by Winston Churchill could not be moreapt to describe the purpose of this series of booklets,

of which this is the sixth.

These booklets commemorate various Second World War actions,and aim not only to remember and commemorate those who

fought and died, but also to remind future generations of the debt they owe to their forebears, and the inspiration that

can be derived from their stories.

They will help those growing up now to be aware of the veterans’sacrifices, and of the contributions they made to our security

and to the way of life we enjoy today.

Documents

Seine to Antwerp 25 August –30 September 1944 · St Valéry without resistance and then moved west to join 49th Division in the siege of Le Havre. This port, surrounded on three