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| Introduction
Following the initial Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, and the breakout from the bridgehead which saw the Canadians engaged in bitter fighting at Caen and Falaise, the First Canadian Army was assigned the task of clearing the coastal areas and opening the channel ports for vital supplies. The First Canadian Army was international in character. In addition to three Canadian divisions it had a Polish Division, a British Corps, and at various times American, Belgian and Dutch troops. Under the command of General H.D.G. Crerar, the Canadians, on the left flank of the Allied forces, pushed rapidly eastward through France towards Belgium. September began with the 2nd Canadian Division being welcomed to Dieppe. Boulogne, Calais, and Cap Gris Nez followed, and by the end of September the Channel coast, with the exception of Dunkirk had been cleared and Southern England freed of the harassing fire of rockets and shells which had been launched from these sites. Farther north, the 2nd British Army seized the port of Antwerp with its installations virtually intact. Meanwhile, the British and American troops had pushed forward on a broad front and were engaged in a major struggle in southern Holland. In September, in a bold effort to cut through Holland, the 2nd British Army mounted an airborne attack to secure river crossings at Grave, Nijmegen and Arnhem. If successful this operation would have given the Allies control between the Rhine and Ijsselmeer (Zuiderzee), and would have severed the connection between Holland and Germany. As it fell just short of success, it became apparent that the war would continue through the winter and into the spring of 1945. Under the circumstances, the opening of the port of Antwerp, already occupied by Allied troops, became absolutely necessary since the main supply lines still ran back to Normandy. The task went to the First Canadian Army which came under the command of Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds in place of General Crerar who was ill. Antwerp was fifty miles from the sea connected to it by means of a broad estuary the West Scheldt. North of the estuary lay the former island of South Beveland now joined to the mainland by an isthmus. Beyond South Beveland lay the island of Walcheren fortified into a powerful German stronghold. The south bank of the estuary, flat polder country, was below sea level and also well suited to defence. As long as the Germans held control of the sea approaches and the long winding estuary Allied shipping to the port would be impossible. Thus, the mere occupation of Antwerp was not enough. The plan for opening the estuary involved four main operations. The first was to clear the area north of Antwerp and close the South Beveland isthmus. The second was to clear the Breskens "pocket" behind the Leopold Canal, and the third was the reduction of the Beveland peninsula. The final phase would be the capture of Walcheren Island. Accordingly, at the beginning of October 1944, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division began its advance north of Antwerp, while the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, supported by the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, began the assault over the Leopold Canal. In both areas the fighting was bitter, the flooded terrain was difficult, and the Germans were securely dug in and prepared to offer a desperate defence of the area. The 2nd Division advancing north to close the eastern end of the South Beveland isthmus made good progress to the isthmus itself where enemy paratroopers barred the way. Casualties were heavy as troops of the Canadian Army attacked over open flooded ground, but by October 16, they had seized Woensdrecht at the entrance to South Beveland. At this point, Field-Marshal Montgomery ordered a regrouping of all forces to concentrate upon the opening of the Scheldt estuary. The British Second Army attacked westwards to clear the Netherlands south of the Maas and seal off the Scheldt region, while General Simonds concentrated on the area north of the Beveland isthmus. The 4th Division which had been engaged at the Leopold Canal, was moved north of the Scheldt and drove hard for Bergen-op-Zoom. By October 24, the isthmus was sealed off and the 2nd Division began the advance against South Beveland assisted by an amphibious landing by the 52nd British Division. By October 31st the peninsula had fallen. Meanwhile, there was equally fierce fighting along the Scheldt's southern shore. Here the 3rd Division encountered tenacious German resistance as they fought to cross the Leopold Canal and clear the Breskens pocket. The attack began on October 6 against fierce opposition and for three days a slender bridgehead was in constant danger of elimination. Then on October 9 an amphibious assault broke the enemy hold on the canal and the bridgehead was deepened. Troops and tanks crossed the Canal and the Germans withdrew into concrete emplacements along the coast. More fighting followed, but by November 3 the south shore of the Scheldt was free. The island of Walcheren remained the one great obstacle to the use of the port of Antwerp. Its defences were extremely strong and the only land approach was the long narrow causeway from the South Beveland. To make matters worse, the flats that surrounded this causeway were too saturated for movement on foot while at the same time there was not enough water for an assault in storm boats. The attack was to be made from three directions: across the causeway from the east; across the Scheldt from the south; and from the sea. To hamper German defence the island's dykes were breached by heavy R.A.F. bombing to inundate the central area and thus permit the use of amphibians. The Canadians attacked the causeway on October 31 and after a grim struggle established a precarious foothold. Then, in conjunction with the waterborne attacks, the 52nd British Division continued the advance. On November 6 Middelburg, the island's capital, fell and by November 8 all resistance ended. The channel was cleared of mines and on November 28 the first convoy entered the port of Antwerp led by the Canadian-built freighter Fort Cataraqui. Meanwhile, the 4th Division had pushed eastward past Bergen-op-Zoom to St. Philipsland where in a "naval" engagement from the land several German vessels were sunk in Zijpe harbour. Thus, with the approaches to Antwerp free and the country up to the Maas River cleared, the Battle of the Scheldt was over. It had been costly. From October 1 to November 8, 1944, First Canadian Army suffered over 12,000 casualties. Of these 6,367 were Canadians. The campaign in North-West Europe had taken eleven months and could not have succeeded without the support of Allied naval and air forces. The navies kept open the sea lanes for munitions, supplies and reinforcements, while overhead the air forces cleared the skies, and engaged in dangerous bombing and mining missions. |
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