The Battle of the Scheldt
The Battle of the Scheldt was a military operation in northern Belgium and the southwestern Netherlands that took place during the Second World War. On September 12, 1944, the First Canadian Army was given the task of clearing the Scheldt of German occupiers. The first attacks began on September 13, with little success.
Under the command of General Henry Duncan Graham (Harry) Crerar, the First Canadian Army was international in character. In addition to the 2nd Canadian Corps (which included the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division), the 1st British Corps, and the 1st Polish Armoured Division, at various times American, Belgian, and Dutch soldiers were also included as units. The First Canadian Army in northwestern Europe during the final phases of the war was a powerful force, the largest army that had ever been under the control of a Canadian general. The strength of this army ranged from approximately 105,000 to 175,000 Canadian soldiers to anywhere from 200,000 to over 450,000 when including the soldiers from other nations.
The flooded, muddy terrain and the tenacity of the well-fortified German defences made the Battle of the Scheldt especially gruelling and bloody. Indeed, the battle is considered by some historians to have been waged on the most difficult battlefield of the Second World War. At the end of the five-week offensive, the victorious First Canadian Army had taken 41,043 prisoners, but suffered 12,873 casualties (killed, wounded, or missing), 6,367 of whom were Canadians.
The Prelude
The Allied forces, including the 3rd
Canadian Infantry Division, and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade of the First Canadian Army, landed on the beaches of Normandy, France on D-day, June 6, 1944. As the armies progressed further inland, the First Canadian Army engaged in bitter fighting at Caen and Falaise. But with hundreds of thousands of troops fighting across the front, the Allies needed large amounts of supplies, and the First Canadian Army was assigned the task of clearing the coastal areas and opening the channel ports for vital supplies.
Fighting on the left flank of the Allied forces, the First Canadian Army pushed rapidly eastward through France toward Belgium. September began with the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division being welcomed to Dieppe. The 2nd Canadian Corps left a number of units to guard the heavily defended ports and pushed into Belgium, reaching Ostend, Bruges and Ghent by the middle of the month. By October 1, the port cities of Boulogne, Cap Gris Nez, Calais, and Dunkirk were all under Allied control. The 2nd Canadian Corps had also captured the launching sites of German rockets and put an end to their attacks on southern England.
Meanwhile, the Second British Army had pushed forward into southern Netherlands. On September 17, three British and American airborne divisions, as well as a brigade of Polish parachute troops, attempted to land behind enemy lines at Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Arnhem. Code-named Operation Market Garden, the mission's objective was to seize a bridge over the Rhine River at Arnhem. The operation failed, with 1,400 of a total force of 35,000 killed and more than 6,000 taken prisoner. Any hope for a speedy end to the war appeared to be dashed.
Capturing a major port became a top priority as adequate supply lines for the winter now became paramount. The Second British Army had seized the port of Antwerp with its installations virtually intact. As Europe's second-largest port, Antwerp and its 45 kilometres of docks was an ideal landing ground for supplies for the continuing war effort. In fact, the opening of the port of Antwerp was essential, since at this point the main supply lines still ran back to Normandy.
However, German occupiers still controlled the Scheldt river which connected the port of Antwerp to the North Sea. As long as the Germans held control of the sea approaches and the long winding estuary, Allied shipping to the port would be impossible. The mere occupation of Antwerp was not enough; all the lands surrounding the Scheldt would have to be liberated first.
The Battle of the Scheldt
The task of liberating the Scheldt was entrusted to the First Canadian Army, under the command of Lieutenant-general Guy Simonds (in place of General Crerar, who had returned to England because of severe illness).
The unique geography of the area made the First Canadian Army's challenge even more daunting. North of the estuary lay South Beveland. Beyond South Beveland lay the island of Walcheren, which had been fortified into a powerful German stronghold. The south bank of the estuary was flat floodlands enclosed by dykes, known as "polder country". It was below sea level and well-suited to defence.
The plan for opening the estuary involved four main operations. The first was to clear the area north of Antwerp and secure access to South Beveland. The second was to clear the Breskens pocket behind the Leopold Canal, and the third was the capture of South Beveland. The final phase would be the capture of Walcheren Island.
Early in 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 fierce. The well-entrenched German forces made it difficult for the Allied Forces to advance.
The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, advancing north to close the eastern end of South Beveland, made good progress against the enemy paratroopers who were barring the way. Casualties were heavy as Canadian troops attacked over open flooded ground, but by October 16 they had seized the town of Woensdrecht at the entrance to South Beveland.
On October 16, nearly a month after the failed airborne assault in the Netherlands, Field-marshall Bernard Montgomery, the overall commander of the First Canadian and the Second British Armies, ordered the securing of the Scheldt be made the army's top priority.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant-general Simonds concentrated on the area north of South Beveland. The 4th Canadian Armoured Division, which had been engaged at the Leopold Canal, moved north of the Scheldt and drove hard for the town of Bergen-op-zoom. By October 24, the entrance to South Beveland was
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