4th Canadian Armoured Division, 1941-1945

The 4th Canadian Infantry Division was activated in 1941 and then converted to armour and redesignated as the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division. Beginning in 1916 the division adopted a distinctive green-coloured formation patch as its insignia. The division proceeded overseas in 1942, with its two main convoys reaching the United Kingdom in August and October.

The division spent almost two years training in the United Kingdom before crossing to Normandy in July 1944. In the United Kingdom, it participated in war games together with the Polish 1st Armoured Division, and later fought in France, the Low Countries, and Germany; both divisions followed very close paths. The division participated in the later stages of the Battle of Normandy at the Falaise Pocket, the advance from Normandy and spent almost two months engaged at the Breskens Pocket as well as Operation Pheasant. It wintered in the Netherlands and took part in the final advance across northern Germany.

Commanding Officers

10 June 1941 – 24 December 1941, Major-General L.F. Page, DSO2 February 1942 – 29 February 1944, Major General F.F. Worthington, CB, MC, MM1

March 1944 – 21 August 1944, Major-General George Kitching, DSO

22 August 1944 – 30 November 1944, Major-General Harry W. Foster, CBE, DSO

1 December 1944 – 5 June 1945, Major-General Chris Vokes, CBE, DSO

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205307)

Major-General George Kitching and Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, listening to a talk by General Bernard Montgomery to Canadian II Corps troops, 29 February 1944.

Kitching joined the Canadian Army in 1939 and rose rapidly to the higher ranks of the military. He was General Staff Officer Grade 1, with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division from December 14th, 1942 to October 30th, 1943. In Italy, he was transferred to the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, and placed in charge of the 11th Infantry Brigade on November 1st, 1943. In that capacity, he took part in the Ortona offensive.

In February 1944, Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds appointed Kitching as Commander of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division. Integrated within II Canadian Corps, the 4th Armoured Division reached Normandy at the end of July 1944, once the bridgehead had been solidly established, to replace the 3rd Infantry Division. Under Kitching, the 4th Armoured Division took part in operations Totalize (August 7th-10th, 1944) and Tractable (August 14th-16th, 1944), and in the closing of the Falaise Gap (August 17th-21st, 1944). Blamed for having been too slow in making his junction with the US troops, thereby allowing German forces to escape, Kitching was relieved of his command. On November 12th, 1944, he was appointed Brigadier General Staff with I Canadian Corps.

George Kitching remained on the Canadian General Staff after the war ended. His memoirs, Mud and Green Fields, were published in 1986.

4th Canadian Armoured Division

The division spent almost two years training in the United Kingdom before crossing to Normandy in July 1944. In the United Kingdom, it participated in war games together with the Polish 1st Armoured Division, and later fought in France, the Low Countries, and Germany; both divisions followed very close paths. The division participated in the later stages of the Battle of Normandy at the Falaise Pocket, the advance from Normandy and spent almost two months engaged at the Breskens Pocket as well as Operation Pheasant. It wintered in the Netherlands and took part in the final advance across northern Germany.

Order of Battle 1944–1945

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4th Canadian Armoured Brigade

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21st Armoured Regiment (The Governor General's Foot Guards)

22nd Armoured Regiment (The Canadian Grenadier Guards)

28th Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own))

The Lake Superior Regiment (Motor)

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10th Canadian Infantry Brigade

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10th Independent Machine Gun Company (The New Brunswick Rangers)[7] [8] [9]

The Lincoln and Welland Regiment

The Algonquin Regiment

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)

10 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

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Other units

29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment)

"D" Squadron, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment), Canadian Armoured Corps

15th Field Regiment, RCA

23rd Field Regiment, RCA

5th Anti-tank Regiment, RCA

8th Light Anti-aircraft Regiment, RCA

4th Canadian Armoured Division Engineers

8th Field Squadron, RCE

9th Field Squadron, RCE

6th Field Park Squadron, RCE

4th Canadian Armoured Division Bridge Troop, RCE

No. 46 Light Aid Detachment, RCEME

4th Canadian Armoured Divisional Signals, R.C. Sigs

No. 4 Defence and Employment Platoon (Lorne Scots)

12 Light Field Ambulance, RCAMC[10]

No. 8 Provost Company, Canadian Provost Corps

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3223898)

Civilians entering churchyard for interrogation by personnel of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division about German troop movements, 10 April 1945.

4th Canadian Armoured Division, Photographs from the Library and Archives Canada Collection

21st Armoured Regiment (The Governor General’s Foot Guards)

During the Second World War the GGFG was mobilized in May 1940.  In 1942 the regiment was re-rolled to become an armoured unit to address the need for more armoured units in the Canadian Army, assuming the name “21st Canadian Armoured Regiment (GGFG)”. It embarked for Great Britain on 23 September 1942. On 24 July 1944, it landed in France as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division and it continued to fight in northwest Europe until the end of the war taking part in the battle of Normandy, the battle of the Scheldt, and the Rhineland. Over the course of the war the Regiment’s casualties were 101 dead and 284 wounded. The overseas regiment was disbanded on 31 January 1946.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3405744)

Personnel with a Sherman tank of No.1 Squadron, The Governor General's Foot Guards, Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands, 6 November 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199723)

Officers holding an Orders ("O") Group in front of a Sherman tank of The Governor General's Foot Guards, Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands, 6 November 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3207585)

Governor General's Foot Guards (GGFG) troopers with their Sherman Firefly tank, Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands, 6 November 1944.

(Stuart Phillips Photo)

22nd Armoured Regiment (The Canadian Grenadier Guards)

The regiment embarked for Britain on 25 September 1942. Less than two years later, in June 1944, it sailed with the D-Day landings. On 26 July 1944, it landed in France as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division, and continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The regimental casualties were 97 killed, and 230 wounded. It was reconfigured as the 22nd Armoured Regiment (The Canadian Grenadier Guards), RCAC, CASF on 2 August 1945. The overseas regiment was disbanded on 15 February 1946.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3401871)

Sergeants L.B. Armstrong and L.H. Stephens mounting a movie camera on a Sherman tank nicknamed 'Liza' of the Canadian Grenadier Guards, Donk, Belgium, 3 October 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3593377)

Guardsman R.W. Ferguson of The Canadian Grenadier Guards watches two French children examining his Centaur MkII anti-aircraft vehicle, Elbeuf, France, 28 August 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3208278)

Personnel of The Canadian Grenadier Guards stacking 75-mm shells near the regiment's positioned Sherman tanks south of Emmerich, Germany, 28 March 1945.

(Stuart Phillips Photo)

28th Armoured Regiment (The British  Columbia Regiment)

The 28th Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Regiment), RCAC, CASF, embarked for England on 21 August 1942. The regiment landed in France on 28 July 1944 as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division and continued to serve in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas regiment was disbanded on 15 February 1946.

In August 1943, Lieutenant-Colonel D.G. Worthington became the commanding officer of the regiment. In October, the regiment began to receive the M4 Sherman tanks, gradually replacing the Canadian-made Ram tanks, which had been in use for training.

Following the Allied invasion of Europe on D-Day, the regiment landed in France on July 23. The regiment saw its first action in the Second World War during Operation Totalize, on August 8, 1944. The operation was launched under the cover of darkness. To aid in navigation at night, searchlights had been pointed at the cloud cover to provide some illumination. 40 mm Bofors guns were also firing tracers along the line of advance to aid the attack. Despite these precautions, the 28th, accompanied by The Algonquin Regiment, became disoriented and navigated away from Hill 195, which was its objective, and steered instead towards Hill 140, but did not reach the hill before daybreak. As a result, when daylight came, the unit was located in an exposed valley with units of the 12th SS Panzer Division concealed in the high ground. The two Canadian regiments were attacked by the 12th SS, who were equipped with 88 mm flak guns and Tiger tanks, among other heavy weapons. Lieutenant-Colonel Worthington was killed during the battle, and the survivors of the regiment managed to break contact with the 12th SS, after suffering 133 casualties and losing 48 out of 52 tanks. The 28th would return to action only a week later, contributing to the closing of the Falaise Pocket during Operation Tractable, which saw the destruction of the German Seventh Army and the capture of a great number of enemy soldiers and equipment.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3226737)

Officers examining German Panzerkampfwagen Panther tank from 3./12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend", which was knocked out by Canadians at Norrey-en-Bessin, Normandy, 8 July 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396351)

Sherman tanks of Headquarters Squadron, The British Columbia Regiment, shelling a German position near Meppen, Germany, 8 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224529)

Sherman tanks of Headquarters Squadron, The British Columbia Regiment, shelling a German position near Meppen, Germany, 8 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3211514)

Personnel of Headquarters Squadron, British Columbia Regiment, with their Sherman tank, Brasschaet, Belgium, 14 October 1944.

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The Lake Superior Regiment (Motor)

The regiment mobilized The Lake Superior Regiment, CASF, on 24 May 1940. It was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, The Lake Superior Regiment, CASF, on 7 November 1940 and as the 1st Battalion, The Lake Superior Regiment (Motor), CASF, on 26 January 1942. It embarked for Britain on 22 August 1942. On 26 and 27 July 1944, it landed in France as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division, and it continued to fight in northwest Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battalion disbanded on 15 February 1946.

After the closing of the Falaise Pocket, the regiment participated in the pursuit of retreating German forces into Belgium, as part of the First Canadian Army. A main objective of the Allied armies in Europe was the capture of major ports in order to ease the considerable logistical burden caused by the stretched supply lines, some of which extended hundreds of miles back to the invasion beaches in Normandy. The capture of a major port facility would allow the Allied armies to regain their momentum for the push into Germany. The port of Antwerp was selected as the target of the 21st Army Group for this reason. In October, as part of the Battle of the Scheldt, the regiment, as part of the First Canadian Army, took part in the essential task of clearing out the Scheldt Estuary to make the approach to the port of Antwerp safe for operation. On 4 November, units from the Lake Superior Regiment (LSR) entered the village of St. Phillipsland and were informed by the civilian population that there were four small Kriegsmarine vessels docked at the harbour. The following day, a troop of tanks from C Squadron, together with units from the LSR opened fire while the vessels were docked and unable to escape. The vessels were attacked by the guns from the C Squadron tanks as well as 6-pounder antitank guns and mortars from the LSR. Three vessels were sunk and a fourth was severely damaged. Captain R. Styffe from the LSR later removed the log from one of the vessels and wrote as a final entry: "Gesunken by Lake Superior Regiment and British Columbia Regiment – Canadian Army." A member of the British Columbia Regiment recovered the ship's bell from one of the sunken vessels, and it now resides in the Officer's Mess at the Beatty St. Armoury. (One of the vessels sunk was likely AF-92, an MFP (Marinefahrprahm), a landing craft type vessel of about 153 feet long, equipped to lay mines and armed with two 88-mm guns. The others were likely similar. The plaque on the bell in the Officer's Mess describes the vessel as an "escort".)

The regiment finished the war in Germany, after crossing the Rhine in April 1945. The regiment captured the town of Neuenhaus and administered it for a brief period. The final action of the war involved crossing the Kusten Canal on April 17, 1945. At the close of the war, the regiment had lost 108 officers and men killed, and 213 wounded. 105 Sherman tanks, 14 Stuart tanks, and one Crusader tank had been lost during the course of the war. These losses were the highest suffered by any regiment in the 4th or 5th Armoured Divisions. 14 new battle honours were added to the regiment's guidon as a result of its service during the Second World War. On 1 February 1946, the British Columbia Regiment returned to Vancouver, marching to the Beatty St. Armoury under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J.W. Toogood.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3229352)

Personnel of The Lake Superior Regiment (Motor) with a captured German flag, Friesoythe, Germany, 16 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396172)

A Universal Carrier of The Lake Superior Regiment, Cintheaux, France, 8 August 1944.

(NBMHM Collection, Author Photo)

The New Brunswick Rangers

The 1st Battalion, The New Brunswick Rangers, CASF, was mobilized on 1 January 1941. It was redesignated as The 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade Support Group (The New Brunswick Rangers), CIC, CASF on 1 November 1943 and as The 10th Independent Machine Gun Company (The New Brunswick Rangers), CIC, CASF on 24 February 1944. The unit served at Goose Bay, Labrador in a home defence role as part of Atlantic Command from June 1942 to July 1943. It embarked for Britain on 13 September 1943. On 26 July 1944, the company landed in France as part of the 10th Infantry Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division, and it continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas company was disbanded on 15 February 1946.

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(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224767)

New Brunswick Rangers on exercise, May 1943.

The Lincoln and Welland Regiment

On 16 July 1943 the 1st Battalion it embarked for Britain. On 25 July 1944 it landed in France as a part of the 10th Infantry Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division, and it continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battalion was disbanded on 15 February 1946.

From Tilly-la-Campagne on 31 July 1944 until Bad Zwischenahn on 1 May 1945, the regiment distinguished itself in many actions. Over 1500 men of the regiment were casualties. Of the original men who enlisted in 1940, only three officers and 22 men were on parade in St. Catharines in 1946 when the 1st Battalion was dismissed.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3223902)

Personnel of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment with an M5A1 Stuart tank of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division awaiting orders to go through a roadblock, 11 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224032)

Soldiers of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment advance through the streets chasing the German paratroopers out of the town, 11 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3202801)

Infantrymen of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, who wear British snow camouflage clothing, prepare to go on patrol, Vught, Netherlands, 1 February 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3223900)

Personnel of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment during house-to-house fighting, 11 April 1945.

The Algonquin Regiment

The Regiment embarked for England on 11 June 1943 and landed in France on 25 July 1944, as part of the 10th Infantry Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division, and continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battalion disbanded on 15 February 1946.

In January 1943, the Algonquin regiment was chosen for operations overseas, was moved to Debert Camp in Nova Scotia and, for administration purposes, was assigned to the 20th Brigade of the Seventh Canadian Infantry Division. The regiment embarked on the RMS Empress of Scotland in Halifax on 10 June 1943, and sailed the following day for England with a complement of 4,500 troops. Upon arriving in Liverpool the regiment proceeded to Heathfield and was made part of the 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade of the Fourth Canadian (Armoured) Division.

On 16 July 1944, an advance party left for Normandy, France, with the regiment as a whole arriving a couple of days later. The morning of 25 July 1944, all four companies of the Algonquin Regiment landed on Juno Beach where, in the following days, learned of their ensuing mission to support the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division in closing the Falaise Gap. On 9 August 1944, the regiment, supporting the British Columbia Regiment (BCR), jointly forming 'Worthington Force' were tasked with taking Hill 195.  Taking an unfortunate wrong turn at 02:00 hours they ended up four miles east of Hill 195, closer to Hill 140, deep in German territory. The regiment suffered heavy losses with total casualties of 128 men and 47 tanks. The leader of the force, BCR commander Lt. Col Don Worthington, was killed and the Algonquins' commander, Lt. Col. Art Hay, was seriously wounded. RSM A. J. Primeau was killed by the same mortar bomb that seriously wounded Hay.

Leading up to 31 August 1944, the Algonquin Regiment, moving within the Fourth CAD, were tasked with filling the gap to the south at Hill 240, fighting alongside the Polish Armoured Division. The period from 31 August to 8 September was a period of rapid movement into Belgium, halted on the eighth at the Ghent - Brugge Canal. Fighting, all day and suffering multiple setbacks resulting in numerous casualties across all the regiments, ended on 10 September with the Allies across the Ghent - Brugge Canal after holding back the German counterattacks. A few days later the attempt of the regiment to cross the Leopold Canal (Operation Switchback), was successfully repelled at Moerkerke by the German 245 Infantry Division. The Canadians pulled back after a tremendous covering artillery barrage. The regiment continued with the Fourth Division north out of Belgium into the Netherlands in a progression of battles for the north shore of the Sheldt area, eventually leading to the liberation of Welberg and Steenbergen. The operation to liberate Welberg was initiated on 31 October 1944, however with "D" Coy resting, "A", "B" and "C" Companies fell short of their objectives, facing massive German counterattacks. Fighting continued on until 1 November, when the regiment retreated back to a few km outside of Welberg. On 2 November 2 they launched their second attack, this time along the right side of the town, fighting continued throughout the night.

By the end of 3 November all four companies had reached their target objectives and succeeded in the liberation of Welberg. From 5 to8 November, the Algonquin Regiment rested in the Steenbergen area, the period proceeding became known as the "winter war" (November 1944-February 1945). Leading into Operation Blockbuster, this dislodgment of the German hinge in Hochwald on27 February, fighting to close the Hochwald gap began by midday of 3 March 1945, the allies had completed their objectives. Over the next couple of months, the Algonquin Regiment continued to fight, as they had been the entire war, under the Canadian Fourth Division crossing the Rhine with the last round-up (16 April-4 May) and cease-fire called just past Rastede Germany. As of January 1946, the Algonquin Regiment's final death toll was 65 officers and 1,235 other ranks.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3202020)

Lieutenant-Colonel W.J. Megill, D.S.O., Commanding Officer, The Algonquin Regiment, Wadhurst, England, 22 November 1943.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3202258)

Captain G.B. Shellon, Intelligence Officer of the 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade, and Lieutenant R.C. McNairn of the Pioneer Platoon, Algonquin Regiment, talking with Dutch civilians near the Belgium-Netherlands border, 16 October 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3329807)

Plaque commemorating The Algonquin Regiment, Wierden, Netherlands, 2 July 1945.

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s)

By August 1943 the regiment had moved to England and joined the l0th Brigade of the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division. Acting Sergeant John Rennie won a posthumous George Cross in October 1943, dying while shielding others from an exploding grenade during training. Collective training, specialized courses for individuals, and schemes at battalion, brigade and divisional level occupied the unit, now under the command of Lieutenant Colonel J. David Stewart.

The unit's first battles in early August 1944 were small successes fought along the road to Falaise. The first major action, Hill 195 on 10 August, was an unorthodox success; Stewart led the Battalion single file through the darkness of night and German lines to capture this hitherto unassailable strong point. It was an act which historian John A. English has called "the single most impressive action of Operation Totalize." Less than ten days later in the Falaise Gap, a battle group of "B" and "C" companies of the Argylls, and a squadron of South Alberta Regiment tanks captured St Lambert-sur-Dives and held it for three days against desperate counter-attacks. The action resulted in Major David Vivian Currie of the South Albertas being awarded the Victoria Cross.

Through Moerbrugge, the Scheldt, Kapelsche Veer, and the Hochwald Gap to Friesoythe, the Küsten Canal, and Bad Zwischenahn, the Argylls were successful against the enemy – but there was more. Their losses (267 killed and 808 wounded) were the lowest in the l0th Brigade The 1st Battalion provided the headquarters and one rifle company for the Canadian BerlinBattalion, a composite battalion which represented the Canadian Armed Forces in the British victory celebrations in Berlin in July 1945. The Battalion returned to Hamilton in January 1946 where it was dismissed.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224827)

Officers of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - Captains M.S. Smith, T.E. Abbott, Lt. G.G. Armour and Captain W.T. Whiteside, 17 Dec 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224835)

Private A.N. Geroux, Argyle and Sutherland Regiment keeps guard on a group of German prisoners, 26 Feb 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3212087)

Infantrymen of "B" Company, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, riding in a captured German truck with German prisoners, St. Lambert-sur-Dives, France, 19 August 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3223906)

Infantrymen of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada riding on a Kangaroo armoured personnel carrier, Wertle, Germany, 11 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224034)

Soldiers of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada are rushed forward in convoys of 'Kangaroos', 11 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194445)

German troops captured by "B" Company of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, 19 August 1944.

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29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment)

The South Alberta Regiment mobilized in 1940 as part of the 4th Canadian Infantry Division. When the division was reorganized as an armoured formation to satisfy demand for a second Canadian armoured division, the South Alberta Regiment was named 29th Armoured Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment) and received Ram tanks in February 1942. The unit was again renamed as 29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment) in January 1943.

The SAR was deployed to northern France in mid-June 1944 (Normandy landings, D-Day was 6 June 1944), replacing their Ram tanks to be equipped with Stuart and Sherman tanks. They participated in the later battles of the Invasion of Normandy, taking part in Operation Totalize and finally closing the Falaise pocket in Operation Tractable. The South Albertas went on to participate in the liberation of the Netherlands and the Battle of the Scheldt.

In January 1945, they took part in the Battle for the Kapelsche Veer. They spent the last weeks of the war fighting in northern Germany

Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396233)

Major David V. Currie (left, with pistol in hand) of The South Alberta Regiment accepting the surrender of German troops at St. Lambert-sur-Dives, France, 19 August 1944.  This photo captures the very moment and actions that would lead to Major Currie being awarded the Victoria Cross. Battle Group Commander Major D.V. Currie at left supervises the round up of German prisoners. Reporting to him is trooper R.J. Lowe of "C" Squadron.

Major David Vivian Currie of the SAR received the Victoria Cross for his actions near Saint-Lambert-sur-Dives, as the allies attempted to seal off the Falaise pocket. Currie was one of only 16 Canadians to receive the Victoria Cross during the Second World War. It was the only Victoria Cross awarded to a Canadian soldier during the Normandy campaign, and the only Victoria Cross ever awarded to a member of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. Lieutenant Donald I. Grant took a photograph of the event that would become one of the most famous images of the War. Historian C. P. Stacey called it "as close as we are ever likely to come to a photograph of a man winning the Victoria Cross."

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191555)

Sherman V tanks of the South Alberta Regiment (SAR) and M5A1 Stuart tanks of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, a Ram II Observation (OP) tank with false wooden gun, Willys jeeps, Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) trucks and a Humber armoured car in the centre, laagered in the village square of Bergen-op-Zoom in the Netherlands, 31 Oct 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3228469)

Trooper J.C. McEachern hooking a cable between two Sherman tanks of The South Alberta Regiment, Louisendorf, Germany, 26 February 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3202103)

Sergeant I.F. Chase cleaning his mess tin on a General Motors T17E1 Staghound armoured car of the South Alberta Regiment, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany, 29 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224531)

Personnel of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division Bridging Troop, Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE), constructing a pontoon bridge across the Ems River at Meppen, Germany, 8 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224055)

Soldier with the 4th Canadian Armoured Division examining German 20-mm anti-aircraft gun position on the northeast side of the Dortmund-Ems Canal, 8 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224303)

4th Canadian Armoured Division's drive towards Oldenburg under counter-attack by German Paratrooper Regiment. Street scene showing Canadian troops and tanks, and smoke from burning buildings fills the sky, 10 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3207365)

A German soldier taken prisoner during a German counterattack on the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, Sogel, Germany, 10 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224294)

4th Canadian Armoured Division's drive towards Oldenburg, Germany. After the fall of Sogel, a captured German paratrooper is searched by Canadian troopers, 10 April 1945.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3231122)

Staff-Sergeant V.H. Dubeau of the 4th Armoured Brigade Workshop, Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), inspecting a Browning pistol, Tilburg, Netherlands, 12 January 1945.