II Canadian Corps, 1943-1945
II Canadian Corps, 1943-1945
The formation sign used to identify vehicles associated with II Canadian Corps-level units.
II Canadian Corps (15 January 1943 to 25 June 1945)
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
3rd Canadian Infantry Division
4th Canadian Armoured Division
1st Polish Armoured Division, August 1944 to May 1945
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, January to March, 1945
51st (Highland) Infantry Division, August 1944
2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade
33rd Armoured Brigade, August 1944, Operation Totalize
1st Belgian Infantry Brigade, April 1945
Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, August 1944
1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade, October–November 1944, Siege of Dunkirk
Corps troops
2nd Corps Defence Company (The Prince Edward Island Light Horse)
18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons)
6th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA)
6th Anti-Tank Regiment, RCA
2nd Survey Regiment, RCA
8th Field Park Company, Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE)
29th, 30th and 31st Field Companies, RCE
2nd Drilling Company, RCE
II Canadian Corps Headquarters Signals, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
No. 2 Corps Troops Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC)
II Canadian Corps Transport Company, RCASC
No. 33 and 34 Transport Companies, RCASC
No. 2 Motor Ambulance Company, RCASC
No. 2 Headquarters Corps Car Company, RCASC
No. 2 and 3 Casualty Clearing Stations, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC)
No. 6 Field Dressing Section, RCAMC
No. 8 Field Hygiene Section, RCAMC
Dental Companies, Canadian Dental Corps (CDC)
No. 12 Base Dental Company, CDC
No. 2 Corps and Army Troops Sub-Park, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (RCOC)
II Corps Troops Workshop, Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME)
Recovery Companies, RCEME
No. 13 Provost Company, Canadian Provost Corps (C Pro C)
Attached First Canadian Army Troops
No. 2 Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery
19th Army Field Regiment, RCA
3rd Medium Regiment, RCA
4th Medium Regiment, RCA
7th Medium Regiment, RCA
"E" Squadron, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment), Canadian Armoured Corps
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4002429)
Exterior view of II Canadian Corps HQ in the Reichswald Forest, G Ops B tent with TPR W.L. Langille, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on guard, 15 March 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4002430)
Interior view of II Canadian Corps HQ in the Reichswald Forest, G Ops B tent, 15 March 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4002433)
Exterior view of II Canadian Corps HQ D and QMG caravan in the Reichswald Forest, 15 March 1945.
(IWM Photo, B 14892)
Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery (third from left) shown along with senior commanders of the First Canadian Army while visiting the headquarters of II Canadian Corps, near Kleve, Germany, February 1945. From left to right: Major General Chris Vokes (4th Canadian Armoured Division), General Harry D.G, Crerar (First Canadian Army), Field Marshal Sir Bernard L Montgomery (21st Army Group), Lieutenant General B.G. Horrocks (XXX (British) Corps, attached to First Canadian Army), Lieutenant General G. G. Simonds (II Canadian Corps), Major General D.C. Spry (3rd Canadian Infantry Division), and Major General A.B. Matthews (2nd Canadian Infantry Division).
21st Army Group badge.
On 7 April and 15 May 1944, Montgomery presented his strategy for the invasion. He envisaged a ninety-day battle, with all forces reaching the Seine. The campaign would pivot on an Allied-held in the east of the Normandy bridgehead, with relatively static British and Canadian armies forming a shoulder to attract and defeat German counter-attacks, relieving the US armies who would move and seize the Cotentin Peninsula and Brittany, wheeling south and then east on the right forming a pincer.
During the ten weeks of the Battle of Normandy, unfavourable autumnal weather conditions disrupted the Normandy landing areas. Montgomery's initial plan was for the Anglo-Canadian troops under his command to break out immediately from their beachheads on the Calvados coast towards Caen with the aim of taking the city on either D Day or two days later. Montgomery attempted to take Caen with the 3rd Infantry Division, 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division and the 3rd Canadian Division but was stopped from 6–8 June by 21st Panzer Division and 12 SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, who hit the advancing Anglo-Canadian troops very hard. Rommel followed up this success by ordering the 2nd Panzer Division to Caen while Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt asked for and received permission from Hitler to have the elite 1st Waffen SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler and 2nd Waffen SS Division Das Reich sent to Caen as well. Montgomery thus had to face what Stephen Badsey called the "most formidable" of all the German divisions in France. The 12th Waffen SS Division Hitlerjugend, as its name implies, was drawn entirely from the more fanatical elements of the Hitler Youth and commanded by the ruthless SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer, aka "Panzer Meyer". (Wikipedia)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3403235)
Soldiers of the German 12th SS Division in a temporary prisoner-of-war cage in Normandy, France, ca. 7-8 July 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3227214)
German Prisoners of War's searched by Canadians after their capture in the early stages of the drive, 8 August 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205557)
Major-General Charles Foulkes and his ADC Lt. E.C. Argue of the Cameron Highlanders passing through a town in Normandy in an armoured car, August 1944. After serving as a Brigade Commander from August 1942, he was appointed in January 1944 and led the division through the In November 1944 he was made General Officer Commanding 1 Canadian Corps in Italy.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3260082)
Soldiers of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division taking part in a sniper training exercise, England, 24 April 1943.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524709)
Massed pipe band from Second Canadian Division units, including the Essex Scottish, Toronto Scottish, Calgary Highlanders, Black Watch, Queens Own Cameron Highlanders, during Dominion Day celebrations, 1 July 1945.
1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Regiment (1 CACR)
Formed in October 1944 at Tilburg with the original 1st Canadian Armoured Personnel Carrier Squadron as its core. It was the only Canadian regiment to be both formed and disbanded overseas. The new regiment's purpose was to serve as a specialized armoured unit equipped with modified tanks used to carry infantry safely to their objectives. The concept of such armoured personnel carriers was an entirely new innovation, and it was through the 1CACR's efforts that their effectiveness was proven, revolutionizing the tactical handling of infantry in battle.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3223277)
Gunners of a Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) manning a 40-mm Bofors gun on the West Pier on guard against "tip-and-run" raids by Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft of the Luftwaffe, Brighton, England, March 1943.
(Stuart Phillips Photo)
1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3208173)
Canadian Army ambulances checking out and given their destinations at guard post, North West Europe,4 February 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3210390)
Private H. Roach, a simulated casualty, receives treatment in the operating theatre of No.5 Casualty Clearing Station, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC), Lingfield, England, June 1942.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199438)
Private S.W. Olive of the 2nd Mobile Laundry and Bath Unit, Royal Canadian Army Ordnance Corps (RCOC), looking into a crater caused by a V-1 flying bomb, which also wrecked the unit's vehicles. Fort de Merxim, Belgium, 15 October 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396146)
Gunners of a Medium Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) cleaning a 5.5-inch gun south of Vaucelles, France, 23 July 1944.
(Fredericton Region Museum Collection, Author Photo)
1st Armoured Car Regiment (The Royal Canadian Dragoons) CAC
The cap badge of The Royal Canadian Dragoons since 1913 features a springbok in recognition of the regiment's service in South Africa.
The Royal Canadian Dragoons (Armoured Car Regiment), CASF, was mobilized on 21 September 1940. It was initially earmarked to serve in the 5th Canadian Armoured Division and embarked for Britain on 13 November 1941. The RCD landed in Sicily on 8 November 1943 and moved to mainland Italy on 5 January 1944. There it fought as the armoured car regiment for I Canadian Corps until being transferred to the 1st Canadian Infantry Division as the divisional armoured car regiment on 14 July 1944. Due to the mountainous terrain of Italy, the regiment fought much of its time there in a dismounted role as infantry.
In March 1945 the regiment moved with the I Canadian Corps to North West Europe as part of Operation Goldflake, and the regiment resumed its role as the I Canadian Corps armoured car regiment. The regiment was heavily engaged in operations in the Netherlands and Germany until the end of the war. The RCD was the first Allied unit to advance through Holland to the North Sea, famously liberated the city of Leeuwarden and fought off an attempted German amphibious assault. The fighting was so intense and chaotic that two of the squadron sergeants-major, WOII Deeming and WOII Forgrave, were separately awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), (second in precedence to the Victoria Cross) for dismounting the members of their supply convoys and fighting through enemy infantry positions to get fuel, ammunition, water and rations forward to their squadrons.
On 1 September 1945 a second Active Force component of the regiment mobilized for service in the Pacific theatre of operations designated as the 2nd-1st Armoured Car Regiment (The Royal Canadian Dragoons), RCAC, CASF. It was redesignated as the 2nd-1st Armoured Regiment (The Royal Canadian Dragoons), RCAC, CASF, on 15 November 1945; and as the 1st Armoured Regiment (The Royal Canadian Dragoons), RCAC, CASF, on 1 March 1946. On 27 June 1946 the regiment was embodied in the Permanent Force.
(RCD Archives Photo)
Members of D Squadron, The Royal Canadian Dragoons in a Lynx Scout Car followed by an M3 Halftrack, are greeted by Dutch citizens after the Regiment liberated Leeuwarden, in Friesland, the Netherlands, 15 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3382765)
Warrant Officer Mary E. Macdonald (centre) at work in operating room of No. 12 Canadian General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC), Bruges, Belgium, 10 December 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194287)
Nursing Sisters of No. 10 Canadian General Hospital, RCAMC, landing at Arromanches, France, 23 July 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194288)
Nursing sisters of No. 10 Canadian General Hospital, RCAMC, 23 July 1944.
Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC)
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3194481)
Personnel of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps treating "casualties" during the final rehearsal for Operation JUBILEE, the raid on Dieppe. England, August 1942. Left is a landing craft personnel LCP , right is a landing craft assault. LCA.
(Provincial Archives of Alberta Photo, PR2011.0001/3)
Members of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps in front of a destroyed Canadian alligator tank, ca Nov 1944-Feb 1945.
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (RCOC)
Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps (RCAPC)
The RCAPC was established in 1906 as the Canadian Army Pay Corps. It was responsible for administering all financial matters.
(DND Photo)
Accounts Department, RCAPC, CMHQ, London, England, January 1942.
1st Canadian Field Cash Office
Royal Canadian Postal Corps (RCPC)
1 Canadian Infantry Division Postal Unit
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3383336)
Private E.S. Tooke loading bags of mail, No.1 Canadian Overseas Postal Depot, Canadian Postal Corps (C.P.C.), London, England, 30 May 1945.
No. 1 Army Base Post Office
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Elements of the 2nd Division were selected as the main force for Operation Jubilee, a large-scale amphibious raid on the port of Dieppe in German-occupied France. On 19 August 1942, with air and naval gunfire support, the division's 4th and 6th Infantry Brigades assaulted Dieppe's beaches. The Germans were well prepared and, despite being reinforced, the Canadians sustained heavy losses and had to be evacuated, with fewer than half their number returning to the United Kingdom.
Following a period of reconstruction and retraining from 1942 to 1944, the division joined II Canadian Corps as part of the British Second Army for the Allied invasion of Normandy. The 2nd Division saw significant action from 20 July to 21 August in the battles for Caen and Falaise. Joining the newly activated headquarters of the First Canadian Army in the assault on northwestern Europe, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division played a significant role in the retaking of the Channel Ports, the Battle of the Scheldt, and the liberation of the Netherlands. The division was deactivated shortly after the end of the war.
In early 1942, under Roberts, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division participated in several additional full-scale combat exercises, again gauging the ability of Commonwealth divisions to repel a possible German invasion. As April and May progressed, the exercises intensified, becoming significantly more demanding on the participants. As a result, the 2nd Division was judged to be one of the four best divisions in the United Kingdom,[26] and was selected as the primary force for the upcoming Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe, codenamed Operation Jubilee. Mounted as a test of whether or not such a landing was feasible, the Dieppe raid was to be undertaken by the 4th and 6th Brigades, with additional naval, air, and infantry support. Significant elements of the 5th Brigade were also involved.
On 19 August 1942, while British commando units attacked bunker positions on the outskirts of Dieppe, forces of the 2nd Division landed on four beaches. The easternmost, Blue Beach, which was situated at the foot of a sheer cliff, presented the most difficulties; the Royal Regiment of Canada, with a company of the Black Watch, was held at bay by two platoons of German defenders. Only six percent of the men that landed on Blue Beach returned to Britain.
The main beaches, codenamed White and Red, lay in front of Dieppe itself. Making only minor gains, the majority of the 4th and 6th Brigades became pinned down on the beach, and despite the arrival of an armoured squadron from the Calgary Tank Regiment, casualties were heavy. Reinforcements from the Mont Royals had little effect, and surviving forces were withdrawn by 11:00. Of the nearly 5,000 Canadian troops that participated, more than half were killed, wounded or captured.
At Green Beach to the west, part of the South Saskatchewan Regiment was landed on the wrong side of the Scie River, necessitating an assault over the machine gun swept bridge there so they could assault the cliffs on the west. The village of Pourville was captured but the eastern cliffs proved impossible to capture so blocking their assault on an artillery battery and a radar station. The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders were landed with the objective of moving south to attack an airfield and a divisional HQ. Neither battalion was able to achieve their objectives. As with the other three beaches, casualties among the Canadians were high with 160 fatalities.
In March 1944, training again intensified, heralding the coming invasion of Europe. On 9 March, the 2nd Division was inspected by King George VI,[35] and by May the division numbered close to 18,000 fully equipped and trained soldiers. When D-Day arrived on 6 June 1944, the main Canadian assault was led by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, while the 2nd Division was held in reserve. At this time, the division consisted of three brigades—4th, 5th and 6th, each of three infantry battalions, and a brigade ground defence platoon provided by Lorne Scots. In addition, at divisional level there was a machine gun battalion and a reconnaissance regiment provided by the Toronto Scottish Regiment (machine gun) and 8th Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Canadian Hussars), as well as various combat support and service support elements including field, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, field engineers, electrical and mechanical engineers, and signals, medical, ordnance, service corps troops and provosts.
The attack on Juno Beach by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was the most successful of the five beaches attacked on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Having successfully landed in Normandy, Allied forces soon became embroiled in battles against German armour and were unable to significantly expand their beachhead; by the time the 2nd Division came ashore at the end of the first week of July, the entire front had congealed. Assigned to the II Canadian Corps, and subordinated to the British Second Army, the division assembled its brigades for combat while British and Canadian forces launched Operation Charnwood. It was a tactical success, but could not clear all Caen of its German defenders. Although originally a D-Day objective, Caen proved a difficult prize, holding out until 19 July when it finally fell to British troops during Operation Goodwood. In the aftermath, General Bernard Montgomery, commander of the Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group, ordered elements of II Canadian Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, to push forward towards Verrières Ridge, the dominant geographical feature between Caen and Falaise. By keeping up the pressure, Montgomery hoped to divert German attention away from the American sector to the west.
Operation Atlantic, launched on 18 July alongside Goodwood, had the objectives of securing the western bank of the Orne River and Verrières Ridge. The 2nd Division's 5th and 6th Brigades were selected as the assaulting forces, with the 5th Brigade focusing on the Orne and the 6th on Verrières. The 4th Brigade were tasked with securing the flank of the operation, and the Royal Regiment of Canada attacked Louvigny on 18 July. Early on 19 July, the Calgary Highlanders seized Point 67, directly north of Verrières Ridge, and the following morning the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada crossed the Orne River and secured the flanks of the advance. In the afternoon, the 6th Brigade's South Saskatchewan Regiment attacked the well-entrenched German positions on the ridge, with support from Typhoon fighter-bombers and tanks. However, the attack ran into torrential rain, and the Germans counterattacked in force. This and further German attacks inflicted heavy casualties on the South Saskatchewan Regiment and its supporting battalions, the Essex Scottish Regiment and the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada. On 21 July, the 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade reinforced Canadian positions on Point 67. In two days of fighting, the division suffered 1,349 casualties.
On 22 July 1944, Montgomery elected to use the Anglo-Canadian forces south of Caen in an all-out offensive aimed at breaking the German defensive cordon keeping his forces bottled up in Normandy.[49] To meet Montgomery's objectives, General Simonds was ordered to design a large breakout assault, codenamed Operation Spring.[50] The attack was planned in three tightly timed phases of advance, pitting two Canadian and two British divisions against three German SS-Panzer divisions, which would be launched in conjunction with an American offensive, Operation Cobra, scheduled to take place on 25 July 1944.
The 4th Brigade attacked in the east with some success, taking Verrières village itself, but were repulsed at Tilly-la-Campagne by German counterattacks. The 5th Brigade, in the centre, made a bid for Fontenay-le-Marmion; of the 325 members of the Black Watch who left the start-lines, only 15 answered evening roll-call.[49] German counterattacks on 26 and 27 July pushed Canadian forces back to Point 67. However, the situation eventually eased for the 2nd Canadian Division when US forces went on the offensive. Throughout the first week of August, significant German resources were transferred from the Anglo-Canadian front to that of the U.S. Third Army, under Lieutenant General George Patton, while reinforcements moved from Pas de Calais to the Falaise–Calvados area. By 7 August 1944, only one major formation, the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, faced Canadian forces on Verrières Ridge.
By 1 August 1944, the British had made significant gains on the Vire and Orne Rivers during Operation Bluecoat, while the Americans had achieved a complete breakthrough in the west. On 4 August, Simonds and General Harry Crerar—newly appointed commander of the First Canadian Army—were given the order to prepare an advance on Falaise.[53] Three days later, with heavy bomber support, Operation Totalize began, marking the first use of Kangaroo Armoured Personnel Carriers.[46] While the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division attacked east of the Caen–Falaise Road, 2nd Division attacked to the west. By noon Verrières Ridge had finally fallen, and Canadian and Polish armour was preparing to exploit south towards Falaise.[55] However, strong resistance by the 12th SS Panzer Division and the 272nd Volksgrenadier Division halted the advance.[55] Although 12 km (7.5 mi) of ground had been gained, Canadian forces had failed to reach Falaise itself.[56]
Simultaneously, the Germans had launched Operation Luttich, a desperate and ill-prepared armoured thrust towards Mortain, beginning on 6 August 1944. This was halted within a day and, despite the increasingly dangerous threat presented by the Anglo–Canadian advance on Falaise, the German commander Field Marshal Günther von Kluge was prohibited by Hitler from redeploying his forces. Thus, as American armoured formations advanced towards Argentan from the south, the Allies were presented with an opportunity to encircle large sections of the German Seventh Army. The First Canadian Army was ordered south, while the Americans prepared to move on Chambois on 14 August. Simonds and Crerar quickly planned a further offensive that would push through to Falaise, trapping the German Seventh Army in Normandy.
Throughout September and October 1944, the First Canadian Army moved along the coast of France with the aim of securing the Channel Ports. On 1 September, while the 3rd Division made for Boulogne and Calais, the 2nd Division entered Dieppe, encountering virtually no resistance.[64] Five days later they were tasked by Montgomery and Crerar with retaking Dunkirk.[65] Heavy fighting around the outskirts would hold the division for several days but, by 9 September, the 5th Brigade had captured the port.[66] The Dunkirk perimeter was handed over to the British on 15 September, and the 2nd Division made for Antwerp.
Although the Belgian White Brigade, the 11th Armoured Division, and elements of the British 3rd Infantry Division had entered Antwerp as early as 4 September, taking the city and docks, a strategic oversight meant that the nearby bridges over the Albert Canal were not seized, leaving the Germans in control of the Scheldt estuary. The failure to make an immediate push on the estuary ensured the strategically vital port would remain useless until the Scheldt was cleared. Strong formations of the German Fifteenth Army, which had withdrawn from the Pas de Calais, were able to consolidate their positions on the islands of South Beveland and Walcheren, as well as the Albert Canal directly northwest of Antwerp, and were further reinforced by elements of General Kurt Student's First Parachute Army.
During the initial phases of the battle, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division sought to force a crossing of the Albert Canal. On 2 October, the entire First Canadian Army—under the temporary command of General Simonds—moved against the German defences. Two days later, 2nd Division had cleared the canal, and was moving northwest towards South Beveland and Walcheren Island. On Friday, 13 October, later known as "Black Friday", the 5th Brigade's Black Watch attacked positions near the coast, losing all four company commanders and over 200 men. Three days later, the Calgary Highlanders conducted a more successful offensive, capturing the initial objective of Woensdrecht. Simultaneously, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division captured Bergen, cutting off South Beveland and Walcheren from reinforcement.
By November 1944, the First Canadian Army had entered the Nijmegen Salient which was being held for use in the development of future offensives. The 2nd Division came under the command of Major General Bruce Matthews, with Foulkes being transferred to command the I Canadian Corps on the Italian Front. The First Canadian Army launched no major offensive operations from November 1944 to January 1945; the longest hiatus the Canadians had enjoyed since landing on the Normandy beaches the previous June.
Operation Veritable was designed to bring the 21st Army Group to the west bank of the Rhine River, the last natural obstacle before entering Germany. Initially scheduled for December 1944, the operation was delayed until February by the German Ardennes Offensive. Plans were developed to breach three successive defensive lines: the outpost screen; a formidable section of the Siegfried Line running through the Hochwald Forest; and finally the Hochwald Layback covering the approach to the ultimate objective of Xanten. The first phase began on 8 February 1945, with the 2nd Division's advance following up one of the largest artillery barrages seen on the Western Front. The Germans had prepared significant defences in depth, both within the outpost screen and the Siegfried Line itself,[74] and to add to the Canadians' difficulties, constant rain and cold weather obscured the battlefield. However, by the end of the first day, the 2nd Division had captured their objectives, the fortified towns of Wyler and Den Heuvel. On 11 February, the division moved southeast to assist British XXX Corps in their assault on Moyland Wood.
The operational plan's second phase called for the 2nd and 3rd Divisions to take the Hochwald Forest. Following its capture, the 4th Canadian Armoured would sweep through the Hochwald Gap towards Wesel, followed by the 2nd Division "leap-frogging" towards Xanten. Operation Blockbuster was scheduled for 27 February, but despite initial gains, stubborn German resistance prolonged the battle for six days. It was not until 3 March that the forest was cleared—during the intense close-quarter fighting, Major Frederick Tilston of the Essex Scottish Regiment won a Victoria Cross.
Operation Blockbuster's final phase was the attack on Xanten itself, which lasted from 8 to 10 March. This fell primarily to the 2nd Division and 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, although the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was temporarily assigned to Simonds's II Canadian Corps for the assault. Despite an elaborate preceding artillery barrage, dogged German resistance caused the battle to degenerate into one of attrition. Because effective air-support was prevented by fog and movement was hindered by German mortar barrages, the British and Canadians suffered heavy casualties.[81] However, by 10 March, the 2nd Division's 5th Brigade had linked up with elements of the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, bringing the offensive to a close. Total Canadian casualties during Veritable and Blockbuster were 5,304 killed or wounded.
As Canadian forces had incurred heavy casualties in clearing a path to the Rhine, the 2nd Division was excluded from the massive crossing operation that took place on 23 March 1945, instead crossing unopposed a week later after a bridgehead had been secured. After a brief detour through German territory, the First Canadian Army, now unified with the arrival of I Canadian Corps from Italian Front, prepared to assault German positions in the Netherlands. The 2nd Division moved northwards towards Groningen.[84] In the nine days preceding their attack, German resistance had been light and uncoordinated, but opposition stiffened as the assault progressed, leading to heavy losses among the battalions of the 5th Brigade. By 13 April, the division had been shifted eastward to guard the flanks of a British assault on Bremen, and the following day I Canadian Corps liberated Arnhem. On 2 May, the 2nd Division took Oldenburg, solidifying Canadian positions throughout the Netherlands. German and Canadian forces declared a ceasefire on 5 May, and all fighting came to an end with the surrender of German forces in Western Europe on 7 May 1945. In October 1945, after four months in the Netherlands, General Order 52/46 officially disbanded the headquarters of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division.[89] By December, the entirety of the division had been stood down and returned to Canada. The division suffered heavy casualties through 1944 and 1945; according to Bercuson it had the "highest casualty ratio in the Canadian Army – from the time it returned to combat in early July 1944 until the end of the war".
The following officers commanded the division:
Major General Victor Odlum (1940–1941)
Major General Harry Crerar (1941–1942)
Major General John Roberts (1941–1943)
Major General Guy Simonds (1943)
Major General Eedson Burns (1943–1944)
Major General Charles Foulkes (1944)
Major General Bruce Matthews (1944–1945)
Order of Battle for the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, 1944
4th Canadian Infantry Brigade
The Royal Regiment of Canada
The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment)
The Essex Scottish Regiment
4th Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)
5th Canadian Infantry Brigade
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
Le Régiment de Maisonneuve
The Calgary Highlanders
5th Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)
6th Canadian Infantry Brigade
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
The South Saskatchewan Regiment
Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal
6th Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)
Support units
The Toronto Scottish Regiment (machine gun)
8th Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Canadian Hussars) (8 Recce)
Royal Canadian Artillery
Headquarters
4th Field Regiment, 2nd (Ottawa) Field Battery, 14th (Midland) Field Battery, 26th (Lambton) Field Battery, 5th Field Regiment, 5th (Westmount) Field Battery, 28th (Newcastle) Field Battery, 73rd Field Battery, 6th Field Regiment, 13th (Winnipeg) Field Battery, 21st Field Battery, 91st Field Battery
2nd Anti-Tank Regiment, 18th Anti-Tank Battery, 20th Anti-Tank Battery, 23rd Anti-Tank Battery, 108th Anti-Tank Battery, 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, 16th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, 17th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, 38th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery
Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers
Headquarters
1st Field Park Company, 2nd Field Company, 7th Field Company, 11th Field Company, one bridging platoon
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
2nd Canadian Divisional Signals
Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
Headquarters
4th Infantry Brigade Company, 5th Infantry Brigade Company, 6th Infantry Brigade Company, Second Infantry Divisional Troops Company
Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
No. 10 Field Ambulance, No. 11 Field Ambulance, No. 18 Field Ambulance, 13th Canadian Field Hygiene Section, 4th Canadian Field Dressing Station, 21st Canadian Field Dressing Station
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
No. 2 Infantry Division Ordnance Field Park
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Headquarters
4th Infantry Brigade Workshop, 5th Infantry Brigade Workshop, 6th Infantry Brigade Workshop, one LAA workshop
Eleven light aid detachments.
Canadian Provost Corps
No. 2 Provost Company
The Royal Regiment of Canada
The regiment mobilized the Royal Regiment of Canada, CASF (Canadian Active Service Force), for active service on 1 September 1939. It embarked for garrison duty in Iceland with "Z" Force on 10 June 1940, and on 31 October 1940 it was transferred to Great Britain. It was redesignated the 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Canada, CASF, on 7 November 1940 when a 2nd Battalion was formed to provide reinforcements to the Regiment in Europe. The 1st battalion took part in the raid on Dieppe on 19 August 1942. It landed again in France on 7 July 1944, as part of the 4th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, and continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The 1st battalion was disbanded on 31 December 1945 when it amalgamated with the 2nd Battalion back home.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209320)
Infantrymen of "D" Company, Royal Regiment of Canada, supported by a Sherman tank of the Fort Garry Horse, advance from Hatten to Dingstede, Germany, 24 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209746)
A signalman of The Royal Regiment of Canada with a No.18 wireless set near Dingstede, Germany, 25 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209321)
Infantrymen of "D" Company, Royal Regiment of Canada, examine equipment taken from surrendering German soldiers during the advance from Hatten to Dingstede, Germany, 24 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3299067)
Corporal W.E. Oliver, Royal Regiment of Canada, directing mortar fire, watched by Private J. Keller, driver of their Universal Carrier, France, 28 September 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3525067)
Infantrymen of The Royal Regiment of Canada resting after a long march, Blankenberghe, Belgium, 11 September 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209320)
Infantrymen of "D" Company, Royal Regiment of Canada, supported by a Sherman tank of the Fort Garry Horse, advance from Hatten to Dingstede, Germany, 24 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209321)
Infantrymen of "D" Company, Royal Regiment of Canada, examine equipment taken from surrendering German soldiers during the advance from Hatten to Dingstede, Germany, 24 April 1945.
(Stuart Phillips Photo)
The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment)
The regiment mobilized the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, CASF for active service on 1 September 1939. It was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, CASF on 7 November 1940. It embarked for Britain on 22 July 1940. The battalion took part in Operation Jubilee on 19 August 1942. (General Denis Whitaker, who fought as a captain with the RHLI at Dieppe, in a 1989 interview stated, “The defeat cleared out all the dead weight. It was the best thing that ever happed to the regiment.) The RHLI returned to France on 5 July 1944 as part of the 4th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, and continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battalion was subsequently disbanded on 31 December 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205115)
Infantrymen of The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry in General Motors C15TA armoured trucks, Krabbendijke, Netherlands, 27 October 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524891)
Infantrymen of The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry passing wrecked German wagons, Elbeuf, France, 27 August 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3577399)
Canadians of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry meeting Americans of the U.S. Army's 2nd Armoured Division, Elbeuf, France, 27 August 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199698)
Infantrymen of The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry riding in a Universal Carrier, Krabbendijke, Netherlands, 27 October 1944.
(Stuart Phillips Photo)
The Essex Scottish Regiment
During the Second World War, the regiment was among the first Canadian units to see combat in the European theatre during the invasion of Dieppe. By the end of The Dieppe Raid, the Essex Scottish Regiment had suffered 121 fatal casualties, with many others wounded and captured. The Essex Scottish later participated in Operation Atlantic and was slaughtered attempting to take Verrières Ridge on 21 July. By the war's end, the Essex Scottish Regiment had suffered over 550 war dead; its 2,500 casualties were the most of any unit in the Canadian army during the Second World War.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205594)
The Essex Scottish Regiment in Universal Carriers, ready for loading onto Buffalo amphibious vehicles, 13 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3208311)
Private L. Wilkins of the Essex Regiment resting on his motorcycle, 14 April1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524539)
Lance-Corporal J.E. Cunningham of The Essex Scottish Regiment practices firing a Lifebuoy flamethrower near Xanten, Germany, 10 March 1945
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396411)
Infantrymen of The Essex Scottish Regiment lying in a ditch to avoid German sniper fire en route to Groningen, Netherlands, 14 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224251)
Fifteen German prisoners of war captured by the Essex Scottish Regiment during the attack on Zetten and Hemmen, the Netherlands.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524165)
Captain Fred A. Tilston of The Essex Scottish Regiment near Caen, France, 5 August 1944. He was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross.
On 1 March 1945, near Uedem, Germany, he led "C" Company in a 500-yard attack across muddy terrain soaked by recent rain and snow, through barbed wire and enemy automatic weapons fire. After being slightly wounded by shell fragments in the head, he personally destroyed one enemy machine gun position with a hand grenade, and led the men of C company on to a second German line of resistance when he was wounded for the second time in the hip. He struggled to his feet and led his men forward where the Essex Scottish overran the enemy positions with rifle butts, bayonets and knives in close hand-to-hand combat. While consolidating the Canadian position against German counterattacks and on his 6th trip from a neighbouring unit bringing ammunition and grenades to his company, which had been depleted to about 25% of its usual strength or 40 men, Tilston was wounded for the 3rd time in the leg. He was found almost unconscious in a shell hole and refused medical attention while he organized his men for defence against German counter-attacks, emphasized the necessity of holding the position at all cost, and ordered his one remaining officer to take command. For conspicuous gallantry and steadfast determination in the face of battle, Tilston was awarded the Victoria Cross.
(Stuart Phillips Photo)
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
The regiment mobilized the 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, CASF, on 1 September 1939. This unit, which served in Newfoundland from 22 June to 11 August 1940, embarked for Great Britain on 25 August 1940. Three platoons took part in the raid on Dieppe on 19 August 1942. On 6 July 1944, the battalion landed in France as part of the 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, and it continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battalion was disbanded on 30 November 1945.
The 1st Battalion suffered more casualties than any other Canadian infantry battalion in Northwest Europe according to figures published in The Long Left Flank by Jeffrey Williams. On the voyage to France on the day of the Dieppe Raid, casualties were suffered by the unit during a grenade priming accident on board their ship, HMS Duke of Wellington. During the Battle of Verrières Ridge on 25 July 1944, 325 men left the start line and only 15 made it back to friendly lines, the others being killed or wounded by well-entrenched Waffen SS soldiers and tanks. On 13 October 1944 – known as Black Friday by the Black Watch – the regiment put in an assault near Hoogerheide during the Battle of the Scheldt in which all four company commanders were killed, and one company of 90 men was reduced to just four survivors.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3590885)
Infantrymen of "B" Company, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, firing a three-inch mortar, Groesbeek, Netherlands, 3 February 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3613491)
Soldiers with the Black Watch of Canada training with a 6-pounder anti-tank gun. Note the Lee-Enfield rifle used as a small calibre aiming device.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3203511)
Infantrymen of "C" Company, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, gathered around a slit trench in the woods near Holten, Netherlands, 8 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396388)
Infantry of the Black Watch of Canada (Royal Highland Regiment) crossing the river Regge south of Ommen, Netherlands, 10 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3230698)
American-born members of Support Company, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, South Beveland, Netherlands, 30 September 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4232588)
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, inspecting the The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, 1943.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205164)
C Company commander, 5 Brigade Black Watch, Captain W.L. Barnes checks map reference with signalman Pte H. Howard, 8 April 1945.
(Stuart Phillips Photo)
Le Régiment de Maisonneuve
The regiment mobilized Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, CASF, on 1 September 1939. It embarked for Great Britain on 24 August 1940. It was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, CASF, on 7 November 1940. 17 On 7 July 1944, the battalion landed in France as part of the 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. It suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of the Scheldt, and was notably depleted by the time of the Battle of Walcheren Causeway. The unit recovered during the winter and was again in action during the Rhineland fighting and the final weeks of the war, taking part in the final campaigns in northern Netherlands, the Battle of Groningen, and the final attacks on German soil. The overseas battalion was disbanded on 15 December 1945.
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(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3207886)
Lieutenant Louis Woods of Le Régiment de Maisonneuve observing a German position during Operation VERITABLE near Nijmegen, Netherlands, 8 February 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524835)
Privates Arthur Richard and Aurele Nantel of the Regimental Aid Party, Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, treating a wounded soldier near the Maas River, Cuyk, Netherlands, 23 January 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3392829)
GM C15TA Armoured Truck CZ428917 'Aristocrat' near Nijmegen, Netherlands, 5 December 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. )
Corporal C. Robichaud of Le Régiment de Maisonneuve examining a disabled German Sturmhaubitz 42 105-mm self-propelled gun, Woensdrecht, Netherlands, 27 October 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3210492)
A two inch mortar crew in action - Privates Raoul Archambault and Albert Harvey of Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, 23 January 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3225204)
Regiment de Maisonneuve during the attack on the Western Front, 8 Feb 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524187)
Infantrymen of Le Régiment de Maisonneuve riding on a Sherman tank of The Fort Garry Horse entering Rijssen, Netherlands, 9 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205241)
Infantry of the Regiment de Maisonneuve moving through Holten to Rijssen, both towns in the Netherlands, 9 April 1945.
The Calgary Highlanders
The regiment mobilized for active service as The Calgary Highlanders, Canadian Active Service Force (CASF) on 1 September 1939. It was re-designated as the 1st Battalion, The Calgary Highlanders, CASF, on 7 November 1940. On 27 August 1940, it embarked for Britain. The battalion's mortar platoon took part in the Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942. On 6 July 1944, the battalion landed in France as part of the 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, and it continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The regiment selected the Battle of Walcheren Causeway for annual commemoration after the war. The overseas battalion disbanded on 15 December 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3358102)
Corporal Frank Maguire of The Calgary Highlanders manning a machine gun in a Universal Carrier near Doetinchem, Netherlands, 1 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3227193)
Private D. Tillick of the Toronto Scottish Regiment (M.G.) and Lieutenant T.L. Hoy of the Calgary Highlanders, who both were wounded on the causeway between Beveland and Walcheren, waiting for treatment at the Casualty Clearing Post of the 18th Field Ambulance, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC), Netherlands, 1 November 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3405373)
Infantrymen of The Calgary Highlanders, Doetinchem, Netherlands, 1 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3358102)
Corporal Frank Maguire of The Calgary Highlanders manning a machine gun in a Universal Carrier near Doetinchem, Netherlands, 1 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3231598)
Private M. Voske and Private H. Browne of The Calgary Highlanders examinea captured German radio-controlled Goliath remote controlled demolition vehicle, Goes, Netherlands, 30 October 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3596657)
Corporal S. Kormendy and Sergeant H.A. Marshall of The Calgary Highlanders cleaning the telescopic sights of their No. 4 Mk. I(T) rifles during a scouting, stalking and sniping course, Kapellen, Belgium, 6 October 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3206370)
Sergeant Harold Marshall, of the Calgary Highlanders Scout and Sniper Platoon, posing for Army photographer Ken Bell near Fort Brasschaet, Belgium, September 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3521073)
A Calgary Highlanders soldier servicing a No. 18 wireless set, Pagham, England, 20 January 1943.
Royal
The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
The regiment mobilized The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, CASF for active service on 1 September 1939. It was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, CASF on 7 November 1940. It embarked for Great Britain on 12 December 1940. The battalion took part in Operation Jubilee, the Dieppe Raid, on 19 August 1942. It returned to France on 7 July 1944, as part of the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, and it continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battalion disbanded on 30 November 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3230012)
Universal Carriers of The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada preparing to move from Germany to the Netherlands. Leer, Germany, 11 July 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 5180146)
Pte. J.E. Kirby of The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada stands guard over a V-2 rocket motor near the Antwerp Docks, Netherlands, 15 Oct 1942.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199694)
Scouts of The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, Camp de Brasschaet, Belgium, 9 October 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209748)
Infantrymen of Support Company, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, supported by a Sherman tank of The Fort Garry Horse, advancing south of Hatten, Germany, 22 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524541)
Wounded infantrymen of Support Company, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, being helped to cover south of Kirchatten, Germany, ca. 22 April 1945.
(Stuart Phillips Photo)
The South Saskatchewan Regiment
During the Second World War, The South Saskatchewan Regiment participated in many major Canadian battles and operations, as part of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. The South Saskatchewan Regiment fought in the Dieppe Raid of 1942, Operation Atlantic, Operation Spring, Operation Totalize, Operation Tractable, and the recapture of Dieppe in 1944. They, along with the 8th Reconnaissance Regiment liberated the Westerbork transit camp on 12 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3520709)
Infantrymen of The South Saskatchewan Regiment firing through a hedge during mopping-up operations along the Oranje Canal, Netherlands, 12 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 49358)
Regimental Aid Party of The South Saskatchewan Regiment resting on the southern bank of a canal north of Laren, Netherlands, 7 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396365)
Infantrymen of The South Saskatchewan Regiment during mopping-up operations along the Oranje Canal, 12 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205112)
German prisoners guarded by infantrymen of The South Saskatchewan Regiment, Hoogerheide, Netherlands, 15 October 1944
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396197)
Personnel of the South Saskatchewan Regiment in captured Germany. 'Schwimmwagen' amphibious car of the Wehrmacht, Rocquancourt, France, 11 August 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3396200)
Private G.O. Parenteau of The South Saskatchewan Regiment, Rocquancourt, France, 11 August 1944.
Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal
The regiment mobilized the Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, CASF for active service on 1 September 1939. It was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, CASF on 7 November 1940. It embarked for garrison duty in Iceland with "Z" Force on 1 July 1940. On 31 October 1940 it was transferred to Great Britain. The regiment took part in OPERATION JUBILEE, the raid on Dieppe on 19 August 1942. It returned to France on 7 July 1944, as part of the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, and it continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battalion was disbanded on 15 November 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3209740)
Tactical Headquarters of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, 29 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524542)
Infantry of Les Fusiliers de Mont-Royal Regiment taking cover between two tanks during attack in the vicinity of Oldenburg, Germany, 29 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3228083)
Sherman tanks of "C" Squadron, The Fort Garry Horse, passing infantrymen of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, Munderloh, Germany, 29 April 1945.
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(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3226042)
Infantrymen of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal loading Sten gun magazines, Munderloh, Germany, 29 April 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3262650)
Infantrymen of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal in front of a statue of Frederick the Great, Berlin, Germany, 14 July 1945.
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The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Machine Gun)
During the Second World War, the regiment initially mobilized a machine gun battalion for the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. Following a reorganization early in 1940, the battalion was reassigned to the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, where it operated as a support battalion, providing machine-gun detachments for the Operation Jubilee force at Dieppe in 1942, and then with an additional company of mortars, it operated in support of the rifle battalions of the 2nd Division in northwest Europe from July 1944 to VE Day. In April 1940, the 1st Battalion also mounted the King's Guard at Buckingham Palace. The 2nd Battalion served in the reserve army in Canada.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3262696)
Soldiers of the Toronto Scottish Regiment in their Universal Carrier waiting to move forward, Nieuport, Belgium, 9 September 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3204241)
A German armoured car dug into the ground and used as a pillbox fortification, Nieuport, Belgium, 9 September 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524442)
Private L.P. McDonald and Lance-Corporals W. Stevens and R. Dais, all of the Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA), manning a six-pounder anti-tank gun, Nieuport, Belgium, 9 September 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199687)
Personnel of The Toronto Scottish Regiment (M.G.) aboard a motorboat en route from Beveland to North Beveland, Netherlands, 1 November 1944.
(Stuart Phillips Photo)
8th Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Canadian Hussars) (8 Recce)
8 Recce was formed at Guillemont Barracks, near Aldershot in southern England, on 11 March 1941, by merging three existing squadrons within the division. Its first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Churchill C. Mann. Mann was succeeded as commanding officer on 26 September 1941, by Lieutenant Colonel P. A. Vokes, who was in turn followed on 18 February 1944, by Lieutenant Colonel M. A. Alway. The last commanding officer was Major "Butch" J. F. Merner, appointed to replace Alway a couple of months before the end of the fighting in Europe.
8 Recce spent the first three years of its existence involved in training and coastal defence duties in southern England. It was not involved in the ill-fated Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942, and thus avoided the heavy losses suffered that day by many other units of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. The regiment landed with its division in Normandy on 6 July 1944, one month after D-Day, and first entered combat as infantry in the ongoing Battle of Normandy. The regiment's first three combat deaths occurred on 13 July, two of which when a shell struck a slit trench sheltering two men near Le Mesnil. Another Trooper was killed during the Battle of Caen the same day from a mortar shell.
Following the near-destruction of the German Seventh Army and Fifth Panzer Army in the Falaise Pocket in August 1944, the remaining German forces were compelled into a rapid fighting retreat out of Northern France and much of Belgium. 8 Recce provided the reconnaissance function for its division during the advance of the First Canadian Army eastward out of Normandy, up to and across the Seine River, and then along the coastal regions of northern France and Belgium. The regiment was involved in spearheading the liberation of the port cities of Dieppe and Antwerp; it was also involved in the investment of Dunkirk, which was then left under German occupation until the end of war. 8 Recce saw heavy action through to the end of the war including the costly Battle of the Scheldt, the liberation of the Netherlands and the invasion of Germany.
An early demonstration of the mobility and power of the armoured cars of 8 Recce occurred during the liberation of Orbec in Normandy. Over the period 21-23 August, the infantry of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division had succeeded in pushing eastward up to the west bank of the River Tourques, but they were unable to expand an initial bridgehead across the river because of the presence of enemy positions in Orbec on the east bank. Humbers of 8 Recce had meanwhile scouted out possible river crossings northwest of the town. They succeeded in crossing the Tourques, then circled back to Orbec and attacked the German defenders unexpectedly from the north and east. Enemy resistance in the town was rapidly overcome and the division's advance towards the Seine could resume.
The reconnaissance role of 8 Recce often put its members well ahead of the main body of the division, especially during the pursuit of the retreating German army across northern France and Belgium in late August and September 1944. For example, elements of 8 Recce entered Dieppe on the morning of 1 September 1944, scene of the disastrous Dieppe Raid of 1942, a full 12 hours before the arrival of truck-borne Canadian infantry. The liberation of Dieppe was facilitated by the withdrawal of the German occupying forces on the previous day. The unexpectedly early liberation allowed a planned and likely devastating Allied bombing raid on the city to be called off. 8 Recce was responsible for liberating many other towns in the campaign across Northwest Europe.
During the Battle of the Scheldt, 8 Recce advanced westwards and cleared the southern bank of the West Scheldt river. In one notable action, armoured cars of 'A' Squadron were ferried across the river; on the other side the cars then proceeded to liberate the island of North Beveland by 2 November 1944. Bluff played an important role in this operation. The German defenders had been warned that they would be attacked by ground support aircraft on their second low-level pass if they did not surrender immediately. Shortly thereafter 450 Germans surrendered after their positions were buzzed by 18 Typhoons. Unbeknownst to the Germans, the Typhoons would not have been able to fire on their positions since the aircraft's munitions were already committed to another operation.
Shortly after midnight on the night 6–7 February 1945 (Haps, Holland), when 11 and 12 troops of C Squadron patrolled and contacted each other and started back - 11 troop patrol was challenged with halt from, the ditch. L/Cpl. Bjarne Tangen fired a sten magazine into the area from which the challenge came and then he and the others quickly took-up positions in the ditch, while the 3rd member of their patrol ran back and collected the 12 troop patrol, together with reinforcements from 12 troop and returned to the scene of firing. The evening ended with the patrol taking one German prisoner and one deceased. The German prisoner, Lt. Gunte Finke, was interrogated and he disclosed that he gave himself up after seeing the response of an estimated 30 men from the skirmish. The German intention was to verify information that armoured cars were in the area; not to bother with foot patrol or prisoners, but to attempt to "Bazooka one of our vehicles with the 2 Panzerfaust that their patrols carried". L/Cpl.Tangen was awarded the Dutch Bronze Cross, and Mentioned in dispatches, for this event.
On 12 April 1945, No. 7 Troop of 'B' Squadron liberated Camp Westerbork, a transit camp built to accommodate Jews, Romani people and other people arrested by the Nazi authorities prior to their being sent into the concentration camp system. Bedum, entered on 17 April 1945, was just one of many Dutch towns liberated by elements of 8 Recce in the final month of the war.
8 Recce's last two major engagements were the Battle of Groningen over 13–16 April and the Battle of Oldenburg, in Germany, over 27 April to 4 May. Three members of 8 Recce were killed on 4 May, just four days before VE Day, when their armoured car was struck by a shell.
During the war 79 men were killed outright in action while serving in 8 Recce, and a further 27 men died of wounds.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524797)
8th Reconnaissance Regiment Recce vehicles of the 2 Canadian Infantry Division on barges performing an amphibious operation, from Beveland Peninsula to North Beveland Island from just north of Oostkerke, Netherlands, 1 November 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3237870)
A Universal Carrier of the 8th Reconnaissance Regiment (14th Canadian Hussars), being loaded aboard a barge en route from South Beveland to North Beveland, Netherlands, 1 November 1944.
3rd Canadian Infantry Division
The division spent three uneventful years in garrison and training duties prior to the assault landing on Juno Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944, as part of the British Second Army, later joining the newly formed First Canadian Army.
Battle honours include Caen, Falaise, clearing the Channel ports, the Breskens pocket, and the final offensives of 1945. During the Battle of the Scheldt, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had the nickname of "Water Rats" bestowed upon them by Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, commanding 21st Army Group, in recognition of the poor conditions of terrain through which they fought, first in the Normandy landings, and then in the flooded Breskens Pocket.
Juno Beach was 5 miles (8.0 km) wide and stretched on either side of Courseulles-sur-Mer. It lay between Sword and Gold beaches which were the responsibility of British Army forces.
The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, with the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade under command, landed in two brigade groups, the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade and the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade. Each brigade had three infantry battalions and an armoured regiment in support, two artillery field regiments, combat engineer companies and specialist units of the British 79th Armoured Division. The 10th Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse) tanks supported the 7th Brigade landing on the left and the 6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) tanks supported the landing on the right. The division had been assigned extra artillery and anti-tank units[a] doubling its artillery component.
The 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade was kept in reserve and landed later that day and advanced through the lead brigades. The 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment) provided tank support.
The initial assault was carried out by:
North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment on the left at St. Aubin (Nan Red beach)
Queen's Own Rifles in the centre at Bernières (Nan White beach)
Regina Rifles at Courseulles (Nan Green beach)
Royal Winnipeg Rifles on the western edge of Courseulles (Mike Red and Mike Green beaches)
Canadian air, land and sea forces suffered approximately 950 casualties on D-Day, the majority being soldiers of the 3rd Canadian Division.[5] By noon, the entire division was ashore and leading elements had pushed several kilometres inland to seize bridges over the Seulles. By 6:00 pm, they had captured the town of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. A 1st Hussars armoured troop reached its objective along with men of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada before nightfall, when both units moved 15 km inland and crossed the Caen-Bayeux highway. However, this troop was forced to pull back because they had passed the supporting infantry. By the end of D-Day, the division had penetrated farther into France than any other Allied force, though counter-attacks by elements of two German armoured divisions prevented further major gains for four weeks.
None of the assault divisions, including 3rd Canadian Division, had managed to secure their D-Day objectives, which lay inland, although the Canadians came closer than any other Allied formation. Indeed, The Queen's Own Rifles of the 8th Brigade were the only Allied battalion to capture their D-Day objective.[8]
By the end of the next day, the Canadian forces had linked up with the British forces that had landed at Sword Beach. By 1 October 1944, the Division had also liberated Calais.
The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division served extensively in the Battle of Normandy as a component firstly of I British Corps and later under the command of II Canadian Corps. On D-Day+1, units of the division became the first among the Allies to secure their D-Day objectives. The villages of Authie and Carpiquet both saw heavy fighting between the Canadians and German defenders of the 12th SS Panzer Division. Over the course of five days, the 12th SS launched a series of counter-attacks in an attempt to crush the Canadian bridgehead and throw them back into the sea. The attacks cost the 12th a third of their armoured strength and they were forced to retire in the face of stubborn resistance, Allied naval gunfire and aerial superiority. On 4 July 1944, the 3rd Canadian Division, along with the British 3rd and 59th Infantry Divisions and supported by elements of the 79th Armoured Division launched Operation Windsor, capturing the Carpiquet Airfield and the surrounding areas from the 12th SS after several hours of confused and hard fighting. On 8 July, the 3rd Canadian Division participated in Operation Charnwood, the British Second Army's final advance on the northern parts of Caen. Once again the Canadians excelled and captured all their objectives after suffering, once again, heavy casualties.
On 18 July, Operation Atlantic was launched, the Canadian advance that would coincide with Operation Goodwood, happening further east by British forces in the area south of Caen. The 2nd and 3rd Canadian divisions, supported by integral armour support, advanced towards Caen, one of the objectives being the village of Colombelles and the surrounding hills. This village and the surrounding area was defended by the battle-proven 21st Panzer Division. After several hours of confused fighting on the 18th and the 19th, the Germans were forced back from the outskirts of the town and pushed back over the river Orne. The 3rd Canadian Division continued the advance on the 20th and the lead units came under heavy machine-gun and small arms fire from a chateau close to Colombelles. The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, with support from the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars, pushed forward once again despite heavy casualties and captured the heavily fortified village of Gibberville. The rest of the 3rd Division captured Colombelles through the course of the day. The Canadians were then faced with the formidable German defensive positions on the Verrières Ridge, where the SS troops had created excellent field fortifications, deployed hundreds of field artillery pieces, including Nebelwerfers, and dug numerous trenches and foxholes for defence. The 2nd Canadian division's 4th and 6th brigades assaulted the ridge, but suffered heavy losses and were forced to fall back. The attack went in during heavy rain, which turned the ground to mud and bogged down the Canadian armoured support and kept the Hawker Typhoon fighter-bomber support from the Royal Air Force from showing up. After the failed attack, troops from both the 2nd and 12th SS Panzer Division counter-attacked; it was only with support from the 3rd Canadian Division's 8th Brigade that they managed to beat the Germans back.
Meanwhile, the British 3rd Infantry Division faced considerable resistance and advanced only with great cost of life. Tiger tanks from the schwere Panzerabteilung 503 ("503rd Heavy Armour Battalion") caused ferocious losses among the British armour support. The 7th Armoured Division, 11th Armoured Division and Guards Armoured Division faced opposition from the 1st and 12th SS Panzer divisions and suffered heavy losses.
The offensive continued for two more days before the Allied offensive ground to a halt in face of stiffening German resistance. The German Panzer divisions in the area had been bled completely dry, losing a staggering number of tanks and men, which could not be easily replaced. Two days later, on 25 July, the United States First Army launched Operation Cobra, since there were no German panzer divisions to stop them as nearly all of the available panzer units had been sent to stop the British/Canadian advance. The 3rd Canadian Division and the other units involved in the offensive were allowed to catch their breath and they dug in, expecting a German counter-attack which never came.
On 5 September, 3rd Canadian overran the Fortress of Mimoyecques, revealing the infrastructure for the unknown V-3 cannon destroyed by the Tallboy bombs in July.[10] Between 17–22 September 1944, 3rd Canadian were intimately involved in the liberation of Boulogne-sur-Mer, during which a French civilian guided the Canadians to a "secret passage" leading into the walled old town and by-passing the German defenders.
In 1945, the 3rd Canadian Division, Canadian Army Occupation Force (CAOF) was created, based on the organization of the 3rd Infantry Division. The component units of the new division were named after the units of the existing 3rd Infantry Division. The formation was formed on the organizational structure of a standard infantry division and supplied units as part of Canada's commitment to postwar European reconstruction. The occupation force served in Germany until relieved by the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division of the British Army on 15 May 1946. Authorization for units to disband came under General Order 162/46 and 201/46, and headquarters was disbanded by General Order 283/46, effective 20 June 1946.
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(New Brunswick Military History Museum Collection, Author Photo)
The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment
The regiment mobilized The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, CASF for active service on 24 May 1940. It was re-designated as the 1st Battalion, The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, CASF on 7 November 1940. It embarked for Great Britain on 18 July 1941. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, it landed on JUNO Beach in Normandy, France, as part of the 8th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, and it continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battalion disbanded on 15 January 1946.
During the Second World War, the regiment was first stationed in Woodstock, New Brunswick and then Sussex, New Brunswick. When it shipped overseas, it was initially stationed in Liverpool, after that it moved to Scotland near the castle of the Duke of Argyll.
On 6 June 1944, the regiment participated in the landing on Juno Beach, landing on Nan Red sector and losing nearly 50 men. On 10 June, it liberated the town of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Calvados. Newsreel footage of the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment landing under fire taken by the Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit became one of the most-used film depictions of the Allied D-Day landing.
On 4 July 1944, the men of the North Shore (North Shore) Regiment participated in Operation Windsor, the attack on the Carpiquet airfield. It lost nearly 130 men, and it was later known by the regiment's chaplain as the "graveyard of the regiment". The regiment later fought in Caen and all through France, continuously advancing with the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade. It fought in places like Ranville, Bourguebus Ridge, Falaise, Quesnay Wood, the Laison and Chambois.
It helped clear the coast of France in late August and early September 1944, then it advanced into the Netherlands, taking part in the Battle of the Scheldt. It fought in Breskens Pocket in flooded fields and harsh conditions. After the Scheldt, it moved onto the rest of the Netherlands, fighting near the Bergsche Maas River at Kapelsche Veer.
In February 1945, it moved into Germany via amphibious landing. It fought in the Rhineland, the Hochwald, but then it doubled-back to the Netherlands and conquered the Twente Canal, and liberated Zutphen where it met its most brutal urban fighting since Caen. It then moved back into Germany in April, and it ended the war on German soil.
On 1 June 1945, a second Active Force component of the regiment was mobilized for service with the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany, as the 3rd Battalion, The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, CIC, CAOF. The battalion disbanded on 13 April 1946.
The 28th (Newcastle) Field Battery, RCA, in conjunction with the 89th Field Battery, RCA, mobilized the '28th/89th Field Battery, RCA, CASF for active service on 1 September 1939. This unit reorganized as two separate batteries on 1 January 1941, designated as the 28th (Newcastle) Field Battery, RCA, CASF and the 89th Field Battery, RCA, CASF. It embarked for Great Britain on 25 August 1940. On 8 July 1944, it landed in France as a sub-unit of the 5th Field Regiment, RCA, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, where it continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battery disbanded on 21 September 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3192301)
Pte Leopold Marcoux with German prisoner of war taken during battle for Carpiquet Airport.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3724325)
The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, 8-9 June 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3225211)
Members of the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, 3 Canadian Infantry Division, marching up to amphibious tanks (alligators) in preparation for the amphibious operations on the Western Front, 8 February 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3239986)
Members of the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment boarding an Alligator amphibious vehicle during Operation VERITABLE near Nijmegen, Netherlands, 8 February 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3230680)
Captain W.A. Teed (foreground) of the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, Embarkation Staff Officer of the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, talking with Captain C.J. Aendry, commanding officer of an Alligator amphibious vehicle, near Terneuzen, Netherlands, 13 October 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3229763)
Nos. 803, 805, 806, 810 and 845 Royal Pioneer Smoke Companies and 112 Royal Pioneer Company (Smoke) supported large-scale smoke screening operations of First Canadian Army operations in North West Europe. No. 806 Smoke Company is shown here using an "Esso" smoke generator in operation along a dyke west of Terneuzen, Netherlands, 13 October 1944. Smoke screens were employed to conceal against aerial attack and artillery shelling in the Normandy beachhead, principally on the eastern flank. This screening was carried out by British Royal Pioneer companies, specifically by No. 806 Company and No.112 Company. These two companies were later involved in almost all thetactical screens in the Canadian sector and they brought with them many innovative ideas on how to produce effective screens in adverse conditions.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205130)
Comrades carry wounded member of the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment down a dyke after being evacuated by an Alligator amphibious vehicle at the Scheldt pocket embarkation point, west of Terneuzen in the Netherlands, 13 October 1944.
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(Fredericton Region Museum Collection, Author Photo)
The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada
After a build-up and training period, the unit embarked for Britain on 19 July 1941. The regiment mobilized the 3rd Battalion, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, CASF for active service on May 12, 1942. It served in Canada in a home defence role as part of the 20th Infantry Brigade, 7th Canadian Infantry Division. The battalion was disbanded on 15 August 1943.
For the Invasion of Normandy, the regiment landed in Normandy, France, as part of the 8th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. The first major combat operations were on D-day 6 June 1944. The Queen's Own Rifles landed on "Nan" sector of Juno Beach and with the support of tanks of the Fort Garry Horse captured the strategic seaside resort town of Bernières-sur-Mer. The battalion fought its way to its D-Day objective – the village of Anisy 13.5 km (8.4 mi) inland, the only Regiment to reach its assigned objective that day. The QOR had the highest casualties amongst the Canadian regiments, with 143 killed, wounded or captured. As well as losses in the initial landing, the reserve companies' landing craft struck mines as they approached the beach.
In the battle for Caen, the QOR – as part of the 8th Infantry Brigade – participated in Operation Windsor to capture the airfield at Carpiquet which was defended by a detachment from the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. The Germans inflicted heavy casualties and Panzer-grenadiers attempted to recapture the village.
During the war, 463 riflemen were killed in action and almost 900 were wounded as they fought through Normandy, Northern France, and into Belgium and the Netherlands, where they liberated the crucial Channel ports. Sixty more members of the regiment were killed while serving with other units in Hong Kong, Italy and northwest Europe. The overseas battalion was disbanded on 30 November 1945.
On 1 June 1945, a third Active Force battalion, designated the 4th Battalion, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, CIC, CAOF, was mobilized for service with the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany. The battalion was disbanded on 14 May 1946.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205139)
Lieutenant Stan Biggs briefing Universal Carrier flamethrower crews of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, Vaucelles, France, 29 July 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3525803)
Officers of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada discussing tactics, Carpiquet, France, 8 July 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3525804)
Lieutenant E.M. Peto (left), 16th Field Comapny, Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE), with Company Sergeant-Major Charlie Martin and Rifleman N.E. Lindenas, both of "A" Company, Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, planning where to lay a minefield, Bretteville-Orgueilleuse, France, 20 June 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3225655)
Queen's Own Rifles demonstrate flame throwers in action against dugouts among the trees in Normandy, 29 July 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3205245)
Queen's Own Rifles moving up to extreme front action; attack on German airport and the village of Carpiquet, 4 July 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3262647)
Infantrymen of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, who wear full British snow camouflage kit, go on patrol near Nijmegen, Netherlands, 22 January 1945.
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
The regiment landed in England in September 1940. As part of the 7th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division, the Rifles were in the first wave of landings on D Day, 6 June 1944. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles fought throughout the Normandy campaign, fighting in famous battles such as Caen and the Falaise Gap. After helping liberate several of the Channel Ports, the regiment fought to clear the Scheldt Estuary to allow the re-opening of the Antwerp harbour. After helping to liberate the Netherlands, the regiment ended the war preparing to assault the northern German town of Aurich. Three battalions of the regiment served during the Second World War. The 1st Battalion served in the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, the 2nd Battalion was a reserve unit that remained on part-time duty in Winnipeg, and a 3rd Battalion served in the Canadian Army Occupation Force. The 1st Battalion were among the first Allied troops to land on the Normandy beaches on D-Day. They served throughout the Northwest Europe campaign, including the Battle of the Scheldt, the Rhineland, and the final battles across the Rhine, before returning to Canada in 1945. The 3rd Battalion was raised in 1945 and remained in Germany until 1946.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191681)
Infantrymen of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles in Landing Craft Assault (LCAs) en route to land at Courseulles-sur-Mer, France, 6 June 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524573)
H/Captain J.L. Steele, Chaplain of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles, talking with his driver, Rifleman J.L. Simard, France, 16 July 1944
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3227215)
Infantrymen of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles searching German prisoners, Aubigny, France, ca.16-17 August 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3513060)
Ram Kangaroo armoured troop carrier transporting personnel of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, 16 February 1945.
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.
1944–1945
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade
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)
10th Canadian Infantry Brigade
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)
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
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. 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. 3211514)
Personnel of Headquarters Squadron, British Columbia Regiment, with their Sherman tank, Brasschaet, Belgium, 14 October 1944.
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.
(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.
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. 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. 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.
1st Polish Armoured Division, August 1944 to May 1945
Polish 1st Armoured Division
Created in February 1942 at Duns in Scotland, it was commanded by Major General Stanisław Maczek and at its peak numbered approximately 18,000 soldiers. The division served in the final phases of the Battle of Normandy in August 1944 during Operation Totalize and the Battle of Chambois and then continued to fight throughout the campaign in Northern Europe, mainly as part of the First Canadian Army.
The commander of the Division, General Stanislaw Maczek, was Poland’s premier mechanized commander, and many of his subordinate officers from the unit he commanded in 1939, the 10th Mechanized Brigade, had made their way to Britain with him. They were organized on the British Armoured Division model, equipped with British uniforms, weapons and tanks. They were initially equipped and trained on Crusader tanks but in late 1943 and early 1944 these were replaced with Sherman tanks and Cromwell tanks. They then participated in war games together with the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division.
By the end of July 1944, the 1st Armoured had been transferred to Normandy, its final elements arriving on 1 August. The unit was attached to the First Canadian Army as part of the 21st Army Group. This may have been done to help in communication, as the vast majority of Poles did not speak English when they arrived in United Kingdom from 1940 onwards. The Division joined combat on 8 August during Operation Totalize. It twice suffered serious casualties as a result of "friendly fire" from Allied aircraft, but achieved a victory against the Wehrmacht in the battles for Mont Ormel,[1] and the town of Chambois. This series of offensive and defensive operations came to be known as the Battle of Falaise, in which a large number of German Army and SS divisions were trapped in the Falaise Pocket[2] and subsequently destroyed. Maczek's division had the crucial role of closing the pocket at the escape route of the trapped German divisions, hence the fighting was desperate and the 2nd Polish Armoured Regiment, 24th Polish Lancers and 10th Dragoons, supported by the 8th and 9th Infantry Battalions, took the brunt of German attacks by units attempting to break free from the pocket. Surrounded and running out of ammunition, they withstood incessant attacks from multiple fleeing panzer divisions for 48 hours until they were relieved. The total losses of the division from August 7 when it entered combat until the end of the battle of Falaise on August 22 were 446 killed, 1501 wounded, and 150 missing, or 2097 soldiers in total during about two weeks of fighting.
After the Allied armies broke out from Normandy, the Polish 1st Armoured Division pursued the Germans along the coast of the English Channel. It liberated, among others, the towns of Saint-Omer, Ypres, Oostnieuwkerke, Roeselare, Tielt, Ruislede, and Ghent. During Operation Pheasant a successful outflanking manoeuvre planned and performed by General Maczek allowed the liberation of the city of Breda without any civilian casualties (29 October 1944). The Division spent the winter of 1944-1945 on the south bank of the river Rhine, guarding a sector around Moerdijk, Netherlands. In early 1945, it was transferred to the province of Overijssel and started to push with the Allies along the Dutch-German border, liberating the eastern parts of the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen including the towns of Emmen, Coevorden and Stadskanaal.
In April 1945, the 1st Armoured entered Germany in the area of Emsland. On 6 May, the Division seized the Kriegsmarine naval base in Wilhelmshaven, where General Maczek accepted the capitulation of the fortress, naval base, East Frisian Fleet and more than 10 infantry divisions. There the Division ended the war and, joined by the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, undertook occupation duties until it was disbanded in 1947; it, together with the many Polish displaced persons in the Western occupied territories, formed a Polish enclave at Haren in Germany, which was for a while known as "Maczków". The majority of its soldiers opted not to return to Poland, which fell under Soviet occupation, preferring instead to remain in exile. (Wikipedia)
(IWM B 8826)
Sherman Firefly tanks of 1st Polish Armoured Division at the start of Operation 'Totalize', Normandy, 8 August 1944.
(IWM Photo, B 8823)
Sherman V tanks of the 1st Polish Armoured Division assembled for Operation Totalise in Normandy, 8 August 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397995)
Soldiers of the 1st Polish Armoured Division with jeep, Normandy, France, 7 August 1944.
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, January to March, 1945
15th (Scottish) Infantry Division (January to March, 1945)
On 14 June 1944, the 15th Scottish Infantry Division landed in Normandy on Sword Beach. On 26 June they fought on the front line, engaged in Operation Epsom to seize the city of Caen. Despite heavy losses, the men successfully participated in major Anglo-Canadian offensives in Normandy before fighting in Belgium and the Netherlands.
(IWM Photo, H 11400)
Infantry and carriers of 8th Royal Scots pause during the attack by 15th (Scottish) Division on Tilburg, 27 October 1944.
(IWM Photo)
Men of the 15th Scottish Division advance near Caumont on 30 July 1944.
51st (Highland) Infantry Division, August 1944
Most of the 51st landed in Normandy as part of Operation Overlord on 7 June 1944, a day after D-Day, as part of British I Corps, under Lieutenant-General John Crocker. After spending a brief period supporting the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, it was sent across the River Orne, and spent two months supporting the 6th Airborne Division in its bridgehead. During this period it fought many difficult actions at places such as Bréville (11–12 June) and Colombelles (11 July).
The 51st (Highland) Infantry Division's performance in Normandy was, overall, considered disappointing,[41] particularly by General Montgomery, now the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Allied land forces in Normandy, who stated in a telegram to Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS, the professional head of the British Army), that the division "had failed every mission it was given". This led to the replacement of its GOC, Major-General Charles Bullen-Smith; his dismissal is not mentioned in the Divisional Official History nor formation accounts. His successor was Major-General Tom Rennie, who had served with the division in France, North Africa and Sicily before being elevated to command of the British 3rd Infantry Division for the Normandy invasion.
On 1 August 1944 the division, along with the rest of British I Corps, became part of the newly activated Canadian First Army. The division fought alongside this army in Operation Totalize, before advancing to Lisieux. It then continued east over the River Seine and headed, on General Montgomery's orders[44] for Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, the scene of the division's surrender in June 1940. The division's massed pipes and drums played in the streets of the town, and a parade included veterans of the 1940 campaign in France who were with the 51st Division in 1944.
A similar event occurred at Dieppe when it was liberated by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. Leaving Saint Valéry, the 51st Division was engaged in Operation Astonia, the battle for the French port of Le Havre, in September 1944.
After the capture of the town of Le Havre, the division went on to take part in Operation Pheasant in October 1944, finally passing into reserve and garrisoning the Meuse River during the Battle of the Bulge, now as part of XXX Corps, under Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks. It was not involved in heavy fighting during the early stages of the battle and was deployed as a stopgap in case the Germans broke through.
In January 1945, the division, along with the rest of XXX Corps, helped to cut off the northern tip of the German salient, linking up with the U.S. 84th Infantry Division at Nisramont on 14 January. Following this, the division was involved in Operation Veritable, the clearing of the Rhineland. In late March the 51st took part in Operation Turnscrew within the framework of Operation Plunder, the crossing of the River Rhine, near the town of Rees, where the GOC, Major General Tom Rennie, was killed by enemy mortar fire. He was replaced by Major General Gordon MacMillan, a very highly experienced and competent commander who had previously been the GOC of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division.
The division advanced through Germany and ended the war in the Bremerhaven area of Northern Germany. During the North-West Europe campaign the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division had suffered a total of 19,524 battle casualties.
2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade
Soon after the 3rd Canadian Tank Brigade assumed the designation in summer 1943 of the original 2nd Canadian Tank Brigade, the new 2nd Tank was redesignated and reorganized as 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. Although reorganized as an armoured brigade, no motor battalion served under its command. The brigade was assigned to the British 2nd Army in January 1944 to train for the upcoming amphibious assault in Normandy.
This formation rarely fought as an entity. Its primary role was infantry support and thus its regiments were usually individually tasked out to infantry units to participate in particular operations. One of the occasions when the Brigade did undertake an operation on its own, the Battle of Le Mesnil-Patry on 11 June 1944, ended with only a partial success and severe losses to the Canadians.
Following the landing in Normandy, the brigade fought at Caen, advanced across France and Belgium, and took part in operations in the Netherlands and Germany while supporting operations of the Canadian 1st Army and the British 2nd Army.
6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars)
10th Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse)
27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment)
"C" Squadron, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment)
Formed as the 2nd Canadian Army Tank Brigade on 26 January 1942, this formation consisted of the 24th Army Tank Battalion (Les Voltigeurs de Québec) (replaced in June 1942 by the 20th Army Tank Regiment (16/22 Saskatchewan Horse)), 23rd Army Tank Battalion (The Halifax Rifles), and the 26th Army Tank Battalion (The Grey and Simcoe Foresters). Equipped with Ram II tanks, in the autumn of 1942 the brigade trained at the newly opened Meaford AFV range on Georgian Bay where the Halifax Rifles had the honour of conducting the first field exercise.
In June 1943 the brigade was dispatched to the United Kingdom. The following month came an intensive inspection of the units of this brigade and of the 3rd Canadian Army Tank Brigade by Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar, the commander of I Canadian Corps. The purpose of the inspection was to determine which of the two brigades would remain on the order of battle since there was only room for one such formation.[2] The brigade chosen was the 3rd: The 1st Hussars, The Fort Garry Horse, and The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment.
The 3rd Canadian Army Tank Brigade was raised on 1 January 1943 following a reorganization of the Canadian Armoured Corps in Britain. It adopted the designation 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade (2 CAB) after it was selected by Lieutenant-General Crerar to remain on the order of battle. In August 1943 it was selected to be part of the D-Day invasion force in support of the units of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division.
The brigade's three regiments landed in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Unlike their peers in the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade, who were usually paired with their division's 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade, the 2nd was paired with any infantry who needed armour support.
On 31 July 1944, following a series of battles with heavy infantry losses, Canadian Lieutenant General Guy Simonds ordered the creation of an armoured carrier regiment and the modification of underused American-made M7 Priest self-propelled guns. The 1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Squadron was formed, and administered as a squadron of 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment until October 19, 1944, when the squadron was converted to a regiment.[4]
2 CAB fought in the North West Europe Campaign, longer than any other armoured formation, from D-Day to V-E Day, suffering 435 fatal casualties in total. Two of the brigade's tanks, Holy Roller of the 1st Hussars, and Bomb of the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, fought continuously from D-Day to the end of the war, the only Canadian tanks to fight unscathed across Northwest Europe. Holy Roller remains the memorial of the Hussars in London, Ontario, and Bomb is preserved today at the William Street Armoury of the Sherbrooke Hussars in Sherbrooke, Quebec.
33rd Armoured Brigade (33rd Armd Bde)
The brigade was formed in the United Kingdom on 17 March 1944 by the re-designation of the 33rd Tank Brigade.[2] The brigade took part in the Normandy campaign and landed on Gold Beach on 6 June 1944. The brigade, consisting of three armoured regiments, was assigned to any infantry who were in need of armoured support; because of this mission, the brigade rarely fought as a single unit.
The brigade took part in several actions that comprised the Battle for Caen. On 11 June, the brigade took part in fighting at Le Mesnil-Patry. From 8–9 July, the brigade participated in Operation Charnwood; the capture of northern Caen. Supplementing the 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division, on 16 July, the brigade took part in Operation Pomegranate, part of the Second Battle of the Odon; an attack launched to divert German attention away from the upcoming Operation Goodwood attack.[3] Following the Battle for Caen the brigade was then involved in the First Canadian Army’s attack towards Falaise; on 8 August the brigade took part in Operation Totalize.
The brigade was reformed and re-equipped with LVT 4 (Buffalo amphibious armoured fighting vehicles) for the Rhine crossing and was placed under the command of the 79th Armoured Division.
The Organisation of the brigade at certain times included:
Brigade Headquarters & Signal Squadron, Royal Corps of Signals
1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry (Dragoons), 17/3/44–18/8/45
1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry (Lancers), 16/8/44–23/4/45
The Queen's Own Staffordshire Yeomanry Regiment (Hussars), 26/4/45–26/6/45
4th Royal Tank Regiment, 1/3/45–30/3/45
11th Royal Tank Regiment, 28/1/45–30/3/45 and 26/4/35–19/8/45
144th (8th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, 17/3/44–28/3/45
148th (9th Battalion Royal North Lancashire Regiment) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, 17/3/44–16/8/44
1st Belgian Infantry Brigade
1st Belgian Infantry Brigade, April 1945. They moved into Holland in April 1945, under the command of the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, where they took charge of the Canadian sector on the north bank of the Waal, and freed Opheusden.
(IWM Photo, BU 512)
Scenes of jubilation as British troops liberate Brussels, 4 September 1944. A Universal Carrier crewed by Free Belgian troops is welcomed by cheering civilians.
Prinses Irene Brigade, Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade
Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, August 1944.
During the Second World War, the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, later known as the Princess Irene Brigade (Dutch: Prinses Irene Brigade) was a Dutch military unit initially formed from approximately 1,500 troops, including a small group guarding German prisoners-of-war, who arrived in the United Kingdom in May 1940 following the collapse of the Netherlands. Elements of this force became the nucleus of what was originally called the "Dutch Legion."
Although augmented by conscription from overseas citizens from Canada, the United States, the Middle East, the Dutch West Indies (Netherlands Antilles and Suriname), South Africa and Argentina; the Dutch force grew very slowly as troops were detached for other duties i.e. the Commandos, the Navy etc. The unit never totalled more than about 2,000 men at one time with a total of around 3,000 serving, less than the 3,000 to 4,000 personnel normally associated with a brigade. While some 500 Surinamese volunteered for service in the brigade, they were rejected by the Dutch government, on the grounds that their racial background might cause offense to volunteers and conscripts from South Africa.[4] Despite this some Surinamese did serve in the Brigade and fight during the war. Some Dutch West Indian personnel nevertheless later saw action with the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in the Pacific theatre. On 11 February 1941, by approval of Queen Wilhelmina, the Dutch Legion gained a new name, the Prinses Irene Brigade (P.I.B.).
On 6 August 1944, the first troops of the P.I.B landed at Graye-sur-Mer Normandy, in northern France. Later, the main force landed and the P.I.B. served under the First Canadian Army until it moved forward with the British Second Army. Heavy fighting took place around the Chateau St Come ("Hellfire Corner") and the brigade liberated Pont Audemer in the progress. In mid-September, the P.I.B. became involved in fighting with German forces at the town of Beringen.
The brigade would be trained first in Guelph, then Stratford, Ontario alongside British units.
It first re-entered Dutch territory at Borkel en Schaft on 20 September 1944, as part of Operation Market Garden – the operation to simultaneously capture nine bridges between the Bocholt-Herentals Canal and the Rhine (at Arnhem). At around this time, the brigade was also involved in combat against the Dutch Waffen-SS volunteer formation Landstorm Nederland, German SS, and paratroopers.
From 26 September, the P.I.B guarded the then unnamed bridge spanning the River Maas at Grave. (The bridge known later as John S. Thompsonbrug, was the longest to attack and defend during the operation.)
On 24 October, the brigade was ordered to move south-west to Tilburg to attack the town from the south during Operation Pheasant while the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division attacked from the east. The P.I.B. was unable to get to Tilburg and was stranded at Broekhoven, where fighting took place and four soldiers were killed.
The Prinses Irene Brigade spent the winter of 1944/45 in the region of Walcheren and Noord-Beveland (Zeeland), losing several soldiers. From Zeeland, the P.I.B. went back to North Brabant.
On 31 March 1945, the commander of the P.I.B., Colonel De Ruyter van Steveninck, said goodbye to the three platoons of Marines; the latter subsequently formed II Independent Company and were sent to the USA to join the Royal Netherlands Marines Brigade, who had originally assigned these troops to the P.I.B. so the brigade would have enough troops participating in the liberation of Europe, as requested by the British government. The gap left by the Dutch Marines was filled with replacements from the volunteers from the liberated parts of the Netherlands, who had been trained at Bergen Op Zoom under the command of Frank Looringh van Beeck, a South African officer.
On 2 March 1945, the P.I.B. was put under the command of the Netherlands District, under Major General A Galloway, based at the HQ in the city of Tilburg.
The P.I.B. was involved in heavy fighting in the town of Hedel, north of Den Bosch, on the River Maas in April 1945. The P.I.B. was supposed to link up with the 30 Royal Marines, of the 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines, at Kerkdriel in an attempt to liberate the Bommelerwaard. However, the Royal Marines gave up due to German opposition in the town of Kerkdriel, leaving the P.I.B. stranded at the bridgehead of Hedel.[citation needed] The Prinses Irene Brigade was under command of the 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines at this time. Still, they fought the Germans with great gallantry, and were able to hold the town for three days. In these fights, the P.I.B. lost twelve men; around thirty were wounded. Several gallantry medals were later awarded for actions in Hedel. At 11:15 hours on 25 April the order to withdraw from the bridgehead, in Hedel, came from 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines. At 23:30 hours III Independent Company withdrew from the town as the last unit to the south side of the river Maas. This effort was completed at 00:30 hours on 26 April.
The Princess Irene Brigade entered The Hague on 9 May 1945 as liberators. After the war, the traditions of the brigade were perpetuated by the Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene.
(Dutch National Archives Photo)
Liberation Route, Princess Irene Brigade, Utrecht-Woerden-Alphen and Rijn-Leiden-The Hague, cheered by a crowd. To the right of the town hall . Almost all visible buildings were demolished after the war, 8 May 1945.
(Anefo Photo)
Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade (Prinses Irene Brigade) on the Tilburg Breda road, 26 October 1944.
(IWM Photo, B 10050)
A Lloyd Carrier with Dutch Army markings of the Prinses Irene Brigade, Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, 18 Sep 1944.
1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade
1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade, October-November 1944, Siege of Dunkirk.
(Wikipedia Photo)
Czechoslovak soldiers of the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade at the end of the War in La Panne (Belgium) near Dunkerque in 1945.
The 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade was created on 1 September 1943, when the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Brigade (itself originally formed as 1st Czechoslovak Mixed Brigade in July 1940 from remnants of the 1st Czechoslovak Division serving in the French Army) converted to armour and was renamed the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group (this was often simplified to 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade or abbreviated 1st CIABG). The brigade was under the command of Major General Alois Liška. The motorised infantry battalion of the brigade traced its lineage back to Czechoslovak units that had fought in Libya and Lebanon, notably the 11th Infantry Battalion which took part in the defence of Tobruk.
The formation continued to train in the UK until the summer of 1944 when, with some 4,000 troops under command, it moved to Normandy, joining 21st Army Group at Falaise on 30 August. On 6 October, the brigade advanced to Dunkirk, northern France, and relieved the 154 (Highland) Infantry Brigade on the eastern side of fortress Dunkirk. The brigade was subordinated to the First Canadian Army, which was responsible for the conduct of the siege.
The brigade's tank units were primarily equipped with the Cromwell tank and a number of 17-pounder Sherman tanks (Sherman Firefly), Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger tanks and M5 Stuart light tanks. Crusader AA tanks were dispatched with the brigade but believed not to have been used. They were supported by a Motor Battalion in M5 Half-tracks and Universal Carriers, an anti-tank battery of 12 Ordnance QF 17-pounder anti-tank guns and a Field Artillery Regiment of two batteries of Ordnance QF 25 pounder gun-howitzers. The unit was supported by a Reconnaissance Squadron that used Humber Light Reconnaissance Cars, M5 Stuarts, Humber Scout Cars and Cromwell tanks.
1st Brigade spent the remainder of the war at Dunkirk, alternately attacking and being attacked by the energetic German garrison, including a successful major raid on German positions on 28 October 1944, Czechoslovak Independence Day. During that time, the brigade was reinforced by French units formed from local French Forces of the Interior (FFI) troops; on 15 October, these were amalgamated into the 110th FFI Infantry Regiment with two battalions allocated for the Siege of Dunkirk. On 24 January 1945, the 110th FFI Regiment was disbanded, with two its battalions and two other FFI battalions used to re-form the French 51st Infantry Regiment, a unit of the regular army. Various British and Canadian formations also supported the siege at one time or another.
In November, the brigade passed from the First Canadian Army to the 21st Army Group. In the spring of 1945, the 1st Armoured Brigade Group was expanded to 5,900 Czechoslovak officers and men, some of whom came from nationals recruited in liberated France and a significant group of a tank battalion, an artillery regiment, a motor transport company and a company of engineers from Czechs and Slovaks forced to serve in the Wehrmacht and who were captured by the Allies in Normandy.On 23 April, a symbolic 140-men strong unit detached from the troops besieging Dunkirk, led by Major Sítek, joined with the 3rd US Army and raised the Czechoslovak flag on its homeland border crossing on 1 May 1945 at Cheb.
On 23 April, a symbolic 140-men strong unit detached from the troops besieging Dunkirk, led by Major Sítek, joined with the 3rd US Army and raised the Czechoslovak flag on its homeland border crossing on 1 May 1945 at Cheb.
The Dunkirk garrison did not surrender until after the surrender of Germany, 9 May 1945, when 15,500 German troops and three U-boats were captured by the Czechoslovaks. The brigade then marched to Prague, reaching the city on 18 May 1945, eight days after the arrival of Soviet-sponsored Czechoslovak troops commanded by Ludvík Svoboda.
During the siege of Dunkirk, the Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade suffered 668 casualties; 167 dead, 461 wounded, and 40 missing. (Wikipedia)
II Canadian Corps Defence Company (The Prince Edward Island Light Horse)
During the Second World War, the PEI Light Horse on 27 February 1941 mobilized an Armoured Squadron which formed the Headquarters Squadron of the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade. They would later on 1 November 1943 be reorganized as the 2nd Canadian Corps Defence Company (The Prince Edward Island Light Horse). On 6 July 1944, the PEI Light Horse landed in France and served as part of the II Canadian Corps until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945.
18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons)
During the Second World War the Regiment mobilized the 18th (Manitoba) Reconnaissance Battalion, CAC, CASF, for active service on 10 May 1941. It was redesignated the 18th (Manitoba) Armoured Car Regiment, CAC, CASF, on 26 January 1942; the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons), CAC, CASF, on 16 December 1942; and 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons), RCAC, CASF on 2 August 1945. It embarked for Great Britain on 19 August 1942. On 8 and 9 July 1944 it landed in Normandy, France as a unit attached directly to II Canadian Corps, where it fought in North West Europe until the end of the war.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3202099)
General Motors T17E1 Staghound armoured cars of "A" Squadron, 12th Manitoba Dragoons, in the Hochwald, Germany, 2 March 1945.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224497)
General Motors T17E1 Staghound armoured cars of "A" Squadron, 12th Manitoba Dragoons, 30 December 1943.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3524437)
A General Motors Staghound T-17E1 armoured car of the 12th Manitoba Dragoons crossing a Bailey bridge, Elbeuf, France, 28 August 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191574)
General Motors T17E1 Staghound armoured cars of "A" Squadron, 12th Manitoba Dragoons, crossing the Seine River, 28 August 1944.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3224495)
2 Canadian Infantry Division parade in front of Queen Wilhelmina. Scout cars of the12th Manitoba Dragoons pass the base, 28 June 1945.
Headquarters and F Squadron, 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment) Canadian Armoured Corps (CAC).
In 1942 it was designated as the 25th Armoured Regiment (The Elgin Regiment). In 1943 it became the1st Canadian Tank Delivery Regiment, laterthatsme year renamed the 25th Canadian Tank Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment). From 1943 to 1945 it served as the 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment). "A" & "B" Squadrons were attached to 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade. "C" Squadron was attached to 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. "D" Squadron was attached to 4th Canadian Armoured Division. "E" Squadron was attached to II Canadian Corps. "F" Squadron was attached to First Canadian Army. "G" Squadron was attached to 5th Canadian Armoured Division, and "H" Squadron was attached to I Canadian Corps.
(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No.)
A Sherman from the Canadian 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment) rolls down the road in France, 1944.
