Large parts of western Belgium were quickly liberated as the Germans marshalled their defences in certain key areas. It was not always this fast, however, as the battle to cross the Ghent Canal was a bitter one. Antwerp, a major port in Belgium, was taken relatively undamaged in early September. The problem was that it was 80 kilometres from the open sea. Between it and the English Channel lay the West Scheldt estuary, passing through parts of Belgium and the Netherlands that were still controlled by the Germans.
In mid-September, the vital task of clearing the enemy from the Scheldt and allowing the Allies to make use of Antwerp fell largely to the First Canadian Army. Much of the Battle of the Scheldt took place over flat and often flooded terrain that offered little cover for the advancing Canadians. Mud that stuck to men and machines, the many dikes and canals that had to be crossed, and an entrenched, battle-hardened enemy made the struggle to clear the area a mighty effort.
Indeed, some of the toughest fighting of the war would be to cross the flat, wet, ditched terrain around the Leopold Canal in the north of Belgium. Despite the challenges, the Allies persevered and the last German defenders were defeated by early November. The Scheldt was then cleared of mines and by late November Antwerp was finally opened to shipping.
Many Veterans would tell the story of entire Belgian towns coming out to joyously greet the Canadian soldiers, showering them with flowers as they passed through in dogged pursuit of the retreating Germans. However, victory in Belgium only came at a high cost. Type of question Select your question - Select your question Info about exhibitions and events Informations about transport and directions Information about accomodation About this website Add a place or event to this website Brochure request Special prices for TO Info for groups Request HD picture library access Numbers and statistics News from Brussels Press filming authorizations Fictional filming authorizations Request for Meeting brochures Info about Meeting hotels and venues Info agenda conferences, seminars and professional fairs Information professional providers Mice Request for proposal Pro Inappropriate content?
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Approximate budget per person per day. Accommodation Choose - Choose yes no. Please upgrade your browser to use visit. A message about bla bla bla Please confirm??? Share Your Favorite. Your friend's Email separate by ','. The First Canadian Army also played a leading role in opening the Scheldt estuary tidal river , gateway to the Belgian port of Antwerp.
Access to this port was essential to maintain supply lines to the Allied armies as they continued their push toward Germany to defeat Adolf Hitler's forces and free Western Europe from four years of Nazi occupation which had begun in April Photo: Lieut.
Donald I. Belgian and Dutch units also served in the First Canadian Army in the initial advance, but were transferred to the Second British Army as it began operations in Belgium and moved on to the Netherlands. The First Canadian Army in northwestern Europe during the final phases of the war was a powerful force, the largest army that had ever been under the control of a Canadian general.
The strength of this army ranged from approximately , to , Canadian soldiers to anywhere from , to over , when including the soldiers from other nations. Seventy-seven years after he began his military career, George Couture found himself at Pier 21 reminiscing about one of the last times he was there.
Five brothers not only served Canada during the Second World War, but defied the odds to become accomplished airmen. Elsie MacGill was the first Canadian woman to receive an electrical engineering degree, and was the first female aircraft designer. Serving as a reconnaissance expert in the Devil's Brigade, Tommy Prince posed as a local farmer to repair a severed communications wire in full view of enemy troops.
Eighteen year old Alex Louie toiled in a BC pulp mill before he volunteered for active service and was trained in India to parachute behind enemy lines as part of British Army initiatives. Lieutenant Ret'd Maxine Llewellyn Bredt served while Canada was at war, over seven decades ago, and she has been a relentless volunteer for her fellow Veterans since then. More than Canadian soldiers died in battle in Belgium. In addition, more than 7, Canadian soldiers died during the Liberation of the Netherlands, many while helping free the Scheldt estuary and opening up the port of Antwerp for shipping.
Flooded section of road near Ostend, Belgium. September 11, Photo: Donald I. As the armies progressed further inland, the First Canadian Army engaged in bitter fighting at Caen and Falaise. Once the Battle of Normandy was won on August 25, , the First Canadian Army was assigned the task of clearing the coastal areas and opening the English Channel ports for supplies vital to the Allied advance.
Fighting on the left flank of the Allied forces, the First Canadian Army pushed rapidly eastward through France toward Belgium. September began with the 2 nd Canadian Division being welcomed to Dieppe. The 2 nd Canadian Corps left a number of units to guard the heavily defended ports and pushed toward Belgium.
Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. The Juno Beach Centre is an interactive educational facility and museum that offers information about Canada's role in the Second World War. Reviers, Calvados, France. Final resting place of Canadian soldiers killed during the early stages of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. Cassino, Frosinone, Italy. The Cassino Memorial commemorates more than 4, Commonwealth service members who lost their lives during the Second World War's Italian campaign and whose final resting places are unknown.
Ottawa, Ontario. Honours the contributions of all Indigenous people in war and peace support operations from the First World War to today. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honours the more than , Canadians who sacrificed their lives in the cause of peace and freedom. The National War Memorial symbolizes the sacrifice of all Canadian Armed Forces personnel who have served Canada in the cause of peace and freedom.
In the meantime, the troops of the 1 st Polish Armoured Division crossed the Somme and led the 2 nd Canadian Corps as they drove northward. Omer and on the 6 th crossed the Franco-Belgian border and overcame enemy forces at Ypres and Passchendaele sites of well-known First World War Canadian battles. On September 7 they reached Roulers, Belgium. Column of 'Alligator' amphibius vehicles passing 'Terrepin' amphibious vehicles on the Scheldt River. The Second British Army, meanwhile, was speeding through Brussels on its way to Antwerp, which it seized on September 4 with its installations virtually intact, an important first step to opening this major seaport to Allied shipping.
On September 9, and again on the night of September 10 to 11, the 1 st Polish Armoured Division attempted to create a crossing of the Ghent Canal halfway between Bruges and Ghent.
The Poles encountered heavy German opposition over the difficult terrain, and were forced to abandon the attack. They then moved north to relieve the 7 th British Armoured Division in the Ghent area. Meanwhile, the 4 th Canadian Armoured Division had resumed its advance on September 6 moving forward toward the Belgian towns of Bruges and Eecloo. On September 8, the Canadians arrived at the Ghent Canal.
The Germans had destroyed all bridges in an attempt to slow the Allied advance towards Antwerp and the Scheldt. On the evening of September 8, an attack was launched across the canal near Moerbrugge, five kilometres south of Bruges. Enemy mortar and heavy fire came down, but a narrow bridgehead was established, and by September 10 a bridge had been built across the Ghent Canal to give support.
The bridgehead was gradually extended, but the difficult terrain and enemy resistance slowed further progress. Buffalo amphibious vehicles taking troops across the Scheldt in Holland. Library and Archives Canada PA The 2 nd Canadian Infantry Division received a tumultuous welcome to Dieppe, where Canadian forces had suffered very high casualties in a failed attempt to storm the beaches in out of 4, Canadians who took part in the raid, were killed and 1, taken prisoner.
On September 6, they marched eastward with the objective of clearing the entire coastal area east of Calais, including the heavily fortified port of Dunkirk, capturing the launching sites of German rockets and putting an end to their attacks on southern England. On September 7 and 8, the 2 nd Canadian Infantry Division's 5 th Brigade captured Bourbourg, southwest of Dunkirk, and then worked to contain the Dunkirk garrison.
The Canadians received great assistance from the Belgian White Brigade, Belgium's national resistance movement, which furnished exact information concerning the enemy's strength, defences and minefields.
This port, although fortified, was not defended by the Germans. The harbour installations, however, had been partly demolished which delayed its opening. Still, on September 28, stores and bulk petrol began flowing through Ostend which provided much-needed supplies to the Allied front.
Photos from the liberation of Belgium and the battle of the Scheldt. The 2 nd Canadian Infantry Division's 4 th Brigade then moved to the southern outskirts of Bruges to assist the 4 th Canadian Armoured Division in that sector.
Fortunately, the enemy withdrew without contesting possession of the city, and the Canadians entered the city to an enthusiastic welcome from the Belgian people. The 4 th Brigade then turned back and attacked Bergues, a key part of Dunkirk's outer defences, which fell on September Despite being surrounded, the main German force in Dunkirk showed no sign of surrendering, and the port could only have been taken by a major attack with heavy support.
Instead, the Allies simply contained the port with minimum forces and concentrated every available resource on opening Antwerp. This freed the 2 nd Canadian Infantry Division to move to the Scheldt area at once. The Germans were determined to hold the Channel ports at all costs. These had been heavily fortified and the German defenders had resolved not to surrender. The distance between these ports and the Allied front meant that supply routes became stretched and Allied commanders worried that their advance might be slowed or, worse, halted completely.
Le Havre, Boulogne and Calais were taken by the 3 rd Canadian Infantry Division only after massive attacks with combined air and ground assaults.
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