137 - * the Bridgehead Is Secured, 19 Apr 4.5 311
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- 137 - * THE BRIDGEHEAD IS SECURED, 19 APR 4.5 311. Once the German attacks began to waver, Maj-Gen Vokes v engineers were urged to pross their task. Throughout the last few hours, these roon had worked under intense fire to com plete the bridge. They sufferod a good many casualties but persisted for they realized that now as nevor beforo armoured support was urgently neodod by tho infontry ahead of them (W.Dr., H.Q., R.C.E., 4 Cdn Armd Div, 19 Apr 4.5; also 9 Cdn Fd Sqn, R.C .E., 18-19 Apr 4.5). South of 'bho cMal, two squadrons of 28 . Cdn Armd Regt awaiting tho signal to movo up also took a severe pounding. They had not long to wait: At about oight in tho morning the lead tank of the B~C.Rs inched its way across. Just as it reached the far bank and started to slow over to the right side of the road, it was hit doC\.d on by an 88-rum gun firing straight down tho road. It did not brow up, however, and munngod to got cloar of tho roadway. Colonol Bradburn ordorod a nodium artillery concontration, and under its cover tho noxt tanks camo across full tilt, firing directly up tho 1'0 Gel. In a few minutes tho first troop was succossfully across and into firo positions in ar.1ong the gratoful infantry. (Cassidy, Warpath op cit, p. 31.5) 312. The arr i val of trotanks gavo now life to the troops in the bridgohead. The corJDnndor of 10 Cdn Inf Bde now nCldo his plans for tho oxploitation o.nd thr.. t norning tho infantry bogan to novo ahoad once nore. Tho I' oaso ns l' or the apparont slowness in the ndvanco to do.to ho.d boon basically o.n organic ono, and the G.S.O. 1 of th0 division later offerod his explan ations: We wore o.n arrlourod div fiGhing in what was, properly spea.1<:ing, inf country Qnd, oarly in this battle, wo began to feol our shortago of info Only so nuch offort could bo expocted fron tho inf resources at our cond, and for ono short poriod tho G.O.C. was reducod to fighting on 0. ono or at tho nost a two-bn front. Further, tho div Wr..lS dofinitely road-bound - a fact of which tho eneny was entiroly aware, and not only were we road-bound, but it was constantly necossary to rebuild tho rds over which tho Div had to adv or actually to construct now roads to pernit further advane os. (liEF: 4.5/4 Cdn Arnd Div/C/W, Docket II: Folio 3, ~ cit, Part II, Para 4) --- The G.O.C., hinself an enginoer, haQ quickly appreciatod tho sit untion regarding his one routo, and at an early sto.ge in the:: battlo he decided to concont~ratohis engineer rosouroes and all available vohiclos wi thin his . forr.w.ti on to nnintain tho route. Thus it was kept open, but 0 y by tho greatest of co-operntive effort on the part of the divisional engineers. (Ibid., Part I, para 11) - 313. As the build-up of our offort in tho bridge- hoad continued, tho flanks of tho cl.ivision wore being constau.t...ly wutchod by Brigadier Moneel's notor battalion. To quote tho Divisional Historic21 Officer:) * Reforonce nnps as for po.ra 300. 4 Cdn Armd Bde assumed op control of the triangle* 1790 - FRIESOYTHE - Kl-illaPE. The Lake Sup R. (M:>1') which had taken ovor the cOrnr.1i ttmonts of the A. & S .H. of C. in the KA~~E area, also relieved tho fwd coy of the Linc & Wolld R. in thu area 1790. The Lake Sup R. (M)T) wore thus rosponsible for tho irnrnediate right and left flanks of our front. 29 Cdn Arnd Recce Regt co ntinued to operato on thu oxtreno right, with elen onts of 18 Cdn Lrr.ld C. Regt po.trolling tho south bank of tho Kustcn Canal or our extrene left fron below Kanpe to the inter-div bdy of 1 Pol Arnd Div. (Weeky sunnary of ops and activities; 4 Cdn ~rnd Div, Apr-May 45 by Hist Offr op cit, Part I para 9) On 19 Apr a further regrouping roleased other forces for employ m.en t in the bridgehead: 3 and 65 A Tk Btys were moved up from the areas 0783 (MARKHAUSEN) and 0797 ruspoctivoly and cano undor comd 10 Cdn Inf Vdo for onploynent in tho br-hoad in a ground role. Tho Bty fOTI10rly at 0797 was rolieved by sqn of 18 Cdn f~nd C. Rogt, while a second sqn of tho sane regt move fwd PEHEIM 0676 to garrison Gi~nEL. (Ibid) Garrel had beon cloo.red by 29 Cdn Arnd Rocce Rogt and ltD" Coy Linc & Walld R. on 17 Apr. The South Albertans had also contacted Lt-Gen Denpsoy's troops on tho right. Aftor this the arnoured reconnaissance troops advanced oast~~ along tho road G,arrol Bissel (2984) - Sago (3183). Progross along this routo was slow because of the nany ninos oncounturod, bu t by 1500 hours 19 ll.pr Bissol and Sage (3183) woro in our ho.nds ani plans were adjusted for a now advance north tron theso two plo.cos. (W.D., 29 Cdn Armd Recc~ Regt, 17-19 Apr 45) 314. It now renained for thG infantry brigade to enlarge the bridgehead sufficiontly to allow the arnour ro~n on~ugh to de ploy and nanoouvre. Unfortuno.tely the scope of rosistanco and condition of ground did not nake for speed and it was to be 0.1 nost D....ll.othor week befor8 Brigo.dior Honcol WQS given his orders to novo northwards. However, tho intorvGning ti'10 was not spent in idlonoss. ThE) anJ.oured roginont,s wore kept busy supporting Brigadier Jefforson's non by tank-gun firo. (~.D., H.l. 4 Cdn i~r.rl Bde, 19, 20, 22 Apr 45). Couplod vdth this support and that of tho divisional fiold artillery and three nediun reginonts, a spectacular progrlli~o of closo air support had contributed greatly to the results achieved thus far north of tho canal. Ninoty seven sorties were flown on 17 ~pr, followed by another ninoty four on 18 Apr and eighty-sovon noro on 19 Apr; 0.11 achiovod groat succoss and brought heavy loss to the oneny. (Weokly. SULIDo.ry of Ops and ~ctivities, 4 Cdn Arrrl Div, 14-21 ~pr 45 op cit, para 11). 1m adequate tribute to the aircraft and pilots is contained in tho War Diary of 4 Cdn Arnd Div for 19 ~pr which reads: * Osterloh ~* Refor to nap 1:25,000 Sheot 3016 - Dotlingen. - 139 ,. 4- Cdn Armd Div freoly acknowledGes its debt to air sp during 18-19 Apr, without wl:..ich it is folt the brhead could NOT havo boon. successfully hold.. (W.D., G.S., H.Q.4 Cdn l~nd Div, 19 Apr 11-,) 'Ji OPEru~TIONS ON G~NER\L CREP~R~8 ~;3STERN FLU~K, 12-18 APR 45 315. ~~ilo Lt-Gen SimondS' men hnd boon liberating north-eastern Holland Qnd stc.;:ing further clo.ims on GerElQn soil to tho eo.st, the incursions of 1 Cdn' Corps into the vlOStol"Il Netherlc..nds had met with strenuous opposition. Col-Gen Blo.skowitz, the Genero.l Officer Corffi~Qnding the Twenty-Fifth Germo.n Army and vc.rious subordinnte formations of the enemy~s boleQg~ed garrison, wns under' orders to dispute ou.r passage to the 16.st. (i:.T.D., G.S. (Int), H.Q,. First Cdn Army; Mo.y 19/;-5: Appx 5, First Cdn Army IntelliGence PerioQico.l No.1). Nevertheloss, the effort to thrust his forcos back from the line of communications running north-east from Arnhom wc.s pursued with good success. On tho night of 15/16 Apr 1 and 3 Cdn Inf Bdes foug...1}t thoir way to the east bo.nk of the co.no.l at Apeldoorn Vlhere it po.sses thr''Jugh tho suburbs and to the south of tho tovm itself. On tho Division~s left 2 Cdn Inf Bde cloared south warda and on 16 Apr linkod up o.t Dioren (8784.) with eloments of '-".-9 (Vr.R.) Inf Div which had pushod out from tho bridge-hond at Arnhom to cross the high ground north of the road to Zutphon. (Ibid: AEF: 45/1 Cdn Corps/elF, Drnft OutlL'l1e of Ops of 1 Cdn Corps on Cle"'ring Uestern Hollo.nd, Apr L:-5) 316. These encouraging developmonts were to he orploited by a swift attack north and north-wostwo.rds from _\rnhem with 5 Cdn AI'I!ld Div diroctod on tho Ijssolmeor at Ni j~erk (4605) vrith tho objoct of cutting off the enemyYs forces opposed to 1mj-Gon Foster (Ibid') •. On t,he morning of 15 "".pr 5 Cdn Arm.d Bde began to advo.nce north warda through tho woods ctbovo .:~rnhon cnd :lcross- the sandy heath-land beyond and th~t night occupied Otterloo (6591). On the following morning tho ctrmour turned wost warda in tho diroction of Luntoren (.5589) and on tho' so.mo day (16 ..''"pr) , oypnssing Barnevold (5245), cut tho Apeldoorn - L~orsfoort railvny. O~ tho right Voorthuizen (5401) was c~ptured, 8ur t~nks boing thus astride tho main way of oscape for tho enomy troops holding Apeldoorn, from which they ViOro forced.