Liberation of the Netherlands and Capitulation of Germany about:reader?ur l=https ://www.junobeach.org/ canada-in-wwii/article ... junobeach.org Liberation of the Netherlands and Capitulation of Germany 17-2 1 minutes Canada in the Second World War Liberation of the Netherlands and Capitulation of Germany The Winter by the Maas, November 8th, 1944- February 7th, 1945 After the Battle of the Scheidt the First Canadian Army prepared to winter. For three months, between November 8th, 1944, and February 8th, 1945, Canadians were not involved in any large-scale operation. Rest was more than welcome. The 3rd Infantry Division and the 2nd Armoured Brigade had been fighting since early June, other units since July. Members of "B" Troop, 5th Field Regiment, firing 25-pounder near Malden, Holland, 1 February 1945. From left to right: Sergeant Jack Brown, Bdr. Joe Wilson, Gunners Lyle Ludwig, Bill Budd, George Spence, and Bill Stewart. hoto by Michael M. Dean. Department of National Defence I National Archives of Canada, PA-146868. Those five months of action had a major impact on all First Army battalions. Men were killed in action or evacuated after being wounded; others suffering from battle exhaustion collapsed under the constant stress of ever-present death , facing mortars, shells and bullets every day. Others were made prisoners by the enemy, to be interrogated then transferred to a stalag in German territory. In Northwest Europe, as in Italy, Canadian units were under strength, with no trained men to fill the voids left by heavy casualties. By October 1944, this had become a critical issue and Canadian Defence Minister Colonel ,LJ,.§Y.lon Ralston inspected 1 of 10 2021-03-02, 4:41 p.m. Liberation of the Netherlands and Capitulation of Germany about:reader?url=https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/article ... Canadian troops overseas to take the measure of the problem. Convinced of the necessity of supplying the Army with fresh troops, Ralston tried to garner the support of the Canadian government for compulsory overseas military service. Fearing this would lead to an even larger crisis with the Canadian population, Prime Minister King refused to backtrack on his promise that Canadians would never be sent to serve overseas against their will. Ralston resigned and General And)' McNaughton replaced him as Defence Minister. He entertained the hope that territorial defence draftees would agree to be sent to the front; this solution did not work out and the problem remained unsolved. Photo by Barney J. Gloster. Department of National Defence/ National Archives of Canada, PA-138068. Photo by Barney J. Gloster. Department of National Defence I National Archives of Canada, PA -138068. On the other hand, after five months of campaign , Canadian soldiers were now experienced warriors, but the wintering by the Maas, near Nijmegen in the Netherlands was no party. They had to defend a bridgehead that would be used as a starting point for crossing the Rhine. They also had to keep the Germans on their toes. They were not far, on the other side of the Maas. While US and British armies launched an attack further south, the Canadians had to give the enemy the impression that an assault was imminent to force it to leave troops in that area. Donning white uniforms as camouflage in a snowy landscape, Canadian soldiers patrolled in an "active and aggressive" way, making good of every opportunity to gain some ground or make a prisoner. An unexpected development was to postpone the planned assault by several weeks. Between December 16th and 26th, 1944, Hitler tried to dislodge US troops from the Ardennes in order to recapture Antwerp. The Americans were able to stop the German advance but the operation resulted in a delay of several weeks to the Rhine offensive. 2 of 10 2021-03 -02, 4:41 p.m. Liberation of the Netherlands and Capitulation of Germany about:reader?url=https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/article ... The Battle of the Rhineland, February 8th - March 11th, 1945 For Operation Veritable, the First Canadian Army had to leave the Nijmegen area and move towards the southeast to take over the Rhineland, a narrow strip of land between the Maas and Rhine rivers. The Dutch-German border followed the Maas in that sector. For the first time, fighting was to take place on German soil and a fierce opposition was expected. Three defence lines protected the area: the first one was a series of outposts, then the Siegfried Line that ran through the Reichswald Forest, and finally the series of fortifications through the Hochwald Forest. To slow down the Allies' progress, the Germans destroyed dykes and flooded the area. February's milder weather and thaw softened the muddy ground, hindering the advance of armoured vehicles and artillery. Infantry of the Chaudiere Regiment going along dyke during the clearing of the flooded area near Cleve, Germany, February 10th, 1945. Photo by Colin C. McDougall. Department of National Defence I National Archives of Canada, PA-159561. Under command of General Crerar and the First Canadian Army were the divisions of II Canadian Corps, as well as nine British divisions, some Belgian, Dutch, Polish and US units. It was the largest military force under Canadian command ever. The operation was launched on February 8th with aerial bombings and powerful artillery offensive. Fighting under the First Canadian Army, XXX British Corps marched towards the Reichswald Forest. On its left flank, the 3rd Canadian Division , nicknamed "the Water Rats", had to clear the flooded region north of the Nijmegen-Calcar road. For that purpose, the Canadian infantry used Buffalo amphibious vehicles, but could not count on any artillery or tank support. "Breaches in the dykes blown by the enemy caused extensive flooding during the night. A road built by RCE to D coy area was washed out and the coy HQ surrounded by water. Some of our outpost positions had to be abandoned as the water continued to rise at the rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour during the day." Highland Light Infantry of Canada War Diary, 6 February 1945 The Germans, for their part, could rely on excellent defence installations - antitank ditches, networks of trenches, fortified 3 of 10 2021-03-02, 4:41 p.m. Liberation of the Netherlands and Capitulation of Germany about:reader?url=https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/article ... positions - as well as an apparently inexhaustible supply of weapons and ammunition. They were now fighting for their homeland and that thought increased their determination. In addition , it rained most of the time; the humidity and the cold created uncomfortable combat conditions. In spite of all this, the operation was off to a good start with the advanced positions falling on the first day and the Siegfried Line broken as early as February 10th. On February 16th, the 7th Brigade met with unexpected opposition near the Mayland Wood, towards Calcar. The infantrymen encountered machine-gun, mortar and shell fire . After a few days of violent combat and high casualties for the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and the Canadian Scottish, the 7th Brigade organized a systematic assault to clear the forest of the remaining enemy. On February 21st, the wood was captured but the six days of fighting cost the division 485 men, killed, wounded or captured. Coy and C Coy are encountering considerable opposition for enemy is in the Moy/and Wood. Seem to be large numbers of enemy there despite fact that posts of enemy had been previously cleared by British units ... - Regina Rifle Regiment, War Diary, 16-18 Februar)' 1945 Sherman tanks of the 4th Armoured Division ready to advance near Sonsbeck, Germany, March 9th, 1945. Photo by Jack H. Smith. Department of National Defence I National Archives of Canada, PA-113682. In the mean time, the 4th Brigade was involved in bloody action along the Goch-Calcar road: the tanks and Kangaroo troop carriers were halted by the mud in which they got bogged down and by fire from hidden 88-mm guns along the road . On the 19th and 20th, violent attacks and counter-attacks followed one another. Driven back, the 4th Brigade managed to regain some ground but it had lost some 400 men, including several captured by the enemy. Dear Mother and Dad, Just a note to let you know I'm well and a Prisoner of War in Germany Please don't wor,y about my condition or health-you know me, and I'm the same as ever. Your prayers have been with me, I know, and through my experiences I have been conscious of them and of you. I was captured late in the afternoon of Feb. 19. It 4 of 10 2021-03-02, 4:41 p.m. Liberation of the Netherlands and Capitulation of Germany about:reader?url=https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/article ... was rather a rough time and I ended up on the wrong side of the line when the attack was over and things were more settled. I can receive all mail sent to me and the address is on the outside of this sheet. Hope war is over before I hear from you. Your army son-Bob LUCpl Robert Sanderson, POW at Stalag XI B, to his parents, 1O March 1945, from Letters from a Soldier : The Wartime Experience of a Canadian Infantryman, 1993 After the slow advance of the last few days, Lieutenant- General Guy Simonds believed a concentrated attack could capture Xanten and the Hochwald. This was operation Blockbuster and it started on February 25th. II Canadian Corps made good progression and seized Keppeln, Odem and the Calcar Ridge.