On to Victory Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Epigraph

  PREFACE

  Acknowledgements

  Introduction

  PART ONE - OVER THE RHINE, THEN, LET US GO

  [1] - No Possibility of Doubt

  [2] - Never to Be Forgotten

  [3] - Go for the Goddamn Woods

  [4] - Rugged Resistance

  [5] - The Enemy Fought Like Madmen

  [6] - More Than Battered About

  [7] - Pretty Sticky

  [8] - Utmost Tenacity

  PART TWO - DELIGHTED WITH THIS ENTIRE SHOW

  [9] - All Together Again

  [10] - A Lion and a Tiger

  [11] - Fierce Rearguard Actions

  [12] - On the Brink

  [13] - Crazy Young Devils

  [14] - Minor Skirmishes

  PART THREE - BREAKOUTS

  [15] - Long Way Out Front

  [16] - On to Groningen

  [17] - Waited So Long

  [18] - Piece of Cake

  [19] - Jerry Is Running

  PART FOUR - RISKY BUSINESS

  [20] - A Stern Atonement

  [21] - Large-Scale Street Fighting

  [22] - Operation Cleanser

  [23] - Sound Tactical Plans

  [24] - Crossroad Ambushes

  [25] - Bitterest Battle

  [26] - Thank You, Canadians

  [EPILOGUE]

  APPENDIX A: - PRINCIPAL POLITICIANS, COMMANDERS, AND UNITS IN THE LIBERATION CAMPAIGN

  APPENDIX B: - THE CANADIAN ARMY IN THE LIBERATION CAMPAIGN

  APPENDIX C: - CANADIAN INFANTRY BATTALION

  APPENDIX D: - CANADIAN AND GERMAN ARMY ORDER OF RANKS

  APPENDIX E: - ARMY DECORATIONS

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  NOTES

  GENERAL INDEX

  INDEX OF FORMATIONS, UNITS, AND CORPS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Copyright Page

  THE CANADIAN LIBERATION OF

  THE NETHERLANDS,

  MARCH 23—MAY 5, 1945

  through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.

  THE CANADIAN BATTLE SERIES∗

  Operation Husky: The Canadian Invasion of Sicily, July 10-August 7, 1943

  Terrible Victory: First Canadian Army and the Scheldt Estuary Campaign, September 13-November 6, 1943

  Holding Juno: Canada’s Heroic Defence of the D-Day Beaches, June 7-12, 1944

  Juno Beach: Canada’s D-Day Victory: June 6, 1944

  The Gothic Line: Canada’s Month of Hell in World War II Italy

  The Liri Valley: Canada’s World War II Breakthrough to Rome

  Ortona: Canada’s Epic World War II Battle

  OTHER MILITARY HISTORY BOOKS BY MARK ZUEHLKE

  The Canadian Military Atlas: Four Centuries of Conflict from New France to Kosovo (with C. Stuart Daniel)*

  Brave Battalion: The Remarkable Saga of the 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish) in the First World War

  The Gallant Cause: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939

  For Honour’s Sake: The War of 1812 and the Brokering of an Uneasy Peace

  *Available from D&M Publishers Inc.

  My dear General, the German is whipped. We’ve got him. He is all through.

  —Prime Minister Churchill to General Eisenhower, March 24, 1945

  You kept getting this news from home . . . And they’d say, it was practically over—sporadic fighting and . . . only pockets to be cleaned up. Some of them goddamn pockets were pretty tough.

  —Don Fowle, Signaller, Lincoln and Welland Regiment

  A lot of Canadian soldiers have stories about liberating the Dutch. We were in Germany for all that time and never liberated anybody.

  —4th Canadian Armoured Division Veteran

  Near the end of the war, nobody wanted to get killed.

  —Lance Corporal Stuart Johns, Canadian Grenadier Guards

  PREFACE

  WHEN I EXPLAINED the time frame that On to Victory encompassed, Dr. Steve Harris at the Directorate of Heritage and History, Department of National Defence, in Ottawa commented that this would be a very different book from the others in the Canadian Battle Series. “No real major battles,” he said, “just lots of minor, small actions.” It was an opinion repeated often by other historians and even agreed to by some of the veterans involved in those battles. In his book tracing First Canadian Army’s march across Northwest Europe from Normandy to victory, Terry Copp correctly pointed out that the events of April and May 1945 have been paid “slight attention” by Canadian historians. Perhaps, he speculated, the great battles of the preceding February and March in the Rhineland had exhausted historians and their assigned word counts just as they had badly worn down the Canadian soldiers who fought there. Whatever the reason, the last weeks of the war have been relegated almost to the status of endnotes in many histories.

  On to Victory is the first major account detailing the experiences of First Canadian Army from the moment it joined in Operation Plunder—the forced crossing of the Rhine—through to war’s end. Those last short weeks where each day’s fighting brought the finish closer, and every death seemed crueller because so little war remained, proved to contain a story of far greater complexity than I had anticipated. Yes, there were many minor actions. But there were also battles of fierce and prolonged intensity. Repeatedly the Germans defended towns both small and large with grim determination. Most canals and river crossings also met strong resistance from an enemy that seemed unwilling to admit that their cause was lost, the ultimate defeat of their nation inevitable and close.

  Often when historical events have been scantily told, part of the reason is a shortage of contemporary accounts. Hardly the case here, for in those last days First Canadian Army seemed to be stacking up accounts of its actions as quickly as it spent shells. I was blessed to find hundreds upon hundreds of pages of material, including war diaries, after-action reports, detailed summaries compiled shortly after the armistice, and regimental histories written in the months spent awaiting repatriation. Added to this, of course, were the many veteran accounts. From all these sources it was possible to put together an account of most military operations in which First Canadian Army was involved in the Netherlands and western Germany with remarkable detail and accuracy.

  As before, I was struck by how veteran recollections of events accorded closely to the official accounts—each serving to inform the other in ways that assured clarity and fullness. Where a gap existed in the official records, veterans provided stories that added depth and continuity. When veterans were unsure of where or when a certain event occurred, the details could usually be ferreted out from the documented records.

  Unfortunately, time is taking its toll on the men and women who fought in World War II. Each year the number passing on grows exponentially. There is little time left to gather the stories of those still able to tell them. If you know a veteran, either a friend or relative, please consider trying to record their experiences in one form or another. Then donate the material to an archive, museum, or other depository where it will be preserved for future researchers and generations.

  The Canadian Battle Series is first and foremost a work of remembrance, intended to honour the experiences of a nation’s soldiers during the most catastrophic war of modern history. By presenting the many battles they fought in a deeply detailed “you are there” style, I hope to enable readers of all ages to comprehend the reality of what those who are now old endured when they were young soldiers, wanting desperately to live and again see a world at peace.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  THE RESEARCHING OF each Canadian Battle Series book results in new acquaintances and the renewing of relationships developed during work on ti
tles past. In the latter category, I wish to thank veteran Charles Goodman, who again shared his experiences as a young signaller in the South Saskatchewan Regiment. A veteran in the former group is Gordie Bannerman, who provided much information on the Battle of Otterloo and also connected me to a Vancouver Island group of veterans who meet monthly for lunch. Other veterans also provided interviews or correspondence and are mentioned in the bibliography.

  Ken MacLeod spent a great deal of time sorting through his taped interviews and transcripts to provide a wealth of personal stories. Rosalie Hartigan kindly provided her late husband’s written account of 1st Parachute Battalion in Operation Varsity and granted me permission to quote from it.

  A number of people played important roles during my research trip to the Netherlands. In Groesbeek, the charming and knowledgeable Marco Cillessen took time away from work and family to spend several days showing me in detail the Rhineland, Operation Plunder, and Operation Varsity battlegrounds. For the latter part of my travels in Holland, I acted as historian for Marilyn Minnes’s 2009 Legacy Battlefield Tour of the Scheldt Estuary and Liberation campaigns. Two tour participants deserve special mention. Bernard Diepman was a young boy during the liberation, and he shared many memories of his experiences, as well as commenting on various aspects of the battles and the influence on events of Dutch geography, topography, and climate. Another Dutch-Canadian, Bert Perey, also helped shape my understanding of the influences of Dutch countryside and culture on the liberation story. Both were also just a lot of fun to be around. Tour driver and retired Canadian armoured regiment officer Mike Charrier was always happy to provide extensive briefings on the pluses and minuses of Canadian and German armour. Fortunately, there are countless Canadian Shermans serving as monuments throughout Holland to provide opportunities for hands-on examination. Mike also always had his hotel room open for Bernard, Bert, and me to drop in and continue discussions started during the day.

  Nobody in Holland or elsewhere has contributed more to the research and writing of this book than my friend Johan van Doorn. We spent about three weeks retracing virtually the entire route that First Canadian Army took through the Netherlands and Germany during those last forty-eight days of the war. His knowledge of the campaign from the Canadian, Dutch, and German perspectives is encyclopedic, and thanks to his assistance I was able to see many areas of the battlefield I would otherwise never have visited. As anyone who has researched military campaigns knows, understanding why a battle played out as it did is greatly enhanced by being able to see the ground over which it was fought. Johan shared much material from his extensive archival collection. A dab hand at Excel spreadsheets, he also kept me on track during a frenetic Ottawa research trip where the hundreds of documents requiring consultation threatened to short-circuit this researcher’s brain. Johan also carefully read the manuscript with an eye to making sure that the Dutch side of the story was correctly informed by the Dutch documentary record. Relationships like this are particularly special. Thanks, too, to Anneke, for letting him go off on a long trek and for opening their house to me for a considerable stretch of days.

  Speaking of Ottawa, once again Dr. Steve Harris at the Directorate of Heritage and History, Department of National Defence smoothed the way for me to consult records there and came through on short notice with a vital and missing part of one of the AHQ histories. At the Canadian War Museum, Carol Reid was her enthusiastic and thorough self, providing me with various documents I otherwise would have missed. Special thanks must go to Paul Marsden at Library and Archives Canada for digging out and providing copies of documents missed in my visit there. Once again the Reginald Roy oral history project archive at the University of Victoria Special Collections was invaluable for yielding up more accounts by veterans, most of whom are no longer with us.

  I would be remiss in not thanking Scott McIntyre of D&M Publishers for his continued support of the Canadian Battle Series. The publishing world in Canada is a difficult one, and his dedication to keeping the entire series in print and available to Canadians while supporting its continuation through publication of new titles is commendable. Kathy Vanderlinden stepped up to the plate again to undertake the tough job of editing the book on a very tight deadline. C. Stuart Daniel of Starshell Maps returned to make it cartographically possible to follow the movement of an army across a vast and complex landscape. My agent, Carolyn Swayze, continues to be a great advocate for my work and for keeping the financial and other business sides of things on track.

  Finally, most special and sincere thanks to my partner, Frances Backhouse, who was endlessly supportive through the difficult and exhausting process of getting this book written. Every book is its own long campaign and this one proved more so than ever. Thanks again, love.

  Map 1

  Map 2

  Map 3

  Map 4

  Map 5

  Map 6

  Map 7

  Map 8

  Map 9

  Map 10

  [INTRODUCTION]

  The Sweetest of Springs

  AMSTERDAM, MAY 7, 1945

  LESS THAN FORTY-EIGHT hours after the German surrender in the Netherlands and northwest Germany, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry crammed aboard trucks, Bren carriers, and jeeps to roll out of Amersfoort at 0805 hours. The battalion was under orders to speed to Haarlem, and specifically the small village of Bloemendaal on its outskirts, to secure a large ammunition dump and weapons cache. The war was over, administrating the peace a pressing necessity.

  Lieutenant Colonel R.P. “Slug” Clark had raced ahead at dawn to contact the German commander at Haarlem and arrange an orderly takeover. With only two companions, Clark approached a roadblock manned by “fully armed” Germans, who “seemed . . . extremely surprised to see an Allied vehicle passing through their fortification.” Clark was relieved that the Germans had kept their arms shouldered.

  As the jeep passed through Amsterdam “early in the morning, the city appeared to be deserted,” until a couple of people appeared and “suddenly recognized an Allied vehicle. There were a few shouts, then heads began to pop out of windows. Before we got to the end of this long main street it seemed as though the whole population of the city was blocking our path . . . From all appearances no Allied soldiers had been along this main road from the south until my small party arrived.” Clark would thereafter claim the PPCLI “was the first Allied force to enter Amsterdam.”1

  Amsterdam was ready and waiting when the PPCLI’s main body arrived a couple of hours later. “The reception . . . was overwhelming,” the battalion war diarist wrote. “Vehicles were completely covered with flowers—thousands of people lined the streets, screaming welcomes, throwing flowers, confetti and streamers, waving flags and orange pennants, and boarding vehicles. Never have so many happy people been seen at one time.”2

  All over Holland the same story was playing out, but nowhere more ecstatically than in the large cities of the Randstad region, which encompassed Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, Haarlem, Hilversum, and Utrecht. This was the liberation. This was the time the Dutch would forever remember as the “sweetest of springs.”

  “Every village, street and house was bedecked with the red, white and blue Dutch flags and orange streamers, which in the brilliant sunlight made a gay scene,” one PPCLI officer wrote. “The Dutch people lined the roads and streets in thousands to give us a great welcome. Wherever the convoy had to slow up for a road block or a bridge, hundreds of people waved, shouted and even fondled the vehicles. When the convoy reached the outskirts of Amsterdam it lost all semblance of a military column. A vehicle would be unable to move because of civilians surrounding it, climbing on it, throwing flowers, bestowing handshakes, hugs and kisses. One could not see the vehicle or trailer for legs, arms, heads and bodies draped all over it . . . Boy scouts as well as civilian police and resistance fighters had turned out in large numbers to attempt to control the crowds and to guide the vehicles to their destinations. />
  “The Dutch people whom we saw looked healthier than we expected to find them but most of them had sunken eyes betraying months of insufficient food. It was said that there were many thousands in Amsterdam not out to welcome us because they were too feeble from hunger to move into the streets.”3

  Late that Monday morning, a second column of Canadian troops wended its way through Amsterdam’s crowds. These were the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada with a squadron of armoured cars driven by the Princess Louise’s Dragoon Guards in support. All told, they numbered a thousand men, and their task was to garrison the capital city with its 800,000 people. Lieutenant Colonel Henry “Budge” Bell-Irving thought, “There must have been half a million people throwing beautiful flowers at us. An old lady, handing me a bunch of roses, said from the very bottom of her soul, ‘Thank God, at last you’ve come.’”4

  “Thousands upon thousands line the streets for four miles,” Seaforth padre Roy Durnford scribbled in his diary. “Flowers—roses, tulips & every sort. Crowds load every vehicle including our RAP [Regimental Aid Post] jeep. I stand on running board. Terrific welcome. They tell in broken English with tears & unbridled joy how thankful they are to us. Children are lovely. Terrible shortage of food, 1/2 loaf bread, handful of potatoes per week. No fats, no tea, sugar, cocoa, firewood. Thousands of old people die. We camp in park . . . I rejoice today with the free.”5