It’s 1944 and, as Allied armies fight their way through France, supply lines are stretched thin. The tools of war must travel from Normandy to a front that’s moving further from the D-Day beaches by the moment. The Belgian port at Antwerp offers the solution the Allies need—extensive docks and facilities ideally situated to support the invasion of the Reich.
The port is taken. But to get supplies into Antwerp, Allied ships have to navigate the Scheldt, and the 80-kilometre estuary into it is controlled by the enemy. The Canadians are given the job of driving the Germans out.
The battle for control of the waters leading into the port of Antwerp shapes up as a Canadian affair—a mission that’s not clearly stated and assigned later than it should have been, without timely support from other Allies, and to an under-strength army suffering from a lack of suitable infantry replacements.
Three prominent features define the area of Belgium and the Netherlands where First Canadian Army is to fight the Battle of the Scheldt: low-lying land, extensive canals, and the Scheldt estuary. The terrain is pancake flat and muddy. Much of it is below sea level and deliberately flooded by its well-prepared German defenders.
Canadians are dispatched to clear the south bank of the Scheldt River, known as the Breskens pocket and declared by Hitler as Scheldt Fortress South. After early gains, enemy fire is so heavy that Canadian units cannot link up; soldiers are pinned down. But Canadian artillery and aircraft take a heavy toll on the Germans.
German defenders withdraw westward, enabling 2nd Division to get on with its main mission of clearing South Beveland. A clever ruse tricks 367 Germans into surrendering to the 14th Canadian Hussars, while other units of 2nd Division persevere through one of their toughest operations of the war.
Last-ditch German defences on Walcheren Island at the mouth of the Scheldt River are the strongest in Europe. Bombers breach the dikes, flooding 80 per cent of the island. The fighting is bloody and difficult. The last enemy holdouts surrender on Nov. 10. But for sea mines, the approaches to Antwerp are clear.
The Battle of the Scheldt is arguably the most critical campaign fought by the Canadian Army during the Second World War. Most senior Allied commanders did not recognize Antwerp’s importance as early as they should have and, once they did, failed to react promptly and provide the necessary support for First Canadian Army to do the job.
© Canvet Publications Ltd.
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