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History |
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Wars & Campaigns |
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►Boer
War
►First
World War
►►Western
Front
►►►Trench
Warfare: 1914-1916
►►►Allied
Offensive: 1916
►►►Allied
Offensives: 1917
►►►German
Offensive: 1918
►►►Advance
to Victory: 1918
►►Siberia
►Second
World War
►►War
Against Japan
►►North
Africa
►►Italian
Campaign
►►►Sicily
►►►Southern
Italy
►►►The
Sangro and Moro
►►►Battles
of the FSSF
►►►Cassino
►►►Liri
Valley
►►►Advance
to Florence
►►►Gothic
Line
►►►Winter
Lines
►►North-West
Europe
►►►Normandy
►►►Southern
France
►►►Channel
Ports
►►►Scheldt
►►►Nijmegen
Salient
►►►Rhineland
►►►Final
Phase
►Korean
War
►Cold
War
►Gulf
War |
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Operations |
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Battle Honours |
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Boer War
First World War
Western Front
Trench Warfare: 1914-1916
Allied Offensive: 1916
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►Somme, 1916 |
1
Jul-18 Nov 16 |
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►Albert |
.1-13
Jul 16 |
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►Bazentin |
.14-17
Jul 16 |
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►Pozieres |
.23
Jul-3 Sep 16 |
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►Guillemont |
.3-6
Sep 16 |
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►Ginchy |
.9
Sep 16 |
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►Flers-Courcelette |
15-22
Sep 16 |
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►Thiepval |
26-29
Sep 16 |
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►Le Transloy |
.
1-18 Oct 16 |
Allied
Offensives: 1917
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►Arras 1917 |
8
Apr-4 May 17 |
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►Vimy, 1917 |
.9-14
Apr 17 |
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►Arleux |
28-29 Apr 17 |
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►Scarpe, 1917 |
.3-4
May17 |
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►Hill 70 |
.15-25
Aug 17 |
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►Messines, 1917 |
.7-14
Jun 17 |
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►Ypres, 1917 |
..31
Jul-10 Nov 17 |
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►Pilckem |
31
Jul-2 Aug 17 |
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►Langemarck, 1917 |
.16-18
Aug 17 |
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►Menin Road |
.20-25
Sep 17 |
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►Polygon Wood |
26
Sep-3 Oct 17 |
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►Broodseinde |
.4
Oct 17 |
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►Poelcapelle |
.9
Oct 17 |
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►Passchendaele |
.12
Oct 17 |
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►Cambrai, 1917 |
20
Nov-3 Dec 17 |
German Offensive: 1918
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►Somme, 1918 |
.21
Mar-5 Apr 18 |
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►St. Quentin |
.21-23
Mar 18 |
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►Bapaume, 1918 |
.24-25
Mar 18 |
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►Rosieres |
.26-27
Mar 18 |
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►Avre |
.4
Apr 18 |
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►Lys |
.9-29
Apr 18 |
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►Estaires |
.9-11
Apr 18 |
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►Messines, 1918 |
.10-11
Apr 18 |
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►Bailleul |
.13-15
Apr 18 |
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►Kemmel |
.17-19
Apr 18 |
Advance to Victory: 1918
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►Arras, 1918 |
.26
Aug-3 Sep 18 |
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►Scarpe, 1918 |
26-30 Aug 18. |
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►Drocourt-Queant |
.2-3
Sep 18 |
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►Hindenburg Line |
.12
Sep-9 Oct 18 |
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►Canal du Nord |
.27
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
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►St. Quentin Canal |
.29
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
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►Epehy |
3-5
Oct 18 |
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►Cambrai, 1918 |
.8-9
Oct 18 |
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►Valenciennes |
.1-2
Nov 18 |
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►Sambre |
.4
Nov 18 |
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►Pursuit to Mons |
.28 Sep-11Nov |
Second World War
War Against Japan
South-East Asia
Italian Campaign
Battle of Sicily
Southern
Italy
The Sangro and Moro
Battles of the FSSF
|
►Anzio |
22
Jan-22 May 44 |
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►Rome |
.22
May-4 Jun 44 |
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►Advance
|
.22
May-22 Jun 44 |
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to the Tiber |
. |
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►Monte Arrestino |
25
May 44 |
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►Rocca Massima |
27
May 44 |
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►Colle Ferro |
2
Jun 44 |
Cassino
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►Cassino II |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Gustav Line |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Sant' Angelo in
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13
May 44 |
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Teodice |
. |
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►Pignataro |
14-15 May 44 |
Liri Valley
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►Hitler Line |
18-24 May 44 |
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►Melfa Crossing |
24-25 May 44 |
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►Torrice Crossroads |
30
May 44 |
Advance to Florence
Gothic Line
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►Gothic Line |
25 Aug-22 Sep 44 |
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►Monteciccardo |
27-28 Aug 44 |
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►Point 204 (Pozzo Alto) |
31 Aug 44 |
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►Borgo Santa Maria |
1 Sep 44 |
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►Tomba di Pesaro |
1-2 Sep 44 |
Winter Lines
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►Rimini Line |
14-21 Sep 44 |
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►San Martino- |
14-18 Sep 44 |
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San Lorenzo |
. |
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►San Fortunato |
18-20 Sep 44 |
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►Sant' Angelo |
11-15 Sep 44 |
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in Salute |
. |
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►Bulgaria Village |
13-14 Sep 44 |
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►Pisciatello |
16-19 Sep 44 |
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►Savio Bridgehead |
20-23
Sep 44 |
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►Monte La Pieve |
13-19
Oct 44 |
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►Monte Spaduro |
19-24 Oct 44 |
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►Monte San Bartolo |
11-14
Nov 44 |
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►Lamone Crossing |
2-13
Dec 44 |
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►Capture of Ravenna |
3-4
Dec 44 |
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►Naviglio Canal |
12-15 Dec 44 |
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►Fosso Vecchio |
16-18 Dec 44 |
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►Fosso Munio |
19-21 Dec 44 |
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►Conventello- |
2-6 Jan 45 |
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Comacchio |
. |
Northwest Europe
Battle of Normandy
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►Quesnay Road |
10-11 Aug 44 |
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►St. Lambert-sur- |
19-22 Aug 44 |
Southern France
Channel Ports
The Scheldt
Nijmegen Salient
Rhineland
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►The
Reichswald |
8-13 Feb 45 |
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►Waal
Flats |
8-15 Feb 45 |
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►Moyland
Wood |
14-21 Feb 45 |
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►Goch-Calcar
Road |
19-21 Feb 45 |
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►The
Hochwald |
26
Feb- |
| . |
4
Mar 45 |
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►Veen |
6-10 Mar 45 |
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►Xanten |
8-9
Mar 45 |
Final Phase
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►The
Rhine |
23
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
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►Emmerich-Hoch
|
28
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
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Elten |
. |
Korean War
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Domestic Missions |
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►FLQ
Crisis |
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International
Missions |
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►ICCS
Vietnam 1973
►MFO
Sinai 1986- |
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Peacekeeping |
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►UNTEA |
W. N. Guinea 1963-1964 |
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►ONUCA |
C. America
1989-1992 |
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►UNTAC |
Cambodia
1992-1993 |
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►UNMOP |
Prevlaka
1996-2001 |
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|
Exercises |
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Ardennes
|
Ardennes
was a Battle Honour granted to Canadians participating in actions
during the German offensive in the Ardennes Forest in December 1944-January 1945. The
1st Canadian Army proper, located in the Nijmegen Salient at the
time, did not participate, but the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
was dispatched by the 21st Army Group to take part in the fighting
there.
Background
German planning for
their Ardennes Offensive had included the possibility of a
breakthrough along the front of the US 1st Army. Army Group "H" under
Generalleutnant Kurt Student, opposite the Canadians, had
planned to follow up in that event with an offensive of their own
(under orders from Field Marshal von Runstedt, who ordered them to
advance once the Ardennes forces had reached the Meuse River). Allied
plans in this period were preparatory in nature, with a view to
launching offensives into the Rhineland, east from the Nijmegen
Salient, as well as north towards Arnhem, in the new year. In the
event, these operations did come to pass, but were considerably
delayed by the German offensive that began on 16 December 1944.1
When the scale of the
German offensive was made apparent, the British 6th Airborne
Division, then in the United Kingdom, was redeployed to the
continent. A component unit of the division was the 1st Canadian
Parachute Battalion, who had first seen combat in Normandy on D-Day
and in the weeks subsequent before embarking for England again on 6
September.2 |
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The
1st Canadian Parachute Battalion arrived at Ostend on 26 December 1944,
having embarked in the United Kingdom two days previously.
The Battalion was
then transported to a series of villages around Taintignes, south of
Tournai. After a few days the paratroopers were moved to Rochefort,
a village on the east bank of the Meuse River. There, they prepared
defensive positions and conducted active patrolling until 13
January.
Even though combat
had been limited to only minor encounters with the enemy, the 1 Cdn
Para Bn earned the distinction of having been the only Canadian
combat unit to see action in the Ardennes.3
The unit was hampered by shortages of winter
camouflage and clothing, and had been annoyed that their deployment to
the battle zone had been by boat and truck rather than by parachute. The
battalion had also not engaged in patrolling activities since Normandy
and had to quickly brush up on drill prior to embarkation. The 3rd
Parachute Brigade was assigned an area extending from Rochefort to Aye,
as part of a divisional front extending beteen Givet to Hargimont. The
8th and 9th Parachute Battalions, the other component units of the 3rd
Parachute Brigade, garrisoned Boisonville and Humain respectively. On
January 2nd, the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion embarked on its
mission of defending the roads leading to Rochefort, and for sixteen
days their main occupation became standing and reconnaissance patrols,
manning defensive positions, and staffing observation posts. The
battalion had four Forward Observation Officers for a link to several
units of 25-pounder field guns.
On January 3rd and 4th,
the last German attacks on Bastogne were halted and the enemy offensive
was finally contained. The paratroopers established headquarters and
field kitchens in sturdy structures well behind the front lines to
provide bases of operations, and commanders fretted over the lack of
proper footwear and cold weather gear, particularly for men tasked to
spend long hours motionless in defensive positions.4
"I brought the
issue of lack of proper footwear and clothing," stated Corporal
Jeans, "to our medical officer. He told me not too much could be
done. We just had to endure." Sergeant Reid observed, "These leather
boots were not the thing to wear in the winter - they had steel toe
and heel caps and 13 hob nails." Corporal John Ross recalled that
his company had some extra blankets. These were quickly put to good
use. "We'd cut them up and made booties," explained Ross. "We put
them over our boots to sleep in. I was sure happy that we had them."
While some devised ways to keep their feet warm, other such as
Private Joe King simply refused to take their boots off. "I was
afraid I couldn't get them back on," he said. Static defensive
duties became the most difficult tasks. Long hours spent sitting in
slit trenches resulted in numerous cases of badly frozen feet. To
alleviate this terrible problem, paratroopers resorted to wrapping
lengths of burlap and tying them to their boots for added warmth.5
The first mission for the
3rd Parachute Brigade on 4 January was to patrol the Rochefort and
Waverville roads, as artillery batteries were establishing new positions
to the west. The Canadians were to patrol north of the Waverville road;
while enemy activity was minimal, one history noted that
...the threat was
always there. The hilly terrain, the thick forests, and the low
cloud cover shielded the enemy patrols while severely restricting
long-range observation....Therefore, countless hours were spent
patrolling through the hills and forests, walking through the deep
snow to confirm that enemy troops had not returned to operate behind
Allied lines.
In actuality,
offensive action was the furthest thing from the enemy's mind. The
Canadians' eagerness for a fight was curbed by the German withdrawal
tactics. "Every day, it seemed, we moved u to attack a village,"
recalled Private Jan de Vries, "we shelled a bit, then found that
the Germans had left." Frustration soon set in.6
The use of German commandos wearing American
uniforms during the Ardennes offensive has been well documented. Their
effects on Allied morale were out of proportion to their actual numbers;
the effects on 1 Can Para were to required them to remove the
distinctive AIRBORNE tab from their battle dress as an identification
measure, and to assume anyone actually wearing the tab was a German. All
soldiers in American uniforms became suspect, and the Canadians
themselves were treated to enquiries, when encountering American
soldiers, related to spouses of Hollywood actors, winners of the World
Series, or other sports-related questions, on the assumption that German
soldiers would be unable to answer correctly. These conditions prevailed
until 8 January when a general German withdrawal began. Deteriorating
weather conditions, poor road conditions, minefields, difficult terrain
and a need to reorganize the line prevented an effective full-scale
pursuit. Maintenance of contact resulted in "numerous night
reconnaissance patrols" which the paratroopers found a boon to morale,
as it meant an opportunity to do damage to the enemy and carry out vital
tasks. One night Lieutenant Eric Burdon and two paratroopers trekked 14
miles in deep snow, over 11 hours, discovered German minefields and came
back with important information.
Ill-clad paratroopers of the 1st
Canadian Parachute Battalion in the Ardennes in January 1945.
The unit was rushed into action and told to take a minimum of
personal equipment into battle. Winter footwear and camouflage
was not made available to the battalion. Library and Archives
Canada photo.
By 8 January, the Germans were far removed
from the 6th Airborne Division's area, and 1 Can Para led their brigade
to Marche-en-Famenne, and shortly after moved to Champlon Famenne, a
small hamlet just to the east, relieving the 1st Battalion, Highland
Light Infantry of the 71st Infantry Brigade, 53rd (Welsh) Division.7
On 12 January men from "B" Company entered Bande, discovering evidence
of a German atrocity. Locals explained how German soldiers had
instructed local males to dig trenches, and upon refusing, 37 men and
boys had been shot, thrown into the basement of a church, and then had
grenades thrown in after them. On 14 January, as the Americans harried
the retreating Germans a few miles away, the 3 Para Brigade sector was
quiet enough for a sports day, with events including toboggan races,
wood chopping and sawing contests, and snowman building. On January 18,
the battalion was moved from front line positions to rest areas at
Ponderome, Mortouzin, Neuville and Pennugan. The entire division
departed for the Netherlands on 22 January.8
Battle Honours
The following units were
awarded the Battle Honour "Ardennes":
British 6th Airborne Division
Notes
-
Stacey, C.P.,
Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War The
Victory Campaign: The Operations in North-West Europe, 1944-1945
(Ottawa: The Queens Printer, 1960)
-
Horn, Bernd and Michel Wyczynski Hook-Up!: The
Canadian Airborne Compendium (Vanwell Publishing Ltd, St.
Catharines, ON, 2003) ISBN 1-55125-071-3 p.35
-
Horn, Bernd and Michel Wyczynski In Search of
Pegasus: The Canadian Airborne Experience 1942-1999 (Vanwell
Publishing Ltd., St. Catharine's, ON, 2001) ISBN 1-55125-039-X p.30
-
Horn, Bernd and Michel Wyczynski Paras
Versus the Reich: Canada's Paratroopers at War, 1942-45 (Dundurn
Press, Toronto, ON, 2003) ISBN 1-55002-470-1, pp.175-179
-
Ibid, p.178
-
Ibid, pp.178-180
-
Ibid, pp.180-182 The history refers to this as "Champlon
Famenine" but this is a typo in either the book or the War Diary.
-
Ibid, pp.182-185
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