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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
|
►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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Arnhem, 1945
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The Battle Honour
Arnhem, 1945 was awarded to Canadian units fighting in support
of British forces who liberated the city in April 1945. The first
(unsuccessful) attempt to liberate Arnhem took place in September
1944 during Operation MARKET-GARDEN. Canadians were peripherally
involved; some Canadian
CANLOAN officers served with the British 1st Airborne Division,
and Royal Canadian Engineers helped with the evacuation of Allied
units in the aftermath of the battle.
Arnhem remained
occupied by the Germans after the failure of MARKET-GARDEN. A series
of operations took place to cross the Rhine river; VERITABLE and
BLOCKBUSTER cleared the lands west of the Rhine river in February
and March of 1945. The crossing of the river itself occurred on the
24th of March as Operation VARSITY (a major airborne operation east
of the river) and Operation PLUNDER, an amphibious crossing. The 1st
Canadian Parachute Battalion participated in VARSITY. The 3rd
Canadian Infantry Division participated in early phases of PLUNDER
though not the initial crossings.
The 21st Army Group,
once across the Rhine, was put into a supporting role by the Supreme
Commander, with priority of supplies given to the American forces in
central Europe, particularly in the area of the Ruhr. The 2nd
British Army was tasked with advancing to the Elbe while 1st
Canadian Army received orders to protect the flank of the 2nd
British Army, clear western Holland if resources permitted, and
advance to the North Sea. |
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Arnhem had long been on the minds of Allied
planners, and on 27 March a three-phased plan for its re-capture was
finalized. Operation DESTROYER was the first phase, in which the
"Island", an outcropping of German-held territory at Nijmegen, was
neutralized by the British 49th Division. This went forward on 2-3
April. They were joined by the 11th Canadian Brigade, and the Perth
Regiment fought off a number of local counter-attacks.
Operation ANGER, the
liberation of Arnhem, was now postponed, in the event for ten days,
while the 1st Canadian Division crossed the Ijssel in Operation
CANNONSHOT in their first actions on Dutch soil. The plans for the
assault on Arnhem were changed, to an attack from the east instead of
the south.1 The city was taken with relatively light
casualties, while German forces yielded 600 prisoners.
Operation CANNONSHOT
Operation CANNONSHOT, "the crossing
of the Ijssel from the East, and the capture of Apeldoorn and high
ground between that place and Arnhem” had successfully been launched on
the afternoon of 11 April 1945, setting the stage for Operation ANGER,
the operation to secure Arnhem.
Defence of Arnhem
Although the German 25th Army had
designated the area a Fortress, the actual physical defences did not
improve and divisions in the area consisted of remnants only, albeit
with experienced commanders and staffs.
The angle formed by the confluence of
the Ijssel and Neder Rijn Rivers was defended by formations of the 30th
Corps, with the 1st Canadian Division opposed by the 361st
Volksgrenadier Division and other miscellany formations west of the
Ijssel.
Arnhem itself was held by Infanterie
Division 346 (specifically Grenadier Regiment 858, one of its
components, and other miscellaneous units, including its divisional
battle school). While actual composition of the defenders was unknown to
the Canadians, there was a belief that the city was strongly held.
Arnhem enjoyed natural defensive obstacles, including the deep Neder
Rijn River to the south, high ground on the right bank of the river, and
the waters of the Ijssel.
Attack on Arnhem
Air attacks in the form of sorties by
Royal Air Force Spitfires and Typhoons took place on the afternoon of 12
April, attacking defences in the Arnhem area, and diversionary fire
along the left flank of the British 1st Corps drew retaliatory fire from
the Germans onto Driel.
The main preparatory bombardment
began on the evening of 12 April and the 56th Infantry Brigade set out
in Buffalo amphibious vehicles at 22:40hrs. Despite German gunfire into
the forward areas, the attack penetrated the south-eastern outskirts of
Arnhem easily, repulsed a counter-attack on the morning of 13 April, and
established a firm bridgehead.
Assistance in shoring up the
bridgehead was provided by Force "U" of the Royal Navy as well as
engineers of the 1st Canadian Corps. Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) of
Force "U" (previously utilized in Operation PLUNDER) were utilized in
ANGER to ferry troops over the Ijssel, and Canadian sappers helped
bridge the Pannerdensch Canal at Westervoort, erecting a Bailey pontoon
bridge at Doornenburg and floating it five miles downstream, opening for
traffic on the morning of 13 April. The 14th Field Company, RCE, also
built four additional Bailey pontoon rafts which operated with naval
assistance at Juissen and Westervoort.
Thus aided, the 49th Division soon
completed the capture of Arnhem. On the morning of 13 April the 146th
Brigade crossed the Ijssel and began clearing a large factory in the
eastern outskirts. The Ontario Regiment (whose leading tanks presumably
crossed on one of the 14th Field Company's rafts which began work at
8:00 a.m., earlier than the bridge) assisted in dealing with snipers and
machine-guns. In general, however, resistance was light, the Ontarios'
diary recording that "the enemy nowhere showed much willingness to
fight". By nightfall the main core of resistance was broken and the
147th Brigade was preparing to pass through the 56th. Although many
mines and demolitions were encountered, Arnhem was completely cleared on
the 14th. The West Riding Division captured 601 prisoners during the
whole operation.2
Battle Honours
The following Canadian units were awarded the Battle Honour "Arnhem,
1945"
for participation in these actions:
1st Canadian Armoured Brigade
5th Canadian (Armoured) Division
Notes
- McKay, A. Donald Gaudeamus Igitur
(Bunker to Bunker Books, Calgary, AB, 2005) pp.230-232
- Stacey, C.P. Official History of the Canadian Army in the
Second World War, Volume III: The Victory Campaign
References
- Map modified from that at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arnhem_liberation.jpg
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