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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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Delfzijl Pocket
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Delfzijl Pocket
was a Battle Honour granted to Canadian units participating in
actions near this northern Dutch town in the last days of the Final
Phase of the North-West Europe campaign in the Second World War.
Overall Situation
The 5th Canadian
(Armoured) Division relieved the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
below Delfzijl after completing Operation CLEANSER in the middle of
April. Their new task, as 1st Canadian Army drove to the North Sea,
was to clear German forces west of the Ems Estuary, and gain control
of the Fresian coast. Delfzijl, a second class north sea port, was
nestled behind flooded terrain on the Ems estuary, and would have to
be secured as part of this operation. The surrounding terrain was
typical of the Dutch countryside, being flat and wet, and crossed
with canals, which restricted vehicular movement to the limited number
of roads.
Defences and Plan
Delfzijl itself was
defended by 1500 soldiers and naval personnel (ships crews and dock
hands, etc., often referred to in histories as "marines") with an
extensive fortification system of concrete emplacements, barbed wire
and trenches, with artillery batteries at Emden, Borkum Island and
the Dollart Peninsula. The activities of the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division
were coordinated with the 3rd Division, east of the Ems, and the 5th
Armoured Brigade went to the west of Delfzijl, and the 11th Infantry
Brigade to the east. |
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The Battle
The 11th Brigade
constricted the perimeter around the Delfzijl Pocket with advances on 25
April, as the Irish Regiment and the Westminsters moved north past
Wagenborgen, while the 9th Canadian Armoured Regiment (British Columbia
Dragoons) moved from the southwest. By the 30th, the Irish were in
Heveskes, a mile from Wagenborgen, having advanced over wide open
terrain with no cover, and landmines, demolitions and heavy enemy
shelling from the enemy batteries to contend with. The Westminsters made
similarly slow progress in the face of enemy shelling, and cleared their
area of responsibility with the exception of the Dollart Peninsula.
To the west, the Perth
Regiment and British Columbia Dragoons captured Marsum on 29 April; it
had taken four days for the Perths to move just two miles along the
coast from positions in Holwierde, with a cost of 78 casualties. They
were relieved on the 29th by the Cape Breton Highlanders, who then
captured Uitwierde on the way to Delfzijl itself. The final attack began
in the mid-morning of the next day, 30 April, against positions
including four large concrete bunkers and machine gun posts ensconced
behind barbed wire and mines. The town itself did not fall until the
next day when the 5th Canadian Armoured Regiment (8th Princess Louise's
(New Brunswick) Hussars) came up in support and assisted them forward.
Bunkers the size
of bungalows, constructed of four-foot thick reinforced concrete,
barred the path of one company, but another, supported by tanks of
the New Brunswick Hussars, broke through to seize the railway
station on the northern outskirts of the town.
Immediately the
enemy's resistance faltered and boats filled with German soldiers
were seen heading out across the estuary. Next day, 2 May, the last
of the enemy in north-east Holland were killed or captured. In its
final operations of the war, the 5th Armoured Division had captured
4,143 prisoners and liberated one of the last areas occupied by the
Nazis beyond the orders of the Reich.1
On 2 May, the Irish
Regiment moved west to eliminate defenders in the area Weiwerd-Farmsum.
Aftermath
In all, close to 4150 prisoners
were collected in the final action of the 5th Canadian (Armoured)
Division during the Second World War, at a cost of 236 casualties. One
historian noted:
In the light of
operations elsewhere and the rapid approach of final German
capitulation there is doubt as to why it was necessary to have the
Delfzijl battle at all. Nevertheless, once this very difficult and
controversial operation was entrusted to Hoffmeister's 5th Armoured
that superb division completed an extremely difficult action in fine
fashion - as it had in each of its battles since the Melfa in
far-off Italy almost two years before.2
Battle Honours
The following Canadian units were awarded the Battle Honour "Delfzijl
Pocket"
for participation in these actions:
5th Canadian (Armoured) Division
5th Canadian Armoured Brigade
11th Canadian Brigade
Notes
- Williams, Jeffery The Long Left
Flank: The Hard Fought Way to the Reich, 1944-1945 (Stoddart
Publishing Co. Ltd., Toronto, ON, 1988) ISBN 0-7737-2194-0 pp.293-294
- McKay, A. Donald Gaudeamus Igitur
(Bunker to Bunker Books, Calgary, AB, 2005) p.237
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