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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
|
►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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Küsten Canal
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Küsten Canal
was a Battle Honour granted to Canadian units participating in
actions near this feature in the last days of the Final
Phase of the North-West Europe campaign in the Second World War.
Overall Situation
As the 1st Canadian
Corps was engaged in operations in the western Netherlands, the 2nd
Canadian Corps was clearing out the last pockets of German
resistance in the northwestern Netherlands, and advancing into
Germany itself. The 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division crossed the
Twente Canal on 4 April and had reached the Ems, finding
flooded terrain making poor going for tanks. The commander of 1st
Canadian Army refused to attach the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division
to the British 30th Corps while the 2nd Canadian Corps prepared for
Operation CANNONSHOT far to the south and the division continued its
drive over the Overijsselsch Canal, to Coevorden and into Meppen on
April 5. According to the Canadian Army's official history:
The following
day the 4th Armoured Brigade occupied the suburbs of Meppen on
the left bank of the Ems, while the 10th Infantry Brigade
encountered somewhat stiffer resistance at Wierden, only a few
miles west of Almelo. Evidently fearing a movement by our troops
across his northward line of retreat to Groningen, the enemy was
surprisingly active in this area, and Wierden was not finally
cleared until the 9th.1
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While the Algonquins were occupied at
Wierden, the remainder of the division was on the move north again. The
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's),
fighting with the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade, made an assault
crossing of the Ems at Meppen and captured the town with the loss of
only one casualty. German prisoners included a number of 17-year old
youths with only six to eight weeks of total military experience.2
Twenty-five
kilometres beyond Meppen lay Sögel, and the Lake Superior Regiment had
to fight off several German counter-attacks before declaring the town
cleared.
With eyes
firmly fixed on the prize of Oldenburg, 40 miles inside of Germany, plans were made first to cross the Küsten
Canal, a 100-foot wide obstacle that the 10th Infantry Brigade of
the 4th Division had actually approached once before being
withdrawn. The 4th Armoured Brigade, also of the same division, had
tried a crossing on 14 April but the soft ground and German
demolitions prevented success. The division commander called for an
assault crossing of the canal and redeployed the 10th Brigade.
Defences
German defences in
the area below Bad Zwischenahn comprised two battalions of "marines"
- naval personnel fighting as infantry - as well as elements of the
7th Parachute Division.
The Battle
An hour after midnight on
17 April, the Algonquin Regiment made the first crossing of the canal in assault
boats, supported by tanks of the British Columbia Regiment, machine guns
from the New Brunswick Rangers, and gunfire from the divisional
artillery. Despite enemy artillery and mortar fire, as well as a
counter-attack by a self-propelled gun and marines, the Algonquins
managed to retain a 350 yard deep bridgehead 1500 yards wide. Two
companies of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada reinforced
the bridgehead, helping drive off two additional counterattacks. On 18
April an additional company from the Lincoln & Welland Regiment crossed
over to widen the gains and provide a secure bridging site for the 9th
Field Squadron, Royal Canadian Engineers who put up a Bailey bridge
under fire while their comrades of the 8th Field Squadron continued
rafting operations. Tanks began to cross the canal the next day.
Aftermath
By 21 April the 10th
Canadian Infantry Brigade had advanced beyond the bridgehead to the Aue
River over poor roads and flooded terrain. The divisional engineers were
stretched to capacity keeping traffic moving, and lack of tank support
hampered infantry operations, with rifle companies in the week following
the canal crossing dipping to average strengths of 50%.
Battle Honours
The following Canadian units were awarded the Battle Honour "Küsten
Canal"
for participation in these actions:
4th Canadian Division
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade
10th Canadian Infantry Brigade
Notes
-
Stacey, C.P. Official History of
the Canadian Army in the Second World War: Volume III: The Victory
Campaign: The Operations in North-west Europe 1944-45
(Queen's Printer, Ottawa, ON, 1960), p.557
- Stacey, Ibid
References
- McKay, A. Donald Gaudeamus Igitur
(Bunker to Bunker Books, Calgary, AB, 2005)
- 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
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