www.canadiansoldiers.com

The Roer was a Battle Honour awarded for units participating in Operation BLACKCOCK, the code name for the clearing of the "Roer Triangle" formed by the towns of Roermond, Sittard and Heinsberg. This operation was conducted by the 2nd British Army from 14-26 January 1945. Only one Canadian unit participated, the 1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment.

Objective

The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the Rivers Roer and Wurm. The operation was executed by the British XII Corps with three divisions under command, the 7th Armoured Division, 52nd (Lowland) Division and 43rd (Wessex) Division. The operation was named after the Scottish black male grouse and proved to be a difficult operation in light of the fierce German opposition. The operation was planned along three divisional axes of advance: 7th Armoured to capture a bridge across the Roer at Sint Odilienberg after bridging creeks south of Susteren; 52nd (Lowland) Division to capture Heinsberg after breaking into the German defences near Hongen; and the 43rd (Wessex) Division on the right to clear the terrain south-east of Dremmen.

Enemy Forces

German forces were principally two Wehrmacht infantry divisions belonging to the 12th SS Corps, with a parachute infantry regiment.

Nijmegen Salient

The Ardennes � Kapelsche Veer � The Roer

British troops fighting in St. Joost supported by a Churchill Crocodile flamethrowing tank.

The Battle

The operation was successfully concluded with all objectives being met, with the exception of Roermond itself and the area to the immediate south remaining in enemy hands. The 52nd Division suffered 752 casualties in the course of the battle (101 fatal) with an unusually high amount of sickness due to poor weather and extreme cold (258 evacuated soldiers). The 7th Armoured Division suffered 400 casualties with 20 AFVs lost to enemy action and 23 mechanical breakdowns. German casualties were estimated at over 2,000.

Operation Blackcock was a success for the allies since all the objectives of the operation were met. The German divisions were thrown out of the Roer Triangle with exception of the area immediately south of Roermond. Here H�bner's paratroopers stayed in control for the time being. The British Division that fought the toughest battles during the operation was without doubt the 52nd Lowland Division which counted 752 casualties. Of these casualties 101 were KIA. Above that 258 soldiers were transported from the front because of sickness, mostly as a direct result of the adverse weather conditions and the extreme cold. The 7th Armoured Division counted just over 400 casualties. The total loss in armour of the Desert Rats was rather light, with only 20 tanks knocked out by the enemy and 23 tanks broke down due to mechanical problems. Of the knocked-out tanks 10 were damaged beyond repair, the others could be repaired. The number of German casualties is unknown, but can be estimated to approximately 2000. During the operation 490 prisoners were taken by the Desert Rats, amongst them were 6 officers. The Lowland Division took more than 1200 prisoners, and the Wessex Division took some 400 prisoners.

Battle Honours

79th British Armoured Division

1st Canadian Armoured Carrier Regiment was awarded the Battle Honour "The Roer" for participation in this battle.