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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
►►Italian
Campaign
►►►Sicily
►►►Southern
Italy
►►►The
Sangro
►►►Battles
of the FSSF
►►►Cassino
►►►Liri
Valley
►►►Advance
to Florence
►►►Gothic
Line
►►►Winter
Lines
►►North-West
Europe
►►►Normandy
►►►Channel
Ports
►►►Scheldt
►►►Nijmegen
Salient
►►►Rhineland
►►►Final
Phase
►Korean
War
►Cold
War
►Gulf
War |
|
Operations |
►GAUNTLET
Aug 1941
►HUSKY
Jul 1943
►OVERLORD
Jun 1944
►VERITABLE
Feb 1945 |
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Battle Honours |
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First World War
Western Front
Trench Warfare: 1914-1916
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►Ypres,
1915 |
22
Apr-25 May 15 |
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►Gravenstafel |
22-23 Apr 15 |
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►St. Julien |
24
Apr-4 May 15 |
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►Frezenberg |
8-13 May 15 |
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►Bellewaarde |
24-25 May 15 |
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►Festubert, 1915 |
15-25 May 15 |
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►Loos |
25
Sep- 8 Oct 15 |
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►Mount Sorrel |
2-13 Jun 15 |
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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►Razentin |
.14-17
Jul 16 |
|
►Pozieres |
.23
Jul-3 Sep 16 |
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►Guillemont |
.3-6
Sep 16 |
|
►Ginchy |
.9
Sep 16 |
|
►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 |
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►Ancre Heights |
1
Oct-11 Nov 16 |
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►Ancre, 1916 |
13-18 Nov 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 |
|
►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 |
|
►Hindenburg Line |
.12
Sep-9 Oct 18 |
|
►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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►Ypres, 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
|
►Motta
Montecorvino |
1-3 Oct 43 |
The Sangro
|
►The Sangro |
19
Nov-3 Dec 43 |
|
►Castel
di Sangro |
.23-24
Nov 43 |
|
►The
Moro |
.5-7
Dec 43 |
|
►San
Leonardo |
..8-9
Dec 43 |
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►The
Gully |
..10-19
Dec 43 |
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►Casa
Berardi |
..14-15
Dec 43 |
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►Ortona |
20-28 Dec 43 |
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►Villa Grande |
122-28 Dec 43 |
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►San
Nicola-San |
.31
Dec 43 |
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Tommaso |
. |
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►Point
59/ |
.29
Dev 43- |
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Torre
Mucchia |
.4
Jan 44 |
Battles of the FSSF
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►Monte
Camino |
.5
Nov-9 Dec 43 |
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►Monte
la Difensa- |
.2-8
Dec 43 |
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Monte la Remetanea |
. |
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►Monte
Majo |
3-8 Jan
44. |
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►Hill 720 |
25 Dec
43 |
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►Radicosa |
4 Jan
44 |
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►Monte Vischiataro |
8 Jan
44 |
|
►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 |
. |
|
►Monte Arrestino |
25
May 44 |
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►Rocca Massima |
27
May 44 |
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►Colle Ferro |
2
Jun 44 |
Cassino
|
►Cassino II |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Gustav Line |
11-18
May 44 |
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►Sant' Angelo in
|
13
May 44 |
|
Teodice |
. |
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►Pignataro |
14-15 May 44 |
Liri Valley
|
►Liri Valley |
18-30
May 44 |
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►Hitler Line |
18-24 May 44 |
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►Melfa Crossing |
24-25 May 44 |
|
►Torrice Crossroads |
30
May 44 |
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►Trasimene Line |
20-30 Jun 44 |
|
►Sanfatucchio |
20-21 Jun 44 |
Advance to Florence
Gothic Line
Winter Lines
Northwest Europe
Battle of Normandy
|
►Verrières Ridge-Tilly-- |
25 Jul 44 |
|
►Quesnay Road |
10-11 Aug 44 |
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►St. Lambert-sur- |
19-22 Aug 44 |
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►Dives Crossing |
17-20 Aug 44 |
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►Forêt
de la Londe |
27-29 Aug 44 |
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►The Seine, 1944 |
25-28 Aug 44 |
Southern France
| ►Southern
France |
15-28
Aug 44 |
Channel Ports
The Scheldt
|
►The Scheldt |
1 Oct-8 Nov 44 |
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►Leopold
Canal |
6-16
Oct-44 |
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►Savojaards Platt |
9-10
Oct 44 |
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►Breskens Pocket |
11 Oct
-3 Nov 44 |
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►Woensdrecht |
1-27
Oct 44 |
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►The Lower Maas |
20 Oct
-7 Nov 44 |
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►South Beveland |
24-31
Oct 44 |
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►Walcheren |
31 Oct
-4 Nov 44 |
|
Causeway |
. |
Nijmegen Salient
Rhineland
|
►The
Reichswald |
8-13 Feb 45 |
|
►Waal
Flats |
8-15 Feb 45 |
|
►Moyland
Wood |
14-21 Feb 45 |
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►Goch-Calcar
Road |
19-21 Feb 45 |
|
►The
Hochwald |
26
Feb- |
| . |
4
Mar 45 |
|
►Veen |
6-10 Mar 45 |
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►Xanten |
8-9
Mar 45 |
Final Phase
|
►The Rhine |
23
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
|
►Emmerich-Hoch
|
28
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
|
Elten |
. |
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►Twente Canal |
2-4 Apr
45 |
|
►Zutphen |
6-8 Apr
45 |
|
►Deventer |
8-11
Apr 45 |
|
►Apeldoorn |
11-17
Apr 45 |
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►Arnhem,
1945 |
12-14
Apr 45 |
|
►Groningen |
13-16
Apr 45 |
|
►Friesoythe |
14 Apr
45 |
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►Ijselmeer |
15-18
Apr 45 |
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►Küsten Canal |
17-24
Apr 45 |
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►Wagenborgen |
21-23
Apr 45 |
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►Delfzijl Pocket |
23
Apr-2 May 45 |
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►Leer |
28-29
Apr 45 |
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►Bad Zwischen |
23
Apr-4 May 45 |
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►Oldenburg |
27
Apr-5 May 45 |
Korean War
|
|
Domestic Missions |
|
►FLQ
Crisis |
|
International
Missions |
|
►ICCS
Vietnam 1973
►MFO
Sinai 1986- |
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Peacekeeping |
|
►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 |
|
Wyneghem
|
Wyneghem was a
Battle Honour granted to The Calgary Highlanders for actions near
the port of Antwerp. These actions were fought at the same time as
the battles to clear the Channel Ports.
In Sep 1944, the
acute need for a port promised to be alleviated by the capture of
Antwerp, with its large port facilities intact. However, the British
failed to act quickly to secure the Scheldt Estuary, the waterway
leading into Antwerp. No Allied ship could come within miles of
Antwerp until the large number of coastal guns lining the Scheldt
were silenced. The Germans were aware of the importance of the
Scheldt, and hastily organized an amalgam of veteran parachute units
and low grade infantry units. The Canadian Army moved to clear the
lands east of Antwerp, and south of the Albert Canal. Wyneghem was
one of the towns in this area, and was cleared of Germans by the 2nd
Canadian Infantry Division in Sep 1944, followed by further battles
along the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal. |
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The 2nd Canadian Division relieved the
British 53rd (Welsh) Division in Antwerp on 16 Sep 1944; German forces
were still in possession of the northern outskirts of the city, and
along the line of the Albert Canal. On 19 Sep, the 2nd Canadian Corps
was ordered to advance north to Bergen op Zoom, with a westward sweep to
clear the Beveland Peninsula. Operation MARKET-GARDEN, the great
airborne offensive on Arnhem and the Rhine River, got underway no 17
Sep, putting a freeze on supplies for the British 1st Corps, who did not
arrive from Le Havre until 24 Sep. Ammunition remained scarce for the
1st Canadian Army as well, as supply lines were stretched thin, running
back to the Normandy bridgehead.
The commander of the 2nd
Canadian Division, not wishing to enter into an urban battle in Antwerp,
wished to send the division on a flanking mission to the east of the
city instead.1
At Wynghem, a damaged
lock gate over the Albert Canal was selected as a crossing point, and a
patrol of just eight men under Sergeant G.R. "Ken" Crockett of the
Calgary Highlanders went over the canal early on the morning of 22 Sep.
Heavily armed with automatic weapons, the patrol inched over the gate -
at one point consisting of a single pipe - and onto the enemy held bank,
where a sentry was dispatched in silence before the patrol was spotted
by German machine gunners. Crockett managed to head off German
counter-attacks, contact his company, and organize a bridgehead over the
canal - for which he was recommended for the Victoria Cross, a
recommendation approved by Brigade, Division, Corps and Army, but
ultimately rejected by 21st Army Group, who suggested the action made
for a very well-deserved Distinguished Conduct Medal instead.2
With the Calgary
Highlanders and elements of the Maisonneuve across the Canal, engineers
were able to bridge it, and the Germans quickly withdrew to the Antwerp-Turnhout
Canal, allowing the 49th British Division to cross the Albert Canal
unopposed further east. In the words of one historian, "The rapid
dislodging of the enemy from the Albert (Canal) was due almost entirely
to Crocket(t)'s heroic action."3
Battle Honours
The following Canadian units were awarded the Battle Honour "Wyneghem"
for participation in these actions:
 5th Canadian
Infantry Brigade
Notes
1. McKay, A. Donald Gaudeamus
Igitur (Bunker to Bunker Books, Calgary, AB, 2005) p.194
2. Farran, Roy History of the Calgary Highlanders 1921-1954
pp.174-175
3. McKay, Ibid, p. 195
References
-
Bercuson, David J. Battalion of
Heroes: The Calgary Highlanders in World War Two
-
Calgary Highlanders War Diary
-
Copp, Terry. The Brigade
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