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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
|
►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
|
►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
|
►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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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. |
|
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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