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Nijmegen Salient
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The Nijmegen Salient
was a large area of land controlled by the Allies in the Second World
War during the North-West Europe campaign. The area was defended by
the First Canadian Army from Nov 1944 to early Feb 1945, after which
the Rhineland campaign began.
The salient had been
created in Sep 1944 during Operation MARKET-GARDEN. While British XXX
Corps was unable to meet their objective of linking up with British
paratroopers in Arnhem, the US 82d Airborne Division had nonetheless
managed to capture an intact bridge at Nijmegen over the Waal River.
British XXX Corps had passed through, and at the start of Nov were
defending the area; after the Battle of the Scheldt, the First
Canadian Army took over part of the line in this area.
General G.G. Simonds,
in command of II Canadian Corps, issued a directive shortly before the
Canadians moved into the Salient:
- The Nijmegen bridgehead is the
most important bit of ground along the front of 21 Army Group. Here
we hold the only bridge across the main course of the Rhine. If the
Germans accept a decision west of the Rhine, the eastern face of the
Nijmegen bridgehead between the Meuse and the Rhine forms a base
through which an attack can be launched against the northern flank
of the German battle line. If the Germans withdraw to the east bank
of the Rhine, the Nijmegen bridgehead forms a base from which an
assault across the Neder Rijn turns the main course of the Rhine
itself.
- Military bridging of the lower
course of the Rhine is a doubtful possibility under winter
conditions. Therefore, the Nijmegen bridge is of the greatest
importance to us and must be protected against all forms of attack.1
Units of the Army
alternated between the front line and reserve positions, and many
infantry and armoured regiments had to "absorb" large numbers of
reinforcements. Patrols into enemy territory were also a part of the
routine in the Nijmegen Salient.
The front line came to
settle by this time on the Maas River; with a strong water obstacle
seperating the Allies from the Germans, concentration could turn to
planning future operations. Two possible alternatives existed for 21st
Army Group (consisting of the First Canadian Army and Second British
Army). A forward thrust over the Neder Rijn (the river upon which
Nijmegen sat, and which was in fact a tributary of the Rhine River),
or a right hand turn and offensive into the Rhineland. Deliberate
German flooding on 2 December prevented any further advance across the
Neder Rijn. A bridgehead north of the Waal, however, permitted for the
attack into the Rhineland - that area that still lay west of the
Rhine. A major Allied offensive was planned for early in January;
however, on the very day the order was given - December 16 - a massive
German counteroffensive broke loose in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium,
to the south. As British forces were moved to the south, the First
Canadian Army had to prepare for further German attacks.
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North-West
Europe Campaign |
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Dieppe - Normandy - Channel
Ports - Scheldt -
Nijmegen Salient - Rhineland - Final Phase |
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Had the Ardennes
offensive gone well for the Germans, attacks into the Canadian Army
front had been planned, involving tanks and veteran paratroop
divisions. First Canadian Army therefore bided its time in Dec 1944
and January 1945, launching only one major operation - at Kapelsche
Veer, during this period. The Army front during the winter stalemate
was approximately 135 miles in length, with I British Corps manning
the line from the North Sea to Maren, above s'Hertogenbosch. II
Canadian Corps held the right flank between the Nijmegen island.
Canadian divisions manned the line with two brigades in defensive
positions and a third in reserve, resting and training. In three
months, the "watch on the Maas" suffered 683 Canadian casualties,
averaging over 225 a month.
An aggressive program
of patrolling caused conflict in the 4th Canadian (Armoured)
Division, and newly arrived Major General Christopher Vokes relieved
the popular Lieutenant Colonel Dave Stewart of command of the Argyll
and Sutherland Highlanders when he protested the necessity for
patrols.
Aside from the action
at Kapelsche Veer in late Jan, patrols both large and small were the
order of the day for the Canadians in the Salient, often crossing
the Maas at night by boat. One large patrol by The Lake Superior
Regiment (Motor) took place in company strength on 17 Jan 1945. The
village of Hoenza-Driel was the target, northeast of s'Hertogenbosch.
Operation SCHULTZ was heavily supported by artillery, tanks, mortars
and machine guns and managed to take three prisoners at the cost of
only four casualties. As it turned out, the prisoners provided
little useful information.2
First Canadian Army dispositions in
the Nijmegen Salient were as follows:
- First Canadian Army Headquarters -
located in Tilburg.
- British I Corps - on the left,
manning a line from the North Sea to Maren, above s'Hertogenbosch.
- British 52nd (Lowland) Division
- Walcheren Island.
- 18th Canadian Armoured Car
Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons) - the reconnaissance unit of
II Canadian Corps patrolled the area from Schouwen Island to
Moerdijk.
- 1st Polish Armoured Division -
holding the south bank of the Maas.
- 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division
- holding the south bank of the Maas.
- II Canadian Corps
- Originally, the Nijmegen Island
was held with the British 50th (Northumbrian) Division and the
US 101st Airborne Division. At the end of Nov 1944 they were
relieved by the British 49th (West Riding) Division and the 51st
(Highland) Division.
- To their right, the 3rd Canadian
Division and 2nd Canadian Division held the Reichswald front.
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Dispositions
Battle Honours
- The Ardennes - awarded to the 1st
Canadian Parachute Battalion for actions during the Ardennes
Offensive.
- Kapelsche Veer
- The Roer - awarded to the 1st Canadian
Armoured Carrier Regiment for actions involving British troops.
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Privates Oscar
Meadows and Lloyd Holmes of "B" Company, The Black Watch (Royal
Highland Regiment) of Canada, outside their dugout, Groesbeek,
Netherlands, 3 Feb 1945. |
Specialized winter
clothing was rarely issued to Canadian soldiers in the Second
World War, though it did see fairly widespread issue to units in
the Nijmegen Salient. DND Photo. |
Notes
-
War Diary, General
Officer Commander-in-Chief, First Canadian Army, Nov 1944 - quoted in
Battle Royal: A History of The Royal Regiment of Canada
1868-1962.
-
Stacey, C.P.
Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War. The
Victory Campaign: The Operations in North-West Europe, 1944-1945
(Ottawa: The Queens Printer, 1960) p.455
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