LIBERATION 60 – HOLLAND 2005
Introduction
My
trip to Europe for Liberation 60 had been in the planning stage for several
years before it actually took place. I had been working on several tasks on the
history of my regiment, the South Saskatchewan Regiment, including compiling an
accurate listing of all casualties, and then sorting
that list by date, something which had not been feasible
earlier. I should add that I was not originally a South Saskatchewan, having
served for more than four years in the Canadian Scottish and the Seaforths of Canada before becoming an SSR officer. But ten
months with the SSR turned me into a life-long adherent. Sorting casualties by
date gave an original picture of the rigours of a
unit’s WW II combat history in terms of day to day losses. From this beginning
I then decided I should try to write up the history of the 38 combat actions
the unit had participated in. I had done both the Dieppe Raid and the
disastrous 20July44 first battle of the SSR, and then turned my attention to
those battles in which I had been fortunate enough to play a major role—and
survive.
Of course
this started more than 25 years ago, and has been proceeding slowly but
steadily. Five years ago I contacted European military historians, who had been
working on their own
local accounts. Together we have been conducting a full exchange of our own
information on SSR battles and it was intended that I would finally visit the
more important of those battle areas I had not seen for 60 years. Naturally the
National celebrations of Holland had to merge with my own plans, but at my age,
not all the timings were feasible for me. I therefore did my best to
compromise.
Several
months ago a French TV producer contacted me about his plan for a documentary
on Dunkirk 1939 to 1945, and wished me to play a significant part.
Unfortunately, his budget, and world airline prices, ran into conflict, and the
plan had to be altered. However, with local Dunkirk (mainly Bray-Dunes)
authorities I resolved to make a review of my 1944 actions there a major part of
my 2005 visit. The Dunkirk authorities
still honoured me with the presentation of the
Liberation Medallion of Dunkirk, which I received at Wormhoudt,
the site of the 9May45 surrender. Due to weight and space limitations, I
unfortunately had to ship the medallion home by special air post, only to have
the parcel destroyed at the Saint Laurent Post Office. My medallion,
and many priceless papers were lost.
A Belgian
author had asked my assistance in preparing his history of the war in the
Brecht area, north west of Antwerp. Since this
coincided with an important experience of my own, this area was also
incorporated into my trip. I also wrote the Foreword for the author’s newly
published book. This book too was lost in the Montreal Post Office debacle.
The SSR had
also played an unusual role in the battle in the west of Holland in the Scheldt
area, which action happened to be in the immediately adjacent area to the
Belgian action, and in fact both battles were covered in the same official
Dutch report of the battles. The authors of this study were my hosts in North
Brabant, in the Woensdrecht/Hoogerheide
area.
There was
also a small town in the eastern part of Holland, just across the Rhine, where
the battle led to the wounding or death of a number of my good friends and I
agreed to modify my plans to help Etten with their
celebrations. They made a particular effort to involve local children.
Unfortunately, the National programs
of the Dutch organizations, in both of which I had participated in previous
celebrations, turned out to not match up with my own needs, so that I was
limited in participation, but with a wartime Dutch wife from Nijmegen, I had
obligations there also. Fortunately this included the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, where I was successful in meeting up with the
daughter and grand-daughter of a special officer friend who had been killed
near there, virtually in my presence. They had never seen their forebear’s
grave, and did not really know much about the trip arrangements. I was
fortunate to be able to help them arrange their trip, and indeed, despite the
crush of people, we actually met and I was able to guide them to the grave of their father/grandfather after the ceremony, and give them some
wartime reports and maps, an intensely emotional experience. I have also been
able to assist other descendents in gathering
information about relatives who were my friends in the SSR.
To assist my former colleagues in
the SSR, and other interested persons, I have included copies of WW II era maps
of Bray-Dunes, Lochtenberg, and the Hoogerheide
battle areas, with my interpretation of the various actions and movements. I am
also preparing an abbreviated summary of the various War Diaries and other
records to assist in recalling the battle situations concerned. I have also included a copy of the four
plaques presented to the various towns. Have fun.
My report will thus be presented in several small sections, each dealing with the history of the unit in one particular area. My son and I also prepared more than 900 digital photos to help document the visits. These have been dated, rated, and named as to place. The following is an outline of the travel itinerary I prepared.
ITINERARY OUTLINE
27Apr-1May05 Travel from Kingston to Toronto by limousine and by air to Schiphol, as arranged by Verstraete, and thus to Wageningen.
3May05 Visit to Groesbeek Canadian Military Cemetery with Thank You Canada hosts.
4-6May05 Son and I (He is my “muscle”) travel to west of Holland with visit en-route to Hoogerheide (Scheldt area near Woensdrecht) with visit with local historians, and dedication of SSR Plaque, then to TBrecht/Lochtenberg (Be).
6-7May05 Brecht and Lochtenberg (Antwerp-Turnhout Canal) with visit with local Committee. They will make arrangements. Dedication of Plaque.
7May05 Travel to Dunkirk. Local committee will arrange.
7-10May05 Dunkirk/Bray-Dunes, Bray-Dunes Plage area, with visit with local Committee. Dedication of Plaque. Local Committee arrangements.
10May05? Return
to
15May05 Visit to Etten as arranged with local committee. Presentation of SSR plaque to school.
15-16May05 Travel
to Schiphol for return to
WAGENINGEN – ARNHEM
Travel
Arrangements
After looking over the tremendous collection
of photos from our 60th Anniversary of
Liberation
trip it was obvious I had better break my report to the SSRs and others into
sections! Eventually I will have to select a small number of photos for each
place to generally flesh out the narrative. There are just too many photos, and
too much information! My son David was able to get many shots that I was just
too busy to manage myself. I haven’t marched so far, nor saluted so many
anthems and bugle calls for years! Nor have I laid so many wreaths, the main
object of the visits. It will take me a while to recover!
01 – Enroute –27-30Apr
I’ll begin
with a summary of our arrival in
Finally we
got sorted onto our proper buses and away to our appointed billets, ours being
in WAGENINGEN! We had expected
In
Our hosts
turned out to be fully bilingual, no problem for me, but a relief to my
youngest son, who hadn’t been to
02
-- Oosterbeek and “The Bridge Too Far” -- 29Apr
While
visiting the Stadium, we were also able to pass close by the site of the high
school where my wife taught until the night before the Arnhem Airborne attack,
shown so vividly in “The Bridge Too Far”. I was well aware of the local
landscape of wartime days, since I had been Company Commander at the former
Airborne Division command post at OOSTERBEEK, the Hartenstein Hotel,
immediately after my wedding, 1Jul to about 15 Jul 1945. On the day after
arrival we went to the Hotel, now the
The exhibits
in the museum were extremely interesting, including several which showed the
French paras of Operation Amherst, whom 8th
Recce and 6 Bde helped to pick up 11 - 13Apr45 when
we were liberating Kamp Westerbork. A number of these
pictures also were shown in my book on the Liberation of Westerbork.
I was able to take many photos in the museum.
02
--Wageningen Arboretum –30Apr
Saturday and
Sunday our hosts drove us around the absolutely stunning Wageningen
Arboretum, famous for its massive collection of Rhodedendrons,
thousands and thousands of them, of every shade and hue and size. We took
nearly 80 photos. We also toured the nearby village of DOORWERTH, significant in that it was the
site of the evacuation across the Neder Rhine,
previously mentioned. The famous old church there was a significant part of the
final defense. The name caused me to think of another SSR sergeant, Harry Dorward, whom I had been able to rescue from a Schu-mine field in the Reichswald
position we had so long occupied at GROESBEEK. Alas, he died of his wounds many
weeks later. Curiously, one of his nieces, previously unknown to us, had
happened to recently ask Peter Maulé, former SSR
Association President, if he had known Harry! Know him? They had been the
closest of buddies.
07
--Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery – 03May
The following
Tuesday was a day-long trip to the Canadian War Cemetery near GROESBEEK. I had
been contacted, through the SSR web site, by the grand
daughter of another close friend, Lieutenant Fred Propp,
also a “D” Coy friend of Dorward and Maulé. I had gone on a 72-hour leave to BRUSSELS with Fred,
back in early November ’44. He had shown me pictures of his then infant
daughters, actually twin daughters. When Fred was killed on Operation Dynamite,
20Dec44, I had been nearby, as my mortars had been providing protective fire
for the raid. When the grand daughter contacted me, I
put her in touch with the Dutch authorities to help arrange the trip for her
and her mother, one of the twins. They had never been to Holland before, and
had never seen their parent/grand parent’s grave.
With some 20,000 veterans, and double that locals, in attendance, we despaired
of ever meeting up with them. But my 6 foot 4 son was a beacon, and they
spotted him! I had War Diary copies, Raid Report copies, and even maps from the
Raid to give them, and after the ceremonies, we were able to lead them to
Freddie’s grave. A very emotional experience for all of us. The crowd was so
large, my wife didn’t even try to find us, luckily; because our bus was the
very first in line, and we boarded it just in time to see a para
drop by the Canadian Army team. Unfortunately, the first man got caught in a
wind devil and smashed in hard enough to break an ankle. The morning had
featured a regular cloudburst, and showers slightly marred the day. We were
lucky to get away in time for a fine supper at “The White House” restaurant in
LENT, on the island between NIJMEGEN and ARNHEM, on our way back to our billet.
Some participants were still at the cemetery three hours later. One fabulous
traffic jam! Because of the crowd, there was no opportunity to get anywhere
near the “Bevrijdings Museum”, only a hundred meters
or so away, to meet other old friends from the area. They apparently had to
close the place entirely until the next day!
The more than 900 digital photos son David
and I took on the trip will be at the web site on CD.
The South
Saskatchewan Regiment Plaques I presented on behalf of the SSR, are displayed
below.
Plaques
The S Sask R’s two weeks and two days in the “South West Corner” of Holland in October ’44, mainly as part of 4 Bde, was so difficult and complex that most people will have trouble visualizing how it all went. Abstracts from the War Diary and short paraphrases have been added below to help explain the map and the narrative.
WAR DIARY – S SASK R – OCT44
10OCT44 “Bn
arrived at their new posn at 0230 hrs
and the changeover from the RHLI was completed by 0330 hrs
with BHQ established at (MR) 650159.”
11OCT44 “At 0400 hrs word was received by the Bn
that we are to come under comd of 4 Cdn inf Bde
for an indefinite period…”
…”S Sask
R to provide rt flank protection for 4 Bde.”
“…The S Sask
R to hold these positions at all costs. The method to be three coys up with one in reserve.” … “…the Carrier Pl is to be
held in reserve with B Coy.” … “H Hour 1500.”
…”Lt-Col V. Stott decided to
exploit further.” …” A Coy remained where they were” (648182) “B Coy going to
657155,C to 642195 and D to 655187. Command Post remained where they were”
(648182) “with Carrier and Scout Platoon in reserve.” … “when B Coy moved to
crossroads at 658195, they came under fire from left front and rt flank.” …”Capt F. Lee sent 10
Pl forward on left flank and they
occupied 3 bldgs on the main road at MR 656195.”
…”The RAP and Sp Coy moving to crossroads at 645176.”
12OCT44 “At first light…11 Pl reached a posn wnw of 10 Pl. … “They came
under fire from an MG post from the west along the main rd. … Jerry came up
shouting ‘Kamerad! Kamerad!’”
…”11 Pl stood up and waved them in….immediately they were fired on by … a 20mm
…” (which) …”grazed the top of the ditch, … causing 9 casualties.” …” fire from
4.2 inch mortars were brought on the crossroads.” …At 2330 hrs
B Coy was counter attacked by … 35 to 40 men.”
…”grenades were thrown through
the windows.”
13OCT44 …”An SOS to C Coy” … (was blocked) “when C Coy was counter attacked by heavy MMG, mortar, and 20mm fire. D Coy was then “…” sent… “one pl to assist B Coy.” … “ During the afternoon” … “permission granted “ … “to withdraw B Coy to a posn at rear of D Coy at 1900 hrs.”
“At 1700 hrs
an SOS from A Coy” … “counter attacked by tks and
inf.” … “A Coy held their posn.” … “An 88 mm S.P. gun brought around rt flank to demolish Comd Post.”
…” Mortar Pl smoked off the gun.” … “ the 88 haphazardly retreated. …The
command Post moved to … 645176.”
Major K Williams came to Comd Post for discussion. …and left to contact tk comd. …then made his way back to A Coy. … Major
‘Williams was taken prisoner.”
“4 Bde
HQ was informed and two coys of the R de Mais sent to relieve A Coy. … C Coy of the Essex Scots …
put in an attack to free A Coy.” Lt-Col
Stott and Lt M. Phillips with their carrier driver and the 22 set operator
moved to 661172, … a temporary Command Post.”
“At 1100 hrs,
with tks shooting up enemy posns,
… and C Coy “ (Essex) “ going right in, … accounted for 2 officers and 104
other ranks of the German Army prisoners, and quite a few killed on the
battlefield.”
“Heavy counter fire by German
heavy arty and mortar… knocked in the wall. Lt Phillips and Cpl Voss were
wounded and evacuated.”
14OCT44 “At 1530 hrs Essex
Scots ordered to rejoin their bn, … RRC to take over A and B Coy posns,
A Coy to “ (move) “to 638187, B Coy to 637196 after dark.” “ C Coy Essex all out at 1630.” … Enemy
“threw a counter attack with approx 4 tks and 100 inf. … Major Williams” (having escaped during
attack) “withdrew A Coy. … “RRC took up a firm base behind A Coy’s original posn. Comd Post moved to 635185”
The 16th
to the 20th actions have been described in the narrative. The
attacks of 23 and 24 OCT44 are described below.
22OCT44 “6 Cdn Inf Bde is to advance about 2000 yards with 3 bns up. The S Sask R on the rt is to advance to the rd 623214 to 635216. Cmns of Cda on the left, FMR in the centre. … rainy during the night 22/23OCT.”
…”In support of S Sask R is 1 pl 4.2 mortars, 1 pl MMGs, 1 tp 17 pdrs, 6 Fd Regt, and a sqn of tks, other arms on call.”
“B Coy to capture 634204 and consolidate, A Coy to capture 633208 and consolidate, On success, D Coy to move to 629214, following 100 yds in rear of A Coy. C Coy to follow and capture 638209 and consolidate. … B Coy to go through to 634213. Two dets of 6 pdrs with each of A,B, and C Coys. MFCs of 3 inch Mortar with B and D Coys.” (I was to be MFC with D Coy).
… “ Stiff opposition … using MGs, rifles and mortars. …A Coy to 634204 and B to 637205.”
… “At approx 1500 hrs” (Brig. Gauvreau) “ ordered Bn to consolidate where they were. … A Coy 637206, B Coy 632205, C Coy 635204 and D Coy 632202. … FMR had gone to 628202. Our losses for the day 2 Offrs and 29 Ors killed and wounded.”
24OCT44 … “Permission from the Brig. For S Sask R to advance as far as they liked. …Bde had recd info that enemy had withdrawn on large scale overnight.” (4 Div advance towards BERGEN OP ZOOM.)
…” general plan, 3 phases. 1: B Coy to obj at 638209. C Coy to … 634210, consolidate. …2: D Coy to 638215. … A Coy to 634207, consolidate!” 3: A Coy to move through C and D to 635218. … H Hour 1245 hrs. … Bn consolidated by 1500 hrs. Comd Post set up at 635204.”
Hoogerheide Map
08
-- HOOGERHEIDE AND WOENSDRECHT –04-06May
The next day
we had to leave our hosts and travel to ROOSENDAAL by train to visit our old battlegrounds
in the west of Holland at WOENSDRECHT and HOOGERHEIDE. Our host there was local
historian and collector Gerard van Pul, who with his
father had written the Dutch official history of the battles both in that area,
and on the nearby ANTWERP-TURNHOUT Canal area in Belgium, both important SSR
battle areas of September-October 1944. The train trip was of special interest
itself because of the tremendous development visible in all the old familiar
place names. I had really only seen the country en-route over the years, except
for one brief and very rainy visit in 1995. Before that, it was October 1944,
when we had spent a very tough period from 9Oct to 26Oct44, first in attachment
to 4 Brigade, and then as part of 6 Brigade when we rejoined them. What
followed was the South Beveland campaign, itself a
rather brutal affair.
We were met
4May2005 at ROOSENDAAL, a few kilometers east of BERGEN OP ZOOM . The weather
was quite cool, and showers threatened.
Our host Gerard van Pul, is a trucker in
regular life, but a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable militaria
collector by avocation. His father had authored “Slag om
Woensdrecht”, the definitive history of the battles
north and east of ANTWERP from both the German and the Allied point of view.
Our first surprise was the scope of his large collection of mainly
Canadian battledress, caps, and badges.
But even more impressive was the near-final draft, in colour,
of his exhaustive and scholarly study of Canadian cap and shoulder badges. He not only has World War II badges
thoroughly covered, but often almost complete coverage of the history of badges
for many of the regiments. I have never seen anything which even approaches
this study.
Memorial
Service in Woensdrecht
The first night we were pleasantly surprised to join small
groups from both the Black Watch and the Essex Scottish, who had also returned
to honour the fallen at the scene of some of the most
desperate struggles fought by both 4 and 5 Brigades in October of ‘44. George
Blackburn’s “Guns of Victory” has described most of those battles in a style
probably unmatched by any other account except his equally graphic “Guns of
Normandy”. The SSRs shared some of those terrible days. During the evening we
joined with the other veterans at the cenotaphs, and also were privileged to
take part in a special ceremony at the rebuilt Catholic Church in WOENSDRECHT,
now the administrative center for both towns as well as the region in general.
We were able to present our SSR plaque to the representative of the Burgemeester. We met with some of the local survivors of
those bitter days, including several of the Belgian White Brigade veterans,
both male and female, who had fought on the Canadian side, and many toasts were
exchanged. Van Pul’s father was an active participant
in these festivities.
Tour
of the Hoogerheide Battlefields – Groote Meer
Thursday
morning, 5May, being the National Liberation day, we began our tour starting
from the first position we had occupied early on 10Oct44, following our dramatic night move from BRECHT in
Belgium. We looked over the site of TAC HQ, with the nearby mortar position,
just off the main road from PUTTE. We then entered the private road to GROOTE
MEER, the private estate that had been the site of "A” Company’s
adventures. Now, as then, the “lake” is actually mainly a muddy, nearly dry
marsh, with only shallow ponds here and there to show where the former lake had
been. George Blackburn had mentioned the horror they felt when they discovered
that the “impenetrable” water obstacle that had protected the 4 Brigade eastern
flank had been shaken nearly dry by the heavy shelling, which allegedly opened
an underground path to the sea, draining most of the lake. Van Pul surprised us by saying that the thick growth of blooming
Rhodedendrons along every path is considered a
biological pest they are trying to eradicate. We hadn’t really noticed them in
’44. The building itself, which had been badly damaged by shelling in ’44, has
been completely rebuilt. Our hopes to actually see the site of our old action
was dashed when we couldn’t raise the occupants of the property, who perhaps
didn’t really want muddy soldier’s boots, even old soldier’s boots, on their
floors. The locked and chained gates, and the presence of wire barriers didn’t
suggest further attempts
The
“Hot” Crossroads
From the
site where “A” Company had first set up we followed to the north towards their
second position, where the Essex Scots and “Maisies”
had attacked to restore the position under Lt-Col Stott’s command. The semi
open fields of ’44 have grown to thick trees, now being cleared for
agriculture. We continued on over the former track through to the position that
TAC had taken up in the farm house, after their hot reception at the cross roads.
We in the mortars had been fortunate in moving a couple of hundred metres further to the north, where we were able to occupy a
former German anti-aircraft position, complete with three deep and strong
dug-outs, as well as gun positions needing only careful sand-bagging to reverse
the direction of their entrances. Fortunately, there was an unending supply of
sand close at hand! We were not at all surprised when TAC moved about four
hundred metres in front of us, to the farmhouse. That
crossroads received over 500 rounds of shellfire during one day’s “normal”
operations, and if George Lane were still alive he’d have plenty to say about
trying to get reinforcements past that crossroads! We just happily moved under
our dugout’s thick roof, though they did manage to hit my command carrier on
one occasion. Luckily, no casualties, but my big pack was a complete write-off!
Come to think of it, so were my nice pair of new boots, just received and not
yet broken in! A few days later that pair of sodden old boots they were to
replace, nearly led to my undoing. But that’s another story!
The
Attack on TAC HQ
The farm house that had been TAC HQ, was still in the same
place but completely rebuilt. The old farmer who lived there, was most
friendly. Turns out he had lived there in ’44, at about 6 years of age! He had
been evacuated behind the German lines a day or two before we came in, but at
that age, had been underfoot listening at every possible opportunity! He knew
all the details, though undoubtedly, at least second hand. He had the opinion
that the nearby company was north of the house, when we knew it to be south.
But he knew all about the efforts of the Signals platoon to throw the German
“potato masher” grenades back out of the windows as fast as the Germans threw
them in. The German 7 second fuses, combined with the 4 second fuses of our own
# 36 grenades, did much to turn the tide. John MacDonald, who died only a few
weeks ago, was checking for breaks on our phone lines from TAC, and I had
agreed to cover him as he worked. I borrowed a Sten
gun for the purpose, not having much faith in the .38 Smith and Wesson revolver
we were then issued. We were only 50 metres or less
away when all the ruckus boiled up. John felt strongly that he should stay
there with the Sten, and help his Signals buddies,
but my job was clearly to get back to the mortars in one piece and get some
defensive fire down, the breaks in the phone line being the reason for not
having fired earlier. Since Johnny had no weapon other than the Sten I had borrowed, he took that, while I skulked back
with my revolver in hand. Of course I had seen exactly where to put the mortar
fire, and got right at it, mixing in a little white phosphorous smoke to
further confuse the Germans. Whatever, after about a half-hour’s exchange (it
seemed much longer) the Germans were driven off. The old farmer knew the whole
story! Apparently we did confuse the German patrol. Anyway, they were
driven off, and the Sigs Platoon had only minor scratches. Thankfully, John
MacDonald was unhurt, and as always, quietly strolled back saying the phone
line was now just fine! After that Signals was only too happy to check the line
leading to us, as they were supposed to! A little needling never hurts! It was
a little hard to adjust to the large numbers of trees that by 2005 had replaced
some of the dunes we knew so well. But it was equally hard to realize that the
dunes in general had now become priceless asparagus fields!
The
Crossroads and the RAP
We then went
back to the crossroads where the RAP had, unhappily for them, set up after TAC
had left the place. Major Haytor would never have
picked that spot. But he had left from Lochtenberg to
go back to Canada. The new MO wasn’t as battle-wise as Frank Haytor had been. We winced every time an ambulance jeep
appeared. Not the best spot to be lying wounded. A restaurant now graced the
spot, and it appeared far more pleasant than in ’44!
The
Mortar Position
I went to the place where the
mortars had set up, before moving farther north. The old dugouts were still
there, though heavily overgrown with trees as well as undergrowth! The sand had
been filled in substantially, but one could easily find the entrance steps. I
didn’t attempt to explore further. I did note that the brambles that had
provided occasional fruit in ’44, were still present in profusion! (Part of the
reason I quit poking around!)
The
Sniper – 23Oct44
We then tried to look for the road where
I had had the long and awkward encounter with the sniper, finally concluded by
Sniper Powell and Scout Corporal George Grandbois,
after I had been missed for the fourth time by the sniper. Later we had gone to
check on the sniper’s position and I was able to trade my sodden and broken
boots for his nice new jump boots, just my size. The poor fellow had no more
need of jump boots. In 1995 I had found the road, and walked along the ditch
again. But it was raining so hard I had to quit. This time I decided there were
too many other things to do, so skipped it.
Attack
on the Airfield –24Oct44
Instead of
that road, we followed the route of the attack on the German airfield, looking
for the basement room that the Jerries had been using
for an RAP or equivalent, that I had mortared with such devastating effect. We
couldn’t find the spot, since everything was new and heavily built up. Gerard
van Pul said they had not heard of that pile of dead
Germans, but some spots were bull-dozed before anyone got there. His father
might have known more, but was not with us that morning. However, when we
looked for the German Ack Ack
pill-boxes, we immediately found a high mound of sand in the right area, and we
climbed up, or rather David and Gerard did, I couldn’t manage the climb! Sure
enough, the three storey emplacements were there,
buried to about twenty feet, but open at the top. David went in and managed to
photograph the top two rooms. The panoramic target sketches were still visible
on the walls! There were even old shell cases still scattered around. Since the
Dutch Air Force, and then the US Air Force had occupied the base after the war,
little interference with the original sites had occurred. The gathering rain
clouds dissuaded us from any further exploration.
A
Real Militaria Collector
By this time
we were scheduled to visit with another historian and militaria
collector, and we were not disappointed. This man, a retired school teacher,
and his wife, also a retired teacher, had taken over a former German Gestapo
and then Dutch Air Force barracks and turned it into a combined living quarters
and museum warehouse. He had the most
extensive private collection I had ever seen or heard of. He is awaiting government
clearance to establish an official private museum. Our War Museum would be
jealous! He had anti tank guns, both German and
Canadian, even a wrecked Calgary Highlanders or Black Watch Bren gun carrier,
dug up personally after long exploration and negotiation on a local
battlefield. He had every German and Allied bomb, mortar bomb, and shell
imaginable. He had boxes of shells and casings, all three sizes of “moaning minnie” rockets, and projectors, as well as some Canadian
“land mattress” rockets and even a projector. He had carts, motorcycles,
bicycles, uniforms, ration packs, equipment, and tools of every description.
But even more impressive was his collection of pistols, rifles, sub-machine
guns, and machine guns, including Vickers guns. When he unlocked the big safe
and produced his prize collection of MG
34s, MG 42s, Tommy guns, Stens, Bren guns, Brnos, MP 44s, and finally no less than three of the
exceedingly rare FG 42 s, we were really impressed. I did manage to stagger him
a little when he held up the first FG 42 and said, “I bet you don’t know what
this is!” He nearly dropped when I said. “ A Feldsturmjäger
Gewehr 42!” “ How did you know?” he gasped. “I saw
them lots of times. We seemed to be in the habit of fighting German
Paratroops.” He told us that only 2000 were ever made, and that they were worth
30,000 Euros apiece! We clearly missed
our chance to get rich by not saving some of those suckers! He also had a
couple of my favorite MP 44s but said they weren’t that rare. The now famous
Kalashnikov was patterned after it.
“B”
Company’s Front Line Houses
We did pass by “B” Company’s house where they had such a
tough time with the paratroops for nearly two weeks in October. The intense
construction over the years made it impossible to visualize what those far off
days had been like. Each platoon had felt thoroughly isolated, yet now there
were houses every few meters. The stress they suffered then was hard to imagine
now. We finally tore ourselves away and
Gerard’s wife fed us spaghetti and meat balls,
while their kids played computer games, much to son David’s amusement.
“Just like home!” was his comment.
Next morning, Gerard van Pul kindly
drove us over to BRECHT on the Antwerp-Turnhout canal
in Belgium, just east of ANTWERP, and now on a main road. We owe Gerard a great
debt for being such a generous host. I did leave a copy of the October44 War
Diary for him to copy, as well as a marked up copy of our maps. But he already
had his own set of Canadian maps of the time, obtained from the Dutch “Topographische
Dienst” who have almost a complete set of Canadian
Maps
09
--BRECHT AND LOCHTENBERG – 06-07May
Travel
to Brecht
As stated,
Gerard van Pul drove us to BRECHT on the morning of
6May05. We passed through the border
town of PUTTE, half Dutch, half Belgian. It is still basically a one street
town, but much built up since ’44! We were trying to find a bank that would
cash traveller’s cheques,
since no one else would. But most banks no longer carry cash! They apparently
are fearful of the Moroccan smugglers and drug dealers. Only money changers
have cash, suitably blocked off from any direct access. They make their living
from the five percent fee they charge. Essentially every Dutch citizen has a
GIRO account, which is used solely for deposits, or legal transfers. They can
get cash from special banks. We made the trip over the new roads, not even
attempting to retrace the midnight route through the German FDLs we had
followed 9/10Oct44, through full black-out and at as much speed as we dared. I
had run over a kubelwagen
with a German Major during the trip!
BRECHT was
essentially unrecognizable. We drove up to the “Gemeentehuis”
or town hall, a lovely new building. The cathedral was recognizable, and the
old railway station, now a tavern, but nothing else made any sense to me. I had
feared meeting the furious housewife who had slipped into our mortar HQ just
after a German anti-tank round had taken put the northeast corner of her living
room, soon after we moved in, bouncing off the side wall (leaving another giant
hole) and then out through the back of the kitchen. She was absolutely beside
herself, and swore that we had done it in some manner. She couldn’t imagine the
Germans would be so callous, or so my Dutch-speaking men told me. She surely
had in mind doing me in with a kitchen knife when my men seized her by the arms
and literally carried her back across the canal. Poor women.
The railway station was just behind the town hall, and
clearly showed the patched brick, and hundreds of unpatched bullet strikes on
the towers and walls. They also have a memorial of two panels of the Bailey
Bridge ( Winters Bridge) built in 1944 under fire across the canal, just to the
right of our positions. It is named for the Sapper killed during its
construction. The monument is nearing completion and is to be dedicated just
after we leave.
The
Brecht Exhibit
We spent the remainder of the morning of 6 May viewing the
extensive collection of photos and dressed dummies, as well as general militaria. Noteworthy were a series of complex plastic
model scenes painstakingly prepared by a local man from his observations of the
battles around BRECHT. We took many photos of these realistic scenes. Also
prominent in the display were many photos of one Lt. and Capt. C.E.
Wally
Schoofs and the Unknown Soldier
The
historian, and our host, was Wally Schoofs, a 28 year
old school teacher and military buff. He had been collecting for 22 years.
That’s right, since he was six! He formerly lived in LOCHTENBERG, and it was
there that I had come into contact with him. He had lived in his uncle’s house,
just at the famous cross-roads where “B” Coy had had such a disaster, and my
platoon and I had narrowly escaped. Wally’s real triumph was in finding and
excavating, with permission, an unknown soldier’s grave discovered in a BRECHT
back garden. He had carefully excavated (with a teaspoon!) the grave site, and
discovered a German soldier’s body, buried in full uniform there. He had no idea of the identity until he
carefully brushed the dirt from the steel helmet he found there, and read the
name of a German soldier. It could have been a Canadian, English, or even
American, or just “An Unknown Soldier From the Second World War”, of which
there are still examples aplenty! Wally carefully photographed each stage of
his excavation in true anthropologist fashion.
Wally was
lucky, and persistant enough, to contact the German
authorities, and discover that the name belonged to a soldier named “Eichstädt”. Further tracking located the wife, and a son,
only a small boy at the time of the soldier’s death. The son had kept a careful
record of every letter that the soldier, who had won an Iron Cross in the
Norwegian Campaign, had written home to his wife and son. The book was computerized and at least three
inches thick. Schoofs had invited the son and his
wife, and their son and wife, to attend the ceremonies in BRECHT. Son David and
I met them and had breakfast with them the last day in our hotel in WESTMALLE.
They were four charming, gentle, and intelligent people, most friendly and most
interesting. They spoke quite reasonable English, and we were very impressed
with their sad but fascinating story. The elder Eichstädt
had been captured by an American anti aircraft unit,
probably from the Timberwolf Division, then about to
become attached to the Canadian Army, just a couple of weeks before his death.
He had escaped by pushing his captor down, only to be killed, probably by a 5
Brigade unit in BRECHT. How ironic.
LOCHTENBERG BATTLE MAP
According
to the War Diaries of both the SSR and other units, plus the higher formations,
the well-earned “rest” we were to have in CONTICH, Belgium, after the BRAY_DUNES
experience, was abruptly cut short to ensure that the vital port facilities of
ANTWERP could be put to use as soon as possible, to forestall the long haul
from the invasion beaches. Operation MARKET GARDEN, as well as the US and
British actions to push up to the Rhine farther south, desperately needed new
supply routes. First Canadian Army was given the formidable and critical task
of ensuring that the Scheldt Estuary area was cleared of German defenders. For
6 Brigade this meant an assault crossing of the Antwerp-Turnhout
canal in the face of what proved to be insufficient intelligence. Eighth Recce
Regiment had closed up to the canal area 23Sep44, with the Brigade following.
FMR were to assault the bridge north of St. Job in ‘t Goor
at first light 24Sep with SSR to provide a diversionary crossing several
hundred meters to the west. “A” Company was to follow a “track” on the west
flank, with the other companies closing up to the canal banks, which was known
to have some enemy defenders in the woods. Nine Platoon soon found the “track”
to be a deep ditch, full of water, which they couldn’t cross to reach 7 Platoon
on their right. The “enemy” in the woods soon proved to have MG 42s, and to be
very active. Trying to close up to the canal, 9 Platoon had several casualties
from MGs fired from the far bank, and from a premature explosion from two inch
mortar bombs fired in return. The other companies reached the canal bank, which
was predictably mined. A new attack was arranged, with “A” Company to seize the
crossing site and “B” to then follow through to the main road and turn right on
the left side. Number 9 Platoon was to follow on the right side. As they did
so, a light tank appeared on the road ahead, followed by another vehicle which
immediately opened fire with 37mm cannon and MGs, causing casualties to “B”
Coy. Nine Platoon’s PIAT was fired (apparently by a signalman from “B” Coy),
the first shot hitting the turret but not exploding. I then had the PIAT
correctly armed and the second and final remaining bomb exploded on the track
guard, slewing the tank into a tree on the left, and blocking it. Nine Platoon
(mine) then crossed the road and attacked a row of five houses, and then a
farmhouse 150 meters to the north. They held there until dark, while a
half-track armed with a heavy MG crossed only a few yards in front of the farm
house. Despite the Platoon Commanders pleas, the Brens
did not fire on the half-track. After dark 9 Platoon returned to the
bridgehead, passing numerous “B” Coy dead at the crossroads.
In the meantime, the FMR were
counter-attacked by 200 infantry and an estimated dozen light tanks, said by
van Pul to have been captured French Renaults.
Division refused to believe there were tanks, or that FMR casualties were
heavy, but they were forced to withdraw. After several days of maneuvre, SSR finally attacked 2Oct44 from the Brecht area.
And captured LOCHTENBERG, continuing on to Brasschaet.
SSR casualties for Bray-Dunes and Lochtenberg totaled
218.
10
-- Visit to Lochtenberg
– 06May
In the afternoon we travelled down to
LOCHTENBERG via the same road we had followed in the final attack to capture
the town 2Oct44. We toured the SAINT JOB IN ‘T GOOR village where we had first
approached the canal 23Sep44. We quickly discovered the anti
tank ditch, which had caused me such trouble in the early morning attack
24Sep44, when “A” Coy had been led to believe it was a track, by the faulty map
we had . In fact this anti-tank ditch
had been built by the Belgians as part of their defenses a couple of years
before the 1940 attacks. The famed pill-boxes, of which there were many, were
also of the same 1937-38 vintage. We had presumed them German. Two, of the most
interest to the SSRs, have been partially buried, dug up, and reburied several
times, but now extend well above the ground level. The many six-pounder and 17
pounder holes attest to the interest we paid to them in ’44. Naturally we took
photos.
The
Canal Crossing Site
The canal we crossed with such difficulty in ’44 is no longer
a commercial venture, except for pleasure boats, some of good size, and
fishermen. The old lock-keeper’s house we had used as a temporary TAC HQ for
our afternoon attacks has long gone, and there is a road along the dike, now
contoured quite differently. But the distances were clear enough and we could
easily spot the crossing place we had used. We crossed at the rebuilt locks,
again taking several pictures. The water is now nearly two metres
higher than it had been in ’44. There are several new roads. Houses have been
built on both sides, and the village of ST. JOB IN ‘T GOOR now includes both
sides of the canal.
We went to the cross-roads, now on a major highway, with
heavy traffic. I had recalled it as a cobblestone road, but Schoof
insists it has always been described as a macadam road. We were unable to
verify the original five houses together, since some had in fact been
destroyed. But measurement by eye established their location, and sure enough
the farm house at the rear was visible from the road, though now rebuilt and
with two new houses attached on the north side. We did go beyond the present
house to visit Mevrouw Brosens,
the recent widow of the farmer I had hoped to speak with. She greeted us most
warmly, and as far as my somewhat stilted Flemish would allow, verified my
whole adventure in the farmhouse on 24Sep44.
Of course I now knew that there had been two young families
there in ’44, and it was M. Brosens, and the other
man’s wife who had come up to the kitchen with two older children. Mevr. Brosens, with either a very
young child or perhaps pregnant (I didn’t ask!) had discreetly stayed below in
the cellar, but had listened avidly to the whole conversation. We agreed that a
German patrol had clearly been outside, just north of the farmhouse. They had definitely
taken one badly wounded man prisoner, and two others. They undoubtedly would
have shot the rest of us up, and taken the survivors prisoner, if we had not
left when we did. I still had no information on Stadelmier,
but now I feel I must try to discover if he was not only of German extraction,
but may well have been Jewish. This could explain why he was found to have been
hanged, when his body was recovered near the former bridge site 2Oct44. It’s
also ironic that I took a thoroughly terrified German soldier prisoner from an
upper room just at the bridge site, while acting as MFC (Mobile Fire
Controller) with “D” Coy. I rejoined the mortars at the main road just moments
afterwards, well before Stadelmier’s body was
found. I had not even thought about the
possibility of his being Jewish, or for that matter, of his being taken
prisoner, when I sent him to check the casualties.
Presentation
of the SSR Plaque
We then
returned to BRECHT, where I presented the SSR plaque in the town hall that night,
and spoke my best Dutch-accented Flemish to the delighted crowd assembled in
the hall. They all clapped and smiled, so I assume they understood me well
enough. I gave both the Burgemeester and Wally Schoofs copies of the speech and the history of the SSR (in
English). I lacked the nerve to translate that! There were numerous competent
English speakers amongst the audience, including Schoofs’
wife and his father. After the presentation I officially opened the exhibition,
jointly with the Burgemeester. Wally Schoofs’ new book “Slag om
Brecht” was then officially offered for sale, and with Wally I autographed more
than 250 copies! Sadly, my copy, carefully mailed from Holland, was lost by
Canada Post in Saint Laurent Post Office.
We spent the
night in the hotel in WESTMALLE, being picked up late the following morning by
our BRAY-DUNES host, M. Yves Janssen and a friend.
INSERT PAGE, BRAY-DUNES MAP
12
-- DUNKIRK – BRAY-DUNES –7-10May
A Fresh Look at Bray-Dunes And Bray-Dunes Plage
Host Yves
Janssen and a friend, Jean-Claude Demeyere, picked us up at the BRECHT town hall and drove us to BRAY-DUNES over the
fine new autoroute and the ANTWERP bypass. We arrived about 5:00 p.m. and immediately toured BRAY-DUNES
PLAGE. The shattered shells of 1944 had been restored by rebuilding many
houses, but also by erecting modern high-rise flats. The beach was open, the
tide out about as far as it had been on that long ago morning of 15Sep44. Kite
flyers and para sail surf-boarders were everywhere. I
immediately noticed the little drifts of soft sand that were blowing everywhere
on the promenade in the stiff breeze. I remembered the trouble with the oiled
Bren guns in ’44! I was able to spot the place where I had first entered the
beach front in ’44, and we came down to the same spot. First we quickly
explored the eastern portion of the town, where “D” Coy had come in across the
dunes soon after our first encounter with the snipers. This was now the site of
many high-rises. There were secondary streets that had been only smashed shells
in ’44, but now made up a multi street town. Surprisingly, the dunes at the
western end were little altered from my memory. Yves explained that special
environmental protection acts had deliberately limited change in the dune
areas. However, there were now many new houses on secondary streets farther
from the beach than the mere two rows of ’44. I still felt that prickly hair at
the back of the neck when I ventured onto the beach area! Most difficult to
grasp were the many trees of ten to fifteen metres
that had been mere shrubs of a metre or less in 44.
One could still see the sanatorium and the dune hillocks to the west that had
been death-defying to view in ’44. Avenue General de Gaulle appeared to have
completely replaced the original thin macadam road! I still had the feeling
that I should reach out for the guiding posts and the hand-wire that had marked
the route to the beach then. No mines or wire or obstacles in site now!
Of course the first action on foot was to retrace the steps
along the beach front as in ’44. Since there happened to be no one walking on
the promenade, it did seem a little like the original. But there was no sniper
rising from his trench, and definitely no shot at Yves and I! A memorial to the
112th Motorized Division of 1940, was approximately at the point
where I had reached the beach. That
General Janssen did come from GYVELDE, but Yves said he was apparently not a
close relative, though many of that name had come from Holland in the Spanish
and Napoleanic eras, driven by religious persecution.
My Bren guns had been set up at approximately that point. Of course the
snipers’ communication trench was long gone, but the curve of the dunes seemed
about the same as I remembered. The crumbling slit trenches we were limited to
in the soft sand would have been little different today. “B” and “D” Companies
had a tough time surviving the mortar bombs and the long range shelling even in
their slit trenches. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a decent photo of the dunes
to the west because of the setting sun. On the morning of 15Sep44, our German
sniper had been facing the morning sun, which might explain his misses!
13
-- The Crossroads, or Carrefour – 08May
As in ’44,
we returned along the road, now a serious thoroughfare with traffic lights,
back to the crossroads where we had relieved the Cameron’s Company and occupied
their fortress of a house. It was long gone. The crossroads was now graced with
a street light, and the apparent site of
the big white house was now occupied by a very modern looking pharmacy! Alas,
the current pharmacist knew nothing of the history, but knew it had been newly
built over the wreckage of the past buildings. What about the “silk-stocking
factory” which had been next door? Sure enough, it was still there, though
considerable additions had been made. Alas, apparently no survivors of the area
from the time were still alive. The railway tracks behind were essentially as
they had been, as is the way with railway tracks everywhere. Grades are just
too tricky to be changed wildly! But the new station is known to be
considerably to the west of the old, smashed down station. From the railway
tracks it was easy to imagine the scene as it had been sixty years before. I
could almost “see” the place on the tracks where the German Feldwebel (Sergeant) had been lying dead, shot by a Cameron sharp-shooter.
The old dug-outs hat been long since removed, but one could easily see where
they had been. The “Calvary” on the high dunes behind was just as it had been
in the pictures I had seen. But the cross roads itself was now a built up
junction.
The
Farmyard Defensive Position
The little farm house where I had set up my rather pitiful defence in front of
“A” Coy, was at first not visible at all. The distances seemed much
shorter than I recalled them. But we soon found the little path behind the
south-side houses that I had traveled to get to Coy HQ. That of course led back
almost to the farmhouse, and there it was, with several houses built in front!
Unfortunately, privacy rules prevented us from actually going into the
farmyard, but we could see it plainly. Yves said there was a local who had some
information, and to my astonishment, out came a little old man who said he had
been a teen ager in ’44, had been hiding in the cellar of the wrecked house
behind us, had seen us move in, and station the FFI boys in the upper floor,
while we dug in in the back garden. All of this in French, with much
translation by Yves. The old man then described to my complete astonishment,
how the 17 pounder crew had set up in the morning in the yard (though he
thought it was on the left side, when actually it was on the right, but no
matter.) He then told about the first round they fired, right over my slit
trench, and about how I had risen up like a demon, cussing the gun crew and
waving my arms! He didn’t understand why the argument had suddenly ended, but
when I explained that my uncle had unexpectedly been one of the gun crew, he
could understand the sudden quieting down I had shown! After more than 60
years, a very eerie sensation to hear that description of my actions so long
ago! The old man must have been terrified at all the activity and shooting,
especially the heavy shelling of the night before when our fortress house was
destroyed. I had never spotted him. But apparently he had headed for GYVELDE as
soon as he could escape. Luckily the FMR didn’t shoot him. But then, he could
have understood them quite well, and they him, despite his half-Flemish accent.
After that
it was dinner at a local restaurant, and then papers, souvenirs, and memories
at Yves excellent little house, at 42 Rue des Alouettes,
a street east from the old road to the Plage. The Janssens had restored it with loving care, and the ultra modern shower and other bathroom fittings were
gloried-in by we two weary travellers. Madame Janssen
had wisely taken the opportunity to visit one of their sons, leaving Yves to
revel in dealing with the two Canadians.
14
-- Sunday, Liberation Parade Day –08May
The 8May ceremonies were numerous and most interesting. We
began with a parade to the seafront memorial to the 112th French
Motorized Division, commanded in 1940 by General Janssen, who came from nearby
GYVELDE. He had been killed in 1940 by a German bomb at Fort des Dunes. This
march behind the local band was just about my limit. Wreath laying, in which I
was invited to join the Mayor, and then the “Marseillaise” and then the French
“Last Post” extended my saluting practice!
After return to the main square, the next parade was Church
Parade to the Notre Dame Catholic church, where we laid wreaths to the French
and Canadian dead. The anthems here included an excellent rendition of “Oh
Canada” by the band as well as the “Marseillaise”, plus of course the “Last
Post” and more saluting. We then entered the church for Sunday mass, where I
sat in the front row with the Mayor and a local General. Incidentally, the church
hall next door was probably the location of the SSR TAC HQ, which I never got
to see in ’44.
After church came a march to the local cemetery, with wreaths
and salutes for three FFI executed 15Sep44. (We say “FF Eye”, but the French of
course say “FF Eee”, which takes a minute to
recognize!) There were British, (Argyles from a 51st Highland Div.
Brigade) and Czech dead from 1944, as well as local citizens.
Presentation of the SSR Plaque
We
then marched to the village hall, where an impressive display of pictures of
the travails of
BRAY-DUNES
and the PLAGE were on display. After suitable music, and some speeches by the
Mayor and local officials, I made my little speech to BRAY-DUNES and its peoples,
with translations by host Yves Janssen. I then presented the SSR plaque to the
Mayor for display at the Town Hall Office. Toasts all round followed, and
another Canadian anthem. Many locals came by to shake hands, and to offer their
thanks for the sacrifices of the Canadians, despite the long wait they had
before actually getting their town back.
15 --
Surrender of Fortress Dunkirk at Wormhoudt –08May
In the afternoon we first toured the battle areas at GYVELDE,
where the FMR had fought. The area included a monument to yet another Jansson. This turned out to be a French monk who had spent
many years in Canada, including Montreal. This fact had astonished the FMR who
had discovered his monument in ’44. We then continued on to WORMHOUDT, to both
visit the exhibition of militaria which the local
historians had assembled and to attend the ceremonies to celebrate the signing
of surrender by Admiral Frisius, commandant of
DUNKIRK FORTRESS and also the channel Islands. This surrender had been accepted
by the Czech Independent Armoured Brigade Commander
at WORMHOUDT, 9May45. Surprisingly, this was NOT the final surrender of German
forces in 1945. In fact, a large group of Russian POW, who had been conscripted
into the German army, had revolted against their German officers on the Dutch
Frisian Island of Texada, during the Canadian
liberation of the north of Holland and didn’t actually surrender, to the Canadian Army, until
25Jun45!
DUNKIRK
MEDALLION
Receiving the Dunkerque Liberation Medallion
As a final ceremony, we attended a presentation in the
Exhibition Hall of WORMHOUDT. During this gathering I was honoured
in a strange way by being intensely photographed, with the crew of the
Exhibition, by a young lady photographer from the Chinese National Press, who
seemed to conclude that as the only Canadian representative, I must be of some
importance! After some nine local dignitaries were honoured
by being presented with a fine golden medallion by the Deputy Mayor of DUNKIRK,
I was doubly honoured by being included in this
presentation. Luckily I was photographed by my son, admiring my own medal. I
say luckily, because, due to the various ceremonies still to come in Holland,
we had to reduce our baggage by one bag, and also the weight we were carrying.
Unfortunately, though I had the medallion and various books, papers, and
documents carefully packed by the Dutch Post Office, and mailed Express Parcel
Post to Canada, my 12.3 Kg package as shipped, was delivered ten days late in
Canada at a weight of 2.2 Kg! My medallion was amongst the ten kilos of missing
items, allegedly “lost” in transit at Saint Laurent Post Office when the
original parcel was “crushed”! I have made my displeasure known in a report to
the Post Office officials, but so far have received not a word. The Post Office
Ombudsman has also not yet replied.
On the way back, we also toured many areas of DUNKIRK (or Dunkerque) itself,
including the gun positions of the 2nd Canadian Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment, who had provided both field
artillery support and Light Ack Ack
support to the Czechs until February ’45. They had incidentally shot down the
only three German aircraft to attempt to re-supply DUNKIRK by air!
Unfortunately, we were not able to tour the former German Heavy Artillery
batteries which were closed this Sunday. The 340 mm gun which had hit “A” Coy
so hard had been removed some years ago. The dune areas around the Sanitorium were a little too far and too isolated for me to
navigate on foot, and vehicle access was not feasible.
16
-- Presentation to the High School – 09May
In the morning of 9May, we met with the
Bray-Dunes Liberation Committee, including the four surviving FFI.
Unfortunately, the one who remembered the most, had become rather ill with Alzheimers and was not always in tune with things of the
day. We did visit the road and farm I had patrolled with 9 Platoon the morning
of 16Sep44. The pill-boxes were still there, but little else was recognizeable.
We then went to the local high school where we had a pleasant
lunch with the staff. I then addressed the senior class about my “adventures”
during that long ago week in their town. Unfortunately, a bout of severe sinus
trouble just before leaving for Europe had ruined my attempts to brush up on my
French, so the English Professor, a charming young women, augmented Yves
Janssen in translating my military jargon for the apparently fascinated class.
Yves also drew sketches on the black board as I spoke, to help explain what was
going on, in very knowledgeable fashion. (Yves had served as an armoured corps officer and was still a reserve officer).
There were many questions from the students.
16
-- Fort des Dunes – 09May
After our meeting with the FFI men
we had a quick look at the German position 9 Platoon and later the Czechs, had
raided. (Curiously, I had actually seen Yves’ mother, through binoculars, walking
with his two older siblings, back to the FMR lines at GYVELDE, 16Sep44!) We then continued on to FORT DES DUNES, the
former 1940 HQ of the 112th Motorized Infantry Division. This old fort still functions as a training
site for the local Reserve units. We noted that Yves Janssen was still a member
in good standing! He had brought along a Mauser and a
Lee-Enfield with enough ammunition to give all the old soldiers a little target
shooting. Both David and I were happy to join this game!
The Fort had been attacked by German
dive bombers (Ju 87 Stukas)
in May 1940, during which General Janssen and a considerable number of his
staff had been amongst the casualties. Large holes had been blown in the stone
walls of several of the buildings, built for the War of 1870. The Germans used
the Fort for instructional purposes during the Occupation. It was bypassed in
1944, but it was some time before repairs and reconstruction could be
attempted. It was still in use for Reserve
training, and Yves’ old Commanding Officer is the Colonel in Residence. He
still manages to maintain some of the buildings and even restore a little, but
the Germans had bull-dozed much of the 1940 debris into the outer battlements.
It will take a long time and much effort to excavate and restore these
portions. But many relics of weapons and other memorabilia continue to be found
and preserved for posterity. We were entranced by a 1940 Oerlikon
gun, which Yves was very familiar with.
The south battlements give a fine
view over the Flanders battlefields of the First World War. Mont Sorrel, of
Flanders fame, is a noticeable landmark on the southern horizon, at what
appears to be some 20 or so kilometres distance.
During the afternoon we each had the
opportunity to fire a few rounds from Yves personal stock from both the .303
Lee-Enfield and the 7,92 Mauser. I couldn’t determine
the ballistics from the packages but the Mauser
definitely had noticeably more recoil than the Lee Enfield. I was pleased to
find that I could still manage a 3 cm group with only one slight flyer.
Admittedly this was only at 50 metres! I used to be
able to do ten shots in a 2 inch group at 100 yards in the old days.
We finished our visit in BRAY-DUNES
with a friendly afternoon with the FFI boys and the Liberation Committee, a
very fine group indeed. Next morning we set out to return to NIJMEGEN, which
Yves Janssen most graciously provided in his automobile. Apart from several
heavy rain showers, the trip was an uneventful tour of the rich farm lands of
the low countries. We did have a few
minutes of stress when we passed around ANTWERP, but this time the massive
traffic jams were on the other side of the road!
17 –NIJMEGEN –10-14May
We were actually happy to return to
NIJMEGEN to get a rest, and sort our photos! We had been able to arrange a
hotel through the efforts of my in-laws. My wife had remained with her sister
though she was unable to navigate stairs. We had one more visit to make, to
ETTEN, where the local school children had been writing to the SSR web site,
and were looking forward to our visit. Because the regular tour had already
departed Holland, we couldn’t make use of the official travel arrangements, but
our hosts provided their own local transport, in a fine new Mercedes! While
waiting for this rather closely timed affair, we were happy to visit with my
wife’s other relatives, who now lived in the west of Holland. David also used
the opportunity to visit NIJMEGEN, where he took over 100 digital photos and a
couple of videos. I just rested my weary bones.
Most Canadians who fought in NWE visited Nijmegen, usually
mispronounced as Nidge meegen.
(It’s really Nye-mae-gen). But very few realized it is a city now more
than 2000 years old! It was built largely by the Romans, and sports several
chapels and minor dwellings from Emperor Charlemagne’s time. Because it had
been mistakenly bombed by the Americans in early 1944, and then badly damaged
during the Market Garden Operation, it has been heavily restored from our WW II
day.
The one thing we did do, was pack up various documents,
books, papers, and other gifts from our hosts, which we couldn’t manage for our
rapid clothing changes for the ETTEN visit and the trip home. Unfortunately,
time was very short, and we packed in the Medallion from Dunkirk. Of course I
made sure to have the special package provided by the Dutch Post Office, and
had them tape it up and ensure it was solid. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the
precaution of photographing every item included, but I did select Express Air
Post. I paid for 12.3 Kg at 10 Euros a Kg, a substantial charge. We were
assured that the usual time was five days. That should have meant the parcel
would be home as soon as we were. Not so! It arrived nearly two weeks later, at
a weight of 5 pounds, or 2.2 Kg, with an explanation (??) that the package had
been found broken open on the Post Office Conveyer belt. I was invited to make
a formal complaint on a Post Office form. I did so, but so far, over two months
later, no word. I even complained to the P.O. Ombudsman. I’m still waiting.
18
– ETTEN –15May
The little
town of ETTEN was liberated by the South Saskatchewan Regiment 1Mar45. We had
crossed the Rhine a couple of days before, in two groups, the carriers and
other heavy vehicles having been sent across separately before the marching
troops. We had some quite exciting skirmishes, notably in GENDRINGEN and then
ETTEN. We had five fatal casualties, and 26 wounded including one wounded man
who died of wounds nearly five months later. The same period also included some
losses of close friends, both officers and NCOs, some literally by my side. The
local historians had gone to considerable trouble to contact the relatives of
the dead, including RAF personnel who had been shot down in the area. Several
of these were able to attend the ceremonies, with military attachés from
British and Canadian sources. (Commander Karel Heemskerk is the Canadian Attache
to the Benelux countries.) Because of
recent deaths amongst our veterans, I was essentially the only SSR
officer still alive who had participated in the attack, and I had also come to
the town’s attention because in the course of the battle, I had been obliged to
mortar the town church, causing some damage! (The towns-people had forgiven me
during a 2000 visit!) We were pleased to extend our own visit for the purpose
of celebrating with the town. We had a special SSR Plaque for presentation to
the School children.
Most
impressive was the presence of a
renowned local men’s choir, who had performed in the past in Canada.
They were truly outstanding. Their accompaniment was an equally skilled local
orchestra, mainly of young performers. The visiting military representatives,
area officials, and the relatives of the fallen, were driven in parade in World
War II vehicles from the local (working) windmill to the largest church in
town, magnificently restored. An awesome musical performance by both orchestra
and choir, was given, which included national anthems of the participants. The
committee and dignitaries then made speeches, following which I also spoke, in
Dutch, presenting the plaque to two local school children for display in the
school.
Following
the indoor ceremonies, we then paraded to the town square, where a memorial
monument had been erected. I, and the relatives of the dead, assisted in
unveiling the monument, and a memorial stone. With further anthems, and two minutes silence, the ceremonies ended.
We then were driven by a cousin of
our host, directly to the airport at Schiphol, ready for our trip next morning
back to Canada. We were impressed that this trip across nearly the full breadth
of the country took only a little over two hours, on perfectly smooth roads! We
never once had to brake roughly, or do any swerving!