Western Europe · 2 Oct 1944 – 8 Nov 1944
Battle of the Scheldt
Allied forces cleared the Scheldt estuary after five weeks of fighting, opening the route to Antwerp. The port itself remained closed to shipping until mines had been cleared.
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The battle was fought to clear the Scheldt estuary, the waterway linking Antwerp to the North Sea. Allied troops had captured Antwerp on 4 September, but German forces still controlled the estuary and the fortified island of Walcheren. Flooded lowlands, dykes, canals and narrow approaches favoured the defenders. The First Canadian Army, under Guy Simonds while Harry Crerar was ill, led the campaign with British and Polish formations attached. German forces included the 15th Army under Gustav-Adolf von Zangen. [1] [4] [8]
On 2 October, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division advanced north from Antwerp toward Woensdrecht and the entrance to South Beveland. German resistance, mines and open flooded ground slowed the attack. Fighting around Woensdrecht became costly; the Black Watch battalion suffered especially severe losses in an unsuccessful attack on 13 October. The Canadians took Woensdrecht on 16 October; the village overlooked the isthmus, but the Germans kept a route across it until 24 October. Meanwhile, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division fought to cross the Leopold Canal into the Breskens pocket. [1] [3] [5] [9]
The fighting in the Breskens pocket continued as Canadian troops attacked across the canal and from the coast. The 7th Brigade crossed the Leopold Canal on 6 October, and on 9 October the 9th Brigade landed from amphibious vehicles across the Braakman inlet, behind the pocket. The flooded terrain and German resistance made progress slow; the pocket was not cleared until 3 November. Further north, the Allies secured the approaches to South Beveland. On 24 October, the entrance to the peninsula had been secured, and the 2nd Canadian Division advanced west along it. [3] [5] [7] [9]
The final major operation focused on Walcheren. The island’s defences and the narrow causeway from South Beveland made a direct advance difficult. Royal Air Force bombing breached dykes and flooded parts of the island; the higher water also allowed amphibious vehicles to operate. Canadian troops attacked across the causeway from 31 October and held a small foothold on 2 November after a costly struggle, which the 52nd Division then took over. On 1 November No. 4 Commando and the 155th Brigade crossed the Scheldt from Breskens to Flushing, and the 4th Special Service Brigade landed from the sea at Westkapelle. British troops of the 52nd Division took part in the advance, and Middelburg was secured on 6 November. The last German resistance ended on 8 November. [2] [5] [7] [9]
The battle ended in an Allied victory, but clearing the estuary did not immediately open Antwerp. Minesweepers needed several more weeks to clear the route, and the first Allied convoy reached the port on 28 November. First Canadian Army counted 12,873 casualties from 1 October to 8 November, 6,367 of them Canadian; Wikipedia gives a total of 20,873. German losses were estimated at roughly 10,000–13,000, with 41,043 captured. [1] [3] [4] [5] [9]