Battle of the Scheldt: Part IV October, 1944
The Battle for Woensdrecht
and the Neck of the Scheldt Estuary
By the evening of Oct.
11, the Germans had established defences on the Woensdrecht ridge,
and the high dike that carried the railway through Beveland to
Walcheren Island. They ordered their army reserve--Battle Group
Chill--which included 6 Parachute Regiment and several battalions of
self-propelled guns, to bar access to Walcheren by holding positions
at the village of Woensdrecht, located at the eastern end of the
narrow Zuid-Beveland Isthmus connecting the mainland to South
Beveland.
For the Canadians, it was not an inviting
prospect to attack these positions with six under-strength infantry
battalions, a squadron of tanks and artillery regiments that had to
ration ammunition. However, Field Marshal Montgomery, under pressure
to open the approaches to the port of Antwerp, insisted the advance
continue.
This operation, code-named Angus, called for
5th Brigade to employ one battalion to seize the railway embankment
with the other two battalions passing through to seal off the route
to Walcheren Island. The first phase of the assault would have to be
undertaken by the Black Watch. The Maisonneuves were still more than
200 riflemen short and the Calgaries had borne the brunt of the
fighting at Hoogerheide.
The attack, made with under strength and under
trained men and a flawed battle plan, against a powerful enemy,
failed. For the Black Watch, Oct. 13 was Black Friday, the second
single-day disaster in the history of the Royal Highland Regt. of
Canada. It was not so much the total casualties--145--but the ratio
of dead-to-wounded that marked the day's fighting. Fifty-six Black
Watch soldiers were killed or died of wounds. Twenty-seven were
taken prisoner.
Despite a series of aggressive counter-attacks
on the South Saskatchewan Regt. and evidence of further defensive
preparations, the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry was then ordered to
assault Woensdrecht on Oct. 16. To launch another single-battalion
attack into the centre of enemy resistance did not seem like a very
good idea, but if anyone could take and hold Woensdrecht it was the
RHLI.
Lieutenant-Colonel Denis Whitaker, who had won
a Distinguished Service Order at Dieppe and who had been wounded in
Normandy, had returned to command a battalion that had established
an enviable record of success. Whitaker, whose death in May 2001 was
widely mourned, was an outstanding and conscientious leader. He was
also blessed with seasoned company commanders and veteran
non-commissioned officers. Whitaker surveyed the battlefield from
the air and sent patrols forward to probe the defences. He insisted
upon attacking at night with the support of three field and two
medium regiments. A sandbox model of the village and the ridge were
used to brief each company and ensure that the men knew exactly what
was expected of them.
The attack was completely successful. The
village was captured and positions established on the ridge. But
with daylight the inevitable enemy counter-attacks started and a
battle of attrition ensued. The fighting raged for five days and
cost the RHLI 21 killed and 146 wounded. On Oct. 23, 1944--after two
weeks of intense combat--2nd Division began the advance west to
Walcheren Island.
Adapted from an account by historian Terry Copp, published in Legion
Magazine (www legionmagazine.ca)
The Canadian Battlefields Foundation battle
bursary students visit Woensdrecht and the Scheldt area often on
their study tour of Canadian battle sites in Northern Europe with
historians.
David Gall, Honours
History graduate of University of Waterloo:
“ Treading the same land that the
Canadians visited a lifetime ago under completely different
circumstances, and knowing how selflessly those soldiers offered
their lives for a cause greater than themselves, I could not help
but feel my heart well up with pride in my fellow countrymen. I
found myself wondering if I could ever find it in myself to do what
they did, if I was asked to offer the greatest sacrifice.”
Help us
help more Canadian students learn from these historical
achievements. Donate to the Foundation by
clicking here or
DONATE ON LINE
