May 17, 2015
To the 41.
Day One in the Netherlands to continue discussions on the Battle of the Scheldt and the efforts of the 9th and 7th Brigade! We drove to the shore just a little bit passed the town of Hoofdplat to talk about the Breskens Pocket, otherwise known as Operation SWITCHBACK. On the shore we were greeted by a heard of sheep who had seemingly not had any visitors in quite a long time. A small hike over the dyke and there we were, on the beach, faintly able to spot Walcheren in the distance. Here we detailed the sneaky amphibious landing that took place in early October 1944 wherein the Canadians and their “buffaloes” we able to land on the beaches of the North Shore of the Netherlands, off the West Scheldt. By pushing through from the South at the Leopold Canal and now from the Northern Breskens Pocket, the German Army was encircled, many troops were captured and others fled … to occupy Walcheren. We drove in the 6,6 KM underwater tunnel to Walcheren and there, in the town of Westkapelle, Paige described the forced evacuation of Walcheren because the RAF was planning to bomb and flood the area by breaching the dykes in an attempt to push the German Army out of the Netherlands. 10 000 Dutch civilians were urged to evacuate in what was seen as a necessary evil to step to liberation. We were thus exposed to a little known story of the relationship between the Dutch population and the Canadian Army; a somewhat contrasting story to the tale of liberation which came the following year. A quick stop at the causeway to preview tomorrow’s discussions on the road to Antwerp where McKenna was able to give us a personal look into the story of the Calgary Highlanders. Finally the memorial to the 41 British and Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in an accidental explosion just a few kilometres away from the causeway was an emotional way to end the tour today…
Jessica Ozorak
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