4TH CANADIAN INFANTRY DIVISION

Fourth Canadian armoured division landed in Normandy at the end of July 1944 and integrated First Canadian Army. Its first battles would occur in the struggle which was opposing 2^nd Canadian Corps to German defenses on the road from Caen to Falaise – it means the difficult operations Totalise and Tractable.

In the context of Totalise, 4^th armoured received mission to break through German lines, softened by initial artillery pounding and attacks of 2^nd Canadian ID. 4^th brigade led the attack, which began in the afternoon of August 8^th, but the lack of experience of Sherman crews, who encountered enemy for the first time, as well as strong German resistance, brought disappointing results. Furthermore, even before the start of the attack, rearguard of the division was bombed by mistake by US heavy bombers… Suffering significant losses, Canadians carried out a poor performance, and failed to achieve the planned breakthrough. Worse, wishing to deliver an unexpected blow behind german lines, an armoured column of the British Columbia lost its way in the night of August 8^th to 9^th and arrived in the middle of 12. SS-PzD, where it was practically annihilated – survivors were recovered in the afternoon by the 1^st Polish armoured division.

The 4^th armoured division crossed the Seine, reached Saint-Omer on September 5^th, then entered in Belgium the following day, hustling Germans from Ypres. It was then organized in two tactical groups – the Stewart force and the Moncel force. It headed for Brugges, but was stopped September 8^th on the Ghent channel, which bridges had been destroyed. Strong German resistance encountered alongside the channel marked the end of the phase of pursuit. In the evening, infantry of the 10^th brigade managed to establish a weak bridgehead at Moerbrugge, then to reinforce it with engineers establishing a bridge.

In spite of the successful establishment of this bridgehead, operations around and beyond Antwerpen were to be prolonged, the ground being crossed by channels which limited any possibilities of broader offensive. September 13^th, Algonquins (Moncel force) carried out a crossing attempt at the junction of the Leopold and Lys channels, but had to withdraw the following day after having suffered heavy losses. From September 15^th, the 4^th armoured division attacked in direction of Maldegem. September 21^st, it was reoriented to patrol along the Ghent – Ternheuzen channel. From October 2^nd, the 4^th armoured division took part as support for 3^rd Canadian infantry division in the fights for the Breskens pocket – a highlighted achievement was then the capture of the Isabella polder by 10^th infantry brigade.

From November 8^th, the 4^th Canadian armoured division benefited from a deserved rest which enabled it to build up its forces, seriously depleted by more than three months of continuous fights. However, manpower shortage was to remain the weak point of all Canadian divisions, as Canadian government would never agree to oblige its citizens to fight overseas.

Finally, from February 8^th, 1945, the 4^th armoured division was committed in operation Veritable, again with the 2^nd Canadian Corps. It supported the assault of 2^nd and 3^rd infantry divisions, with whom it shared the difficulties of a fight in extreme weather conditions, in mud, cold, in addition to the impenetrable forest. From February 24^th, it attacked in direction of Udem and Xanten. It ran up against the furious resistance of the 116. PzD, which tried by all ways to prevent the Canadians from reaching the Rhine. It took one week of engagements to arrive for Xanten, whose approaches were defended by the parachutists of the 17. FjR. Losses were heavy, particularly within the infantry of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Once the crossing of the Rhine carried out, the 4^th armoured division took the direction of the North Sea. It crossed the Twente channel near Delden, then continued its progression along the German border towards Almelo. The Dutch city was released on April 5^th, then the Canadian tanks turned east to enter in Germany. In the last weeks of the Second World war, the 4^th Canadian infantry division crossed Ems near Meppen, then rolled aside 1st Polish armoured division towards the ports of North Sea. On May 5^th, 1945, it delivered its last fight in Oldenbourg. The 4^th Canadian armoured division was inactivated in the Netherlands in 1946.