Is There an Overlooked Canadian Battle?

Discussion in 'Canadian' started by JohnS, Sep 21, 2015.

  1. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Is there a Canadian battle that has been overlooked and needs to be researched further?
     
  2. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    Yes.
    July 10 1943 to May 5th 1945.

    At the end of the war, eleven million souls produced the third largest air force and the fourth largest navy.

    Historians on the British and American side will tell you that the Commonwealth countries were all rolled under the comforting wing of the British.

    Having just visited the Rhine crossings, one gets a better perspective of what the Canadians did to liberate Holland from the Germans.
    We could have used a few more Spielbergs along the way, though.
     
    Rob Dickers and Swiper like this.
  3. Swiper

    Swiper Resident Sospan

    Completely agree.
     
  4. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Randy

    you should see what they did to free the Italians - from anywhere in Italy or Sicily - before they went to Belgium - Holland and Germany

    Cheers
     
    dbf likes this.
  5. Rob Dickers

    Rob Dickers 10th MEDIUM REGT RA

    We know Monty pushed in the Jocks & Canucks for all the shit in NW Europe.
    From 'Spring' to Faliase to the Ports to Leopold to Breskens to Walcheren to the Island to Arnhem to Groningen.
    The Water Rats did all the crap for him, with little or no glory.

    Best
    Rob
     
  6. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Interesting answers. Thanks. Let's see...I've done Operation Berlin and Leer...so I guess that I could pick any of the above...hmmm...
     
  7. Rob Dickers

    Rob Dickers 10th MEDIUM REGT RA

    I think "Cannonshot" is a bit underdone, you could try getting your teeth into that.

    Rob
     
  8. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    JohnS

    You could start at the beaches of Sicily- Agira - Ortona - Liri Valley - Gothic Line and beyond- that will keep you busy

    Cheers
     
  9. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    Tom,

    That is why I started with July 10, 1943. Correct me if I am wrong, but is that not the date that the Canuckians landed in Sicily.
     
  10. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Randy

    quite right - straight from the Uk - 1st Cdn div took the place of the British 3rd Division and lost their HQ officers when their plane went down on the way out to

    Cairo to study the plans of 3rd Div - that was when Symonds took over - think it was Salmond who was killed - lost a complete hospital on the way out but the

    nurses had a hospital going within three days of landing by scrounging all sorts of stuff- 1st Div were green as grass on landing but Monty thought they were

    great….we then joined them along with Gerry Chesters brigade after Ortona when they were made into an assault Division and replaced the exhausted KIWI's for

    the Liri valley battles - breaking the Hitler line in two days...

    cheers

    Cheers
     
  11. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Randy and I visited the river crossing site at Gorssel (Holland) & will post some photos of the site, as soon as Randy returns home - since I forgot to take my camera with me !!#@!!

    Another Canadian battle that is overlooked: 1945 battles of 1st Cdn Army to liberate of NE Holland; still could do with a good book in English. This was no walk-over and even involved an operation of SAS troops parachuted in northern Holland (Op "Amherst").

    BTW JohnS - many thanks for your study on Leer. Your book was a great guide for our visit to Leer and enabled us to locate and visit all of the Canadian crossing sites around the town.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2018
  12. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    Stolpi,
    KLM has just landed the camera and me safe and sound on Canadian soil.

    JohnS
    We recce'd the area around where Cpl Goldberg perished. More to follow.
     
  13. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Op CHESTERFIELD, the attack on the Hitler Line on 23 May 44 in support of the VI (US) Corps breakout from Anzio.

    FdeP
     
  14. Warlord

    Warlord Veteran wannabe

    Hong Kong. There's a lot of stuff lying around about it, but IMHO, not deep enough. The mere fact that there is no Mark Zuelkhe's volume covering it, warrants further digging into the "campaign".
     
  15. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Hope the camera is well!
     
  16. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    [/quote]

    BTW JohnS - many thanks for your study on Leer. Your book was a great guide for our visit to Leer and enabled us to locate and visit all of the Canadian crossing sites around the town.

    [/quote]

    Thank you! I am glad to help.
     
    stolpi likes this.
  17. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    I am looking forward to sitting down with you to discuss this further. And since the camera is safe and sound I am looking forward to seeing the pictures.
     
  18. Puttenham

    Puttenham Well-Known Member

    I must agree with Warlord, Hong Kong and the Pacific POW experience.


    PUT
     
  19. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Hong Kong and what happened to them afterwards is a very sad story. I know one veteran who was put in the bottom of a ship with other POWs and shipped to Japan. They weren't given any food and the conditions were terrible. This would be emotionally a very difficult book to research and write and that is probably why nobody has really taken it on...yet.
     
  20. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    My father, Edmund, always spoke very highly of his Canadian comrades/friends and especially remembered when the Trois Rivieres Regiment provided close support on 6th October 1943 at Temoli and also when 11th CAR helped out at Sanfatucchio on 21st June 1944.

    best
     

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