Liberation of Gouda, Holland

51st Highland Division fought for a considerable time under command of the Canadian Army.!!!

 

Worth mentioning that there is a "Polar Bear" (49th Div) monument in Utrecht, so there is no confusion as to who "liberated" that city.

 

No confusion for us maybe, but see this:
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevrijdingsdag#media/Filee_bevrijding_van_Utrecht_door_Canadese_militairen.jpg

Quite a widely used photo captioned 'Entry of the Canadians' but with the polar bear symbol clearly visible.

Since such detail is not visible in most photos, this means we can't trust most photo captions that refer to 'Canadians'.

 

All
Here: I direct you to C.P> Steacey's ,"Official History of the Canadian Army 1939-1945" Chapter 16 the campaign in Northwest Europe: The Advance to Victory; The First Canadian Army Returns to Battle. Here you will find the official synopsis of the advance from Arnhem and Emmerich by the first Canadian Army with the 49th west riding div under and Polish armoured Div (among others under command). It should also be noted that the 1st Canadian Corp had been out of the line since being transferred from Italy in early February 1945. The fighting after the '2nd Battle of Arnhem' was done by the 1st Cad Army which included it's attached units.
You will have to copy and paste the title to get the Stacey's history (it is a free download and public domain) IE wont let me do it with this platform. (someone could do me a favour and supply the link)
Hopefully this will give a good over view of the battlefield in Northern Holland in the last month of the war.
Matt

 

the first Canadian Corp consisted (at the time) of 3 divisions the 1st CID and the 5th CAD and the 49th West Riding as well as the 1st CAB and other Corp formations (some who had be in battle since August 43 in Sicily and Italy. The 17th Field Regiment defended the guns in hand to hand combat on April 17th 1945 at Otterloo while in a blocking position which kept a large part of the german forces from withdrawing from from the 1st CID's front. another small point the Canadian Battle dress was quite a bit different in colour and the whole Canada thing on the shoulder made it pretty clear who was Canadian. It is no Myth that it was largely Canadian's who liberated northern Holland both east and west. IMHO

 

I found this version of Stacey
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/Victory/Victory-20.html
The relevant part seems to start at chapter 20.

Previous posts on this thread say that 5 of the 10 divisions in the fighting of the April campaign were Canadian, and that 1 of the 2 divisions that moved west after the Germans surrendered were Canadian. If valid, that seems to prove that Canadians only did about 50% of the liberating. Or is there something wrong with that logic?

 

Occupying is not the same as liberating.

 

On April 1st 45 the first Canadian army was made up of(and Simplify 1st Can Army HQ and troops, 2 Corps HQ and various Corp troops (which are not divisional or Army troops) which includes 5 Canadian divisions plus under command 49th west riding and the Polish armoured Div I think there was at least one (Br)AGRA and a couple of Med Artillery regiment RA. 2 independent Canadian Armoured brigades and support troops.
while the 1st Canadian Corp attacked at Arnhem through the bridgehead of the 49th west riding div the 2nd Canadian Corp attacked through the bridgehead established by the 2nd CID between Zutphen and Deventer. placing 5 Canadian divisions 2 corps and an army HQ north/west of the Ijssel/ Neder rijn by April the 4th 45. Absolutely there British units (under Canadian command) there but the vast majority of the 1st Canadian army at this time (for the first time in the war) was Canadian.
When in Amsterdam in 1985 we (a touring Canadian rugby club) stumbled into a pub which was established they said 1770's, at first they were wary of us, thinking we were rowdy Americans. once it was recognized that we were Canadian we could not buy a single beer. I don't believe that the Dutch in that Pub believed it was mythical liberation.
(edit)
On further reading the offensive operations into west Holland ceased on 22nd April at a line through Amersfoort and joining the Greebe line which was held by the 49th west riding div the 1st CAB and assorted other independent Belgian and French units until the final cease fire on May8th. It is safe to say that Gouda and most of what is called here 'Western Holland' was not in fact Liberated in the true sense of the word.
Matt

 

The Official History of the Canadian Army contains this;

The 1st (Canadian) Corps entered the western Netherlands on 7 May (1945), when the (British) 49th (West Riding) Division took over the 88th German Corps' area about Utrecht, extending from the Ijsselmeer to the Lek. On the 8th General Foster's 1st Canadian Division took control of the 30th German Corps' area in the remaining territory to the west.

When I look at a map of the Netherlands that text doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Does anybody have more detailed information?

 

Bart - There is more detailed information in the (Dutch) book of Van de Weerd, Veldheer & Crebolder: "Bevrijdingsatlas Veluwe".

It dedicates a chapter on the occupation of Western Holland: "Na de capitulatie".

If you are interested I could 'beam' the chapter over, just send me a pm.

 

3 Canadian Infantry Brigade passed just North of Gouda on route to Delft as shown on this map from their war diary marked for 8 May 1945.



Utrecht entered by 147 Brigade (4 Lincolns, 1/4 Koyli & Hallamshires of York & Lancs Regt) of 49 Division on 7 May as per their their war diary.

 

Thanks for the interesting documents, Ramacal.
The immediate task was to disarm the German forces. If the Canadians bypassed Gouda on the way to Delft that probably means that they knew from the Germans that there was a garrison in Delft but not in Gouda.
So Allied troops would have entered Gouda rather later.