The
Battle of the Scheldt
In October, 1944, the Canadians struggled to open the vital port of Antwerp.
Because the Germans held the approaches to the city, determined to keep it closed
to allied convoys, the Canadians seized the South Beveland peninsula and forged
northwards, taking Bergen-op-Zoom. They proceeded to clear the southern bank
of the Scheldt, and assaulted the last German-held obstacle to opening the port,
Walcheren Island. By the end of November, the Scheldt was clear and on the 28th,
the first allied convoys disembarked at Antwerp. Bitter fighting still lay ahead
in the flooded battlefields of the Low Countries, and the Canadians played a
critical role in the subsequent drive to the Rhine and the liberation of the
Netherlands.
