II Canadian Corps was a

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

-level formation that, along with I (British) Corps (August 1, 1944 to April 1, 1945) and

I Canadian Corps I Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during the Second World War. History From December 24, 1940, until the formation of the First Canadian Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps. I ...

(April 6, 1943 to November 1943, and April 1, 1945 until the end of hostilities), comprised the

First Canadian Army The First Canadian Army (french: 1reArmée canadienne) was a field army and a formation of the Canadian Army in World War II in which most Canadian elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 ...

in Northwest Europe during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Authorization for the formation of the corps headquarters became effective in England on January 14, 1943. Over March 4–12, 1943 the new Canadian corps was involved in Exercise Spartan, a large-scale training exercise in southern England. This exercise revealed weaknesses in the command of both the new Corps and of First Canadian Army, and this led directly to several changes in leadership over the subsequent year. The first commander of II Canadian Corps was

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Ernest William Sansom, effective January 15, 1943. Concerns over his leadership abilities and health caused Sansom to be replaced by Lieutenant-General

Guy Simonds Lieutenant-General Guy Granville Simonds, (April 23, 1903 – May 15, 1974) was a senior Canadian Army officer who served with distinction during World War II. Acknowledged by many military historians and senior commanders, among them Sir Max Ha ...

on January 29, 1944. Simonds led the corps for the remainder of its existence. On May 5, 1945, at

Bad Zwischenahn Bad Zwischenahn ( Low German: ''Twüschenahn'') is a town and a municipality in the low-lying Ammerland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is on Zwischenahner Meer, approximately 15 km northwest of Oldenburg and about 70 km south ...

in Northern Germany, Simonds accepted the surrender of German forces facing II Canadian Corps at the end of the war. The corps was deactivated on June 25, 1945 as part of general demobilization. II Canadian Corps opened its first tactical headquarters in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

Amblie Amblie () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Ponts sur Seulles. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Ambliais'' or ''Amblia ...

on June 29, 1944. The headquarters became fully operational on July 7 as the

2nd Canadian Infantry Division The 2nd Canadian Division, an infantry division of the Canadian Army, was mobilized for war service on 1September 1939 at the outset of World War II. Adopting the designation of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, it was initially composed of ...

began to arrive in France. This first division was soon joined by the

3rd Canadian Infantry Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from ...

and the

2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade The 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade was an armoured brigade of the Canadian Army that saw active service during World War II. The brigade was composed of the 6th, 10th and 27th Canadian Armoured regiments and saw service in northwest Europe, lan ...

, which had participated earlier in the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

and in

Operation Windsor Operation Windsor was a Canadian attack, which was part of the Battle of Normandy during the Second World War. The attack was undertaken by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division to take Carpiquet and the adjacent airfield, from troops of the of ...

as part of I (British) Corps. The 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division was the third Canadian division-level component of the corps. Finally, for most of the campaign through Northwest Europe the corps also included

Polish 1st Armoured Division The Polish 1st Armoured Division ( Polish ''1 Dywizja Pancerna'') was an armoured division of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. Created in February 1942 at Duns in Scotland, it was commanded by Major General Stanisła ...

. Although nominally a Canadian formation, II Canadian Corps contained significant contributions at different times from other Allied countries. In addition to the 1st Polish Armoured Division, the corps included the

1st Belgian Infantry Brigade The Independent Belgian Brigade was a Belgian and Luxembourg military unit in the Free Belgian forces during World War II, commonly known as the Piron Brigade (''Brigade Piron'') after its commanding officer Jean-Baptiste Piron. It saw actio ...

, the

Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade During the Second World War, the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, later known as the Princess Irene Brigade ( nl, Prinses Irene Brigade) was a Dutch military unit initially formed from approximately 1,500 troops, including a small gr ...

, and the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division.

Major Operations

II Canadian Corps engaged in combat operations in North-West Europe from the beginning of July 1944 to just before

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

in early May 1945. During the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

, the corps was used to spearhead the British-Canadian advance from

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, France * Falaise, Calvados, France ** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise escarpment in Quebec ...

. With the final closure of the Falaise Gap on August 21, 1944, the remaining German forces in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

were forced into a rapid retreat back towards defensive positions in port cities along the coast, and in the regions just south of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and outside the western borders of Germany, in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and eastern France. The First Canadian Army formed the left flank of the advancing Allied armies, and was charged with capturing or sealing off German-occupied ports in Northern France and in Belgium.

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

, Cap-Gris-Nez and

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

were captured in September by troops of II Canadian Corps. However, the defences of

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.

proved to be so strong that it was decided to leave the German-occupied port city under siege until the end of the European war.

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

had been captured by the

British Second Army The British Second Army was a field army active during the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front throughout most of the war and later active in Italy. During the Second World War the army ...

on September 4, but the city's large port facilities were useless to the Allies as long as German forces continued to occupy the banks of the

Scheldt Estuary The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

. As the spearhead of the First Canadian Army, II Canadian Corps was heavily involved in the

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Alli ...

to clear out those German positions. II Canadian Corps was involved in the battles to expel German forces from the eastern provinces of the Netherlands, back across the western border of Germany, and then to drive them out from the west bank of the

Rhine River ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

. In the final phases of the war, II Canadian Corps advanced into the northern provinces of the Netherlands and across the border into Germany towards the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

coast. On May 5, 1945 Lt.-Gen. Simonds received the unconditional surrender of those German forces facing the corps in northern Germany. General Guy G Simonds

Operation Atlantic Operation Atlantic (18–21 July 1944) was a Canadian offensive during the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. The offensive, launched in conjunction with Operation Goodwood by the Second Army, was part of operations to seize the French ...

, crossing the

Orne Orne (; nrf, Ôrne or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Verrières Ridge Verrières is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: * Verrières, Ardennes * Verrières, Aube * Verrières, Aveyron * Verrières, Charente * Verrières, Marne * Verrières, Orne * Verrières, Puy-de-Dôme * Verrières, ...

, area south of Caen, July 18–21, 1944 *

Operation Spring Operation Spring (July 25–27, 1944) was an offensive operation of the Second World War conducted by II Canadian Corps during the Normandy campaign in 1944. The plan was intended to create pressure on the German forces operating on the Briti ...

, assault against

Verrières Ridge Verrières is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: * Verrières, Ardennes * Verrières, Aube * Verrières, Aveyron * Verrières, Charente * Verrières, Marne * Verrières, Orne * Verrières, Puy-de-Dôme * Verrières, ...

, July 25–28, 1944 *

Operation Totalize Operation Totalize (also spelled Operation Totalise in recent British sources) was an offensive launched by Allied troops in the First Canadian Army during the later stages of Operation Overlord, from 8 to 9 August 1944. The intention was to bre ...

, capture of Verrières Ridge and advance towards

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, France * Falaise, Calvados, France ** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise escarpment in Quebec ...

, Normandy, August 8–13, 1944 *

Operation Tractable Operation Tractable was the final attack conducted by Canadian and Polish troops, supported by a British tank brigade, during the Battle of Normandy during World War II. The operation was to capture the tactically important French town of Fala ...

, capture of

, Normandy, August 14–21, 1944 * Advance up to and then across the

River Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributari ...

Elbeuf Elbeuf () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A light industrial town situated by the banks of the Seine some south of Rouen at the junction of the D7, D321 and the D313 roads. ...

and

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...

, Aug. 23–28, 1944 * Liberation of

, abandoned by the retreating German Army, Sept. 1, 1944 *

Investment Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort. In finance, the purpose of investing is ...

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.

as the initial part of the 8-month-long

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

of that port city, Sept. 7-18, 1944 * Liberation of

, Sept. 9, 1944 * Liberation of

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

, Sept. 12, 1944 * Operation Wellhit, capture of

, September 17–22, 1944 * Operation Undergo, capture of

and the heavy batteries at

Cap Gris Nez Cap Gris-Nez (literally "cape grey nose"; ) is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais ''département'' in northern France. The 'Cliffs of the Cape' is the closest point of France to England – from their English counterparts at ...

, September 25–30, 1944 * Operation Switchback, clearing area north of the

Albert Canal The Albert Canal (, ) is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, which was named for King Albert I of Belgium. The Albert Canal connects Antwerp with Liège, and also the Meuse river with the Scheldt river. It also connects with the Dessel� ...

, Belgium, October 6 to November 3, 1944 *

Operation Vitality The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Allies ...

, South Beveland peninsula and Walcheren Island, the Netherlands, October 24 to November 3, 1944 * Operation Infatuate I, South Beveland, October 26, 1944 *

Operation Veritable Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the Second World War. The operation was conduc ...

, Reichwald Forest, Germany, February 8 to March 11, 1945 *

Operation Blockbuster Operation Blockbuster was the completion of the larger Operation Veritable by the First Canadian Army, reinforced by the XXX Corps from the British Second Army from late February to early March, 1945. Veritable had been slower and more costly ...

, and the capture of

Xanten Xanten (, Low Rhenish: ''Santen'') is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the wo ...

on the Rhine River, Germany, February 23 to March 3, 1945 * Battle of Friesoythe, April 13-14 1945 *

Battle of Groningen The Battle of Groningen took place during the penultimate month of Second World War in Europe, from April 13 to 16, 1945, in the city of Groningen between a mixture of German soldiers, Dutch and Belgian SS troops numbering 7,000 against the en ...

, northern Netherlands, April 14–18, 1945 * Operation Duck, crossing of the Ems River and the capture of Leer, April 28 to May 4, 1945 * Capture of Oldenburg, April 25 to May 4, 1945

Commanders

* Lieutenant-General Ernest William Sansom (January 15, 1943 to January 29, 1944) * Lieutenant-General

(January 29, 1944 to June 25, 1945)

Order of battle

* 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division *

1st Polish Armoured Division The Polish 1st Armoured Division ( Polish ''1 Dywizja Pancerna'') was an armoured division of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. Created in February 1942 at Duns in Scotland, it was commanded by Major General Stanisła ...

, August 1944 to May 1945 *

15th (Scottish) Infantry Division The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served during the Second World War. It was raised on 2 September 1939, the day before war was declared, as part of the Territorial Army (TA) and served i ...

, January to March, 1945 * 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, August 1944 *

* 33rd Armoured Brigade, August 1944, Operation Totalize *

, April 1945 *

, August 1944 *

1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade The 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade Group ( cs, Československá samostatná obrněná brigáda, Slovak: Československá samostatná obrnená brigáda) was an armoured unit of expatriate Czechoslovaks organised and equipped by the ...

, October–November 1944, Siege of

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.

* Corps troops ** 2nd Corps Defence Company (The Prince Edward Island Light Horse) **

18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons) , colors = , march = "Colonel Bogey" , mascot = , battles = North-West RebellionSecond Boer WarFirst World WarSecond World War , notable_commanders ...

** 6th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment,

Royal Canadian Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): "British Grenadiers/ The ...

(RCA) ** 6th Anti-Tank Regiment, RCA ** 2nd Survey Regiment, RCA ** 8th Field Park Company, Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE) ** 29th, 30th and 31st Field Companies, RCE ** 2nd Drilling Company, RCE ** II Canadian Corps Headquarters Signals,

Royal Canadian Corps of Signals The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RCCS or RC Sigs; french: links=no, Corps des transmissions royal du Canada, CTRC) is a component within the Canadian Armed Forces' Communications and Electronics Branch, consisting of all members of that perso ...

** 2 Corps Troops Company,

Royal Canadian Army Service Corps The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) was an administrative and transport corps of the Canadian Army. The Canadian Army Service Corps was established in the Non-Permanent Active Militia in 1901 and in the Permanent Active Militia in 1903. ...

(RCASC) ** II Canadian Corps Transport Company, RCASC ** 33 and 34 Transport Companies, RCASC ** 2 Motor Ambulance Company, RCASC ** 2 Headquarters Corps Car Company, RCASC ** 2 and 3

Casualty Clearing Station In the British Army and other Commonwealth militaries, a Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) is a military medical facility behind the front lines that is used to treat wounded soldiers. A CCS would usually be located just beyond the range of enemy ...

Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (other ranks). S ...

(RCAMC) ** 6 Field Dressing Section, RCAMC ** 8 Field Hygiene Section, RCAMC ** unknown Dental Companies, Canadian Dental Corps (CDC) ** 12 Base Dental Company, CDC ** 2 Corps and Army Troops Sub-Park,

Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (RCOC; french: Corps royal canadien des munitions, ''CRCM'') was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps RCOC can trace its roots back to the Canadian Stores Department. ...

(RCOC) ** II Corps Troops Workshop,

Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) (french: links=no, Corps du génie électrique et mécanique royal canadien) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CF) that provides army engineering maintenance ...

(RCEME) ** Recovery Compani(es), RCEME ** 13 Provost Company,

Canadian Provost Corps The Canadian Provost Corps (C Pro C) was the military police corps of the Canadian Army. The Canadian Provost Corps was authorized on 15 June 1940. The Canadian Provost Corps was amalgamated with the police forces of the Royal Canadian Navy and ...

(C Pro C) * Attached

Troops ** 2 Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery *** 19th Army Field Regiment, RCA *** 3rd Medium Regiment, RCA *** 4th Medium Regiment, RCA *** 7th Medium Regiment, RCA ** "E" Squadron,

25th Armoured Delivery Regiment (The Elgin Regiment) Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

Canadian Armoured Corps The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (RCAC; french: links=no, Corps blindé royal canadien) is the armoured corps within the Canadian Army, including 3 Regular and 18 Reserve Force regimentsThe Regiments and Corps of the Canadian Army (Queen's Printe ...

References

* Byers, A. R. (ed.), ''The Canadians at War 1939/45'', 2nd ed., The Reader's Digest Association (Canada) Ltd., Montreal, Canada, 1986, . * Brown, Angus and Gimblett, Richard, ''In the Footsteps of First Canadian Army: Northwest Europe 1942-1945,'' Magic Light Publishing, Ottawa, 2009, . * Copp, Terry, ''Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy'', University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada, 2004, . * Copp, Terry, ''Cindarella Army: The Canadians in Northwest Europe 1944-1945'', University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada, 2007, . * * Zuehlke, Mark, ''Terrible Victory: First Canadian Army and the Scheldt Estuary Campaign: September 13 – November 6, 1944'', Douglas & McIntyre, 2009, . * "History of the 6th Canadian anti-tank regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, 1st April, 1942-24th June, 1945" (Toronto, Regiment, 1946)

External links

www.canadiansoldiers.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ii Canadian Corps Military units and formations established in 1943 Canadian World War II corps Military units and formations disestablished in 1945