Operation Blockbuster was the completion of the larger
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 ...
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 than expected and the Canadian commander, General
Harry Crerar
General Henry Duncan Graham Crerar (28 April 1888 – 1 April 1965) was a senior officer of the Canadian Army who became the country's senior field commander in the Second World War as commander of the First Canadian Army in the campaign in N ...
, had decided on a fresh start for the operation. Three British and Canadian divisions advanced south-eastwards, capturing unprepared German positions in the , before advancing on
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 ...
. They linked up with the
Ninth US Army at Berendonk, near
Geldern
Geldern ( nl, Gelderen, archaic English: ''Guelder(s)'') is a city in the federal German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is part of the district of Kleve, which is part of the Düsseldorf
administrative region.
Geography
Location
Geldern l ...
on 3 March.
Battle honours
Attached to the
10th Canadian Infantry Brigade,
4th Canadian (Armoured) Division, the Canadian infantry and armoured
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
s to earn battle honours for actions during Operation Blockbuster, emblazoned on their regimental colours as The Hochwald, include:
*
The Algonquin Regiment
*
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), or A & SH of C, is a Primary Reserve Scottish regiment, Highland infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces, based at John Weir Foote, John W. Foote VC Armoury in Hamilton, Ontario ...
*
The Lake Superior Regiment (Motor)
*
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment
, colors =
, identification_symbol_2 =
, identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan
, identification_symbol_4 =
, identification_symbol_4_label = Abbreviation
, march = "The Lincolnshi ...
*
Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment
*
South Alberta Regiment
*
The South Saskatchewan Regiment
The South Saskatchewan Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces formed in 1936 by the amalgamation of The Weyburn Regiment and The Saskatchewan Border Regiment. It was reduced to nil strength and placed on the Supplementary Order ...
In popular culture
The Battle of the Hochwald Gap was the topic of an episode of the documentary series ''Greatest Tank Battles.'' Veterans on both sides gave testimonies on the violence of the campaign. The Canadians in particular spoke of the tenacity of German soldiers in the Rhineland while former German soldiers gave testimonies on their own experiences with the Canadians.
Further reading
*
External links
"The Hochwald Gap" at Canadianheroes.org* Official history of the Canadian Army (Chapter XIX)
See also
*
Canada in World War II
Footnotes
Western European Campaign (1944–1945)
Battles of World War II involving Canada
Military operations of World War II involving Germany
Blockbuster
Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to:
*Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived.
Corporations
* Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain
** Bl ...
{{World-War-II-stub