The Battle of Wagenborgen (21 - 23 April 1945) was one of the last offensives in the Netherlands during the (Operation Canada) of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Canadians became trapped in the village of

Wagenborgen Wagenborgen (; ) is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is a part of the municipality of Eemsdelta, and lies about 25 km east of Groningen. History The village was first mentioned in 1446 as wagenbergen. Based on the earlies ...

and unexpectedly encountered heavy resistance from the Germans under constant shelling for three days. A total of 27 people were killed.

Background

Wagenborgen held strategic significance for German forces, serving as a gateway to the port of

Delfzijl Delfzijl (; ) is a city and former municipality (which now belongs to the municipality of Eemsdelta) with a population of 25,651 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Delfzijl was a sluice between the Delf and the Em ...

and the

Ems River The Ems ( ; ) is a river in northwestern Germany. It runs through the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, and discharges into the Dollart Bay which is part of the Wadden Sea. Its total length is . The state border between th ...

. Due to the mounting hostilities, many residents were able to flee the area in time, but not everybody.

Battle

A large number of Canadian soldiers lost their lives at a farm, which became a focal point of casualties during the conflict. The regiment had entrenched itself along the Stolderijweg, where it came under enemy fire. As a result, dozens of wounded soldiers were transported to the nearby farm, which had been repurposed as an emergency military field hospital. The site also served as a key communication hub, featuring a radio link to coordinate with the platoons and the tactical headquarters. This critical role was eventually discovered by German forces, contributing to the intensity of the attacks on the location. After a shell struck the roof of the farm, a fire ignited that quickly engulfed the building. The side wall near the cowshed partially collapsed, burying eleven wounded Canadian soldiers who were sheltering inside. Tragically, they were trapped beneath the rubble and perished in the ensuing blaze. Subsequently, newly arrived Canadian forces set up an ambush for the German troops, effectively halting their advance. This action marked the liberation of this part of the northeastern Netherlands.

Commemorations

On 23 April 2005, on the day 60 years after the liberation of Wagenborgen, the battle was commemorated. 75 years after the battle in April 2020 a war memorial was installed at there Stolderijweg, the road of the farm, to commemorate the people who died there. This is another war memorial as in Wagenborgen to commemorate everybody who died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagenborgen, Battle of Conflicts in 1945 1945 in the Netherlands 1945 in military history Netherlands in World War II Battles of World War II involving Germany Battles and operations of World War II involving Canada Battles and operations of World War II involving the Netherlands April 1945 in Europe