WorldWar II
FallenSoldiers - RockwoodCenotaph
Page 22
OperationBlockbuster
took place between 22February and 10March 1945 andwas part of the
larger Battle of theRhinelandwhichmarked the advanceof theAlliedArmies through the “Siegfried
Line” of defences and into theGerman homelandas far as theRhineRiver. OperationBlockbuster
involved some of the fiercest fighting of theWar.
“
TheBattleof theRhineland
was fought inFeb-Mar 1945betweenAllied forces fromCanada,
theUnitedKingdom, and theUnitedStates (aswell as smaller national contingents), and the
German forces occupying territory southandwest of theRhineRiver during theNorth-West Europe
campaign of theSecondWorldWar.”
“The initial goal was to reach theRhineRiver, the last significant natural barrier betweenAllied
forces andGermany. From their winter positions in theNijmegenSalient, theFirst CanadianArmy
reinforced by elements of theBritish 2ndArmy, beganoperations to advance south east, clearing
all landwest of the river. OperationVERITABLEwas a costly advance through flooded terrain and
Germandefensive lines, followedbyOperationBLOCKBUSTERwhich succeeded in driving through
(German lines) almost to the banks of theRhineRiver. OperationBLOCKBUSTER II cleared the
townof Xanten to end the fighting in theRhineland.” - canadiansoldiers.com
TwoVictoriaCrosseswere earned during these operations andCanadian losseswere high, but they
markedamajor turning point of theWar. Germany surrendered less than eight months later to end
theEuropean portionofWWII.
TheEssexandKent ScottishRegiment
returned toFrance on 5 July 1944 as part of the 4th
InfantryBrigade, 2ndCanadian InfantryDivision. Theymoved toNormandy in time to servewith the
British2ndArmy. They advanced along theChannel coast with theCanadian 1stArmy and helped
to liberateDieppe. The division saw heavy action in theNetherlands in late 1944 and took part in the
final offensives in 1945. TheEssexScottishRegiment was a part of: BourguebusRidge; St.André-
sur-Orne; Falaise; FalaiseRoad; Clair Tizon; Forêt de la Londe; TheScheldt;Woensdrecht; South
Beveland; TheRhineland; Goch-Calcar Road; TheHochwald; Xanten; TwenteCanal; Groningen;
Oldenburg; NorthWest Europe, 1942, 1944-1945. By the end of thewar inEurope, theEssex
ScottishRegiment had suffered thehighest losses of theCanadianArmywith over 2,000men
woundedandmore than 550 killed.
SeeErnest HenryGerrie’sbiography.
