Walking route 04 : Willemstad - Zevenbergen | The Canadian liberation route

Story of the route

In the footsteps of the Canadian Liberators
In 1944-1945, the Canadian military played a major role in the liberation of the Netherlands. With this walking tour you follow in their footsteps, beginning in Zeeland and going right across the Netherlands to Groningen. En route you will hear familiar and obscure tales.

The Canadian effort began in the autumn of 1944 during the Battle of the Scheldt, one of the longest military operations during the war on Dutch soil. For weeks there was heavy fighting in the north of Belgium, Zeeland and West Brabant, fighting for control of both banks of the Western Scheldt.

On 5 October 1944, the first Canadians of the 2nd Infantry Division marched into Brabant from Belgium. The village of Putte was the first to be liberated. The ultimate goal was to secure the area around Hoogerheide-Woensdrecht, but that was not possible because the German defenders resisted so strongly. The battle to conquer both villages led to huge losses on both sides. Nowhere else in the Netherlands did the Canadians lose as many men as in these engagements.

After almost three weeks, the battle was over and a part of the Canadian forces could finally enter Zeeland. Another part continued the battle in a northerly direction, where the capture of Bergen op Zoom was a huge victory for the Canadians. At Nieuwe Veer, north of Prinsenbeek, the Polish 1st Armoured Division, also a part of the First Canadian Army, suffered a bloody defeat. After necessary rearguard actions with the retreating Germans, the liberators finally arrived at Dintelsas on 5 November.

Once the Poles captured Moerdijk on 9 November, the fighting in North Brabant subsided and the front came to a standstill. The Canadians spread out over a large part of the region. Various Canadian units occupied a long frontline from the island of Tholen up to Grave. The Canadians themselves called this period “Winter on the Maas”. The harsh winter of ‘44-‘45 brought with it difficult conditions with lots of ice and snow. Still, there were many opportunities to relax in the larger cities of North Brabant, such as spending any time off in the cinema in Den Bosch. Canadian units were also very interested in Sinterklaas and Christmas at gatherings organised especially for the children in North Brabant. It was this and billeting with citizens that allowed many residents in North Brabant to get to know the Canadians.

The German troops, however, were also a serious problem. Small groups of Germans regularly crossed the River Maas by boat. The bloodiest confrontation was a series of battles for the possession of the small island at Kapelsche Veer at the end of January 1945. The small German bridgehead at that location was only conquered by the efforts of many people and materials.

At the beginning of February 1945, most of the Canadians in North Brabant left to participate in a major offensive in Germany’s Rhineland. The Canadian army headquarters in Tilburg continued to be used for a long time. After crossing of the Rhine, the Canadians returned to the Netherlands to liberate the east and north of the country as well. They were supported by French parachutists who landed in Drenthe and by Polish and Belgian troops who were under Canadian command. With the exception of the West Frisian Islands, all of the northern provinces were fully liberated on 2 May 1945. That day was the day that the last Canadian was killed near the village of Geefsweer in Groningen during the bitter battle for the Delfzijl Pocket. Three days later, the German troops in the Netherlands surrendered.

A large Canadian military cemetery near Bergen op Zoom is a reminder to us of the many who died for freedom in North Brabant.