35 The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division parades into Dieppe. Library and Archives Canada/ Department of National Defence fonds/PA-131233 rifleman’s first major action; it was also his last. He and thirtyseven Riley’s were killed that day. Xanten would prove to be one of many bitter and costly engagements fought by the First Canadian Army on their long road to Liberation in the war’s final months. This oftenforgotten battle illustrates the sacrifice required, even until the last day of the war, to eliminate an enemy that could no longer win but wound not surrender either. More than 3100 Canadian soldiers were killed in the Netherlands and Germany between January and May 1945. Another 1500 Canadian airmen were killed during the same period in RAF Bomber Command operations over Germany or in RAF Second Tactical Air Force’s support of Allied ground operations. Canadian soldiers killed in the war’s final months are buried or commemorated in the Netherlands. Those killed in action in Germany, like Thomas Big Canoe, were brought back to Dutch territory for final burial. General Harry Crear, commander of First Canadian Army, would not permit his soldiers to be buried in Germany. Most are buried or commemorated at the Canadian War Cemetery Groesbeek, just a few kilometers southeast of Nijmegen. Each name etched in stone marks an individual story of loss and sadness for families in Canada. Thomas Big Canoe killed at Xanten, is joined by more than 2300 other Canadian soldiers and airmen. the maple leaf route The headstones at Groesbeek are just one part of the Canadian story of determination and sacrifice to liberate western Europe, which unfolded over eleven arduous months. The Maple Leaf Route that began in Normandy in June 1944 and ended in northern Holland and Germany in May 1945 was marked by intense combat and alternating waves of hope and despair. The campaign in Northwest Europe saw an unprecedented concentration of armour, artillery, and air power under Canadian command. Yet it was the infantry—“the poor bloody infantry” as they described themselves—including men like Thomas Big Canoe, who bore the greatest burden of the conflict. Years before, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill offered this message of hope to the millions of French, Belgian, and Dutch living under Nazi occupation: “Good night then: sleep to gather strength for the morning. For the morning will come.”2 That morning took four years to be realized and finally came on June 1944, when US, British, and Canadian armies landed in Normandy.
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