45 Private W.R. Van Herne of the Calgary Highlanders being treated for a wound near the causeway between Beveland and Walcheren, 1 November 1944. Library and Archives Canada/Department of National Defence fonds/PA-131260 the battle of the scheldt The failure of Market Garden meant the Allies could not win the war militarily before the spring of 1945. Their front had quadrupled since Normandy and their supply lines had increased ten-fold. The “Allies were faced with the necessity of building up for another major offensive and having an absolutely secure supply line.” This made the operational readiness of Antwerp critical, as the port was needed to deliver everything from gasoline to boots.7 Antwerp, with the second-largest seaport in Europe, had been in Allied hands since early September. However, the port could not be used because both sides of the eightykilometer waterway—the Scheldt Estuary—leading from the sea to the city remained under enemy control. As Churchill later emphasized, until the Scheldt was cleared “making use of the Port of Antwerp [is] impossible. We shall not be able to cross the Rhine and attack into Germany until the port is operational, and we do not know when that will be.”8 The Canadians were assigned with clearing the Scheldt as early as 13 September, but few senior Allied commanders believed opening the port “had sufficient priority to interfere with the execution of other plans.”9 Because those other plans chiefly focused on Market Garden, the Canadians were given limited resources for the Scheldt in what was considered a low priority side show. Those priorities instantly changed after the failure of Market Garden. In a letter to Montgomery, Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower stated: Unless we have Antwerp producing by the middle of November our entire operation will come to a standstill. I must emphasize that of all our operations on our entire front from Switzerland to the Channel, I consider Antwerp of first importance, and I believe that operations designed to clear up the entrance require your personal attention.10 Top priority or not, the approaches to the Scheldt still had to be cleared and doing so would prove to be one of the most difficult and costly operations conducted by the Canadian army in the war. Five weeks of bitter fighting in some of the most appallingly wet and dismal conditions resulted in daily casualty figures comparable to, and sometimes exceeding, those experienced by Canadian battalions during the First World War. The weather October 1944 was so poor that Allied air support was cancelled on twelve out of twenty-seven days that month.11 Heavy rains and deliberate flooding by the Germans of low-lying areas added to the misery and restricted movement and resupply. Vehicle traffic off the few sodden roads and causeways was almost impossible. Soldiers living in the open in these elements remained wet and cold for days on end. Soggy food, soggy clothing, even soggy matches denied the welcome comfort of a cigarette or a warm drink. Living in such harsh conditions reduced the effectiveness of the soldiers and soon resulted in increased
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