63 I Canadian Corps was responsible for securing the supply route to the north through Arnhem for the rest of the Army Group and clearing the western Netherlands. II Canadian Corps focused on the northeastern part of the country on British Second Army’s flank. While there were no major operations undertaken in April, the fighting never ceased and both Corps faced dogged and at times fierce German resistance. Engagements at the Twente Canal, Zutphen, Deventer, and Zwolle in the first half of April were marked by stubborn German resistance and heavy casualties. II Corps’ liberation of the city of Groningen between 13 and 16 April for example, was marked by determined resistance from German and Dutch SS units. They had no hope of winning but exacted a heavy toll on the Canadians. Just over 200 Canadians soldiers were killed in those four days alone. Similarly, I Canadian Corps faced intense resistance in their drive into the western Netherlands at Apeldoorn on 17 April. Fifty-three Canadians died that day. In addition to engaging pockets of German resistance and liberating Dutch towns, I Corps’ role became even more vital when it was learned that millions of Dutch civilians in western Holland were starving. The harsh winter, lack of heating fuel, and scarcity of food killed approximately 20,000 people. The large cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and Utrecht, were hardest hit. That winter citizens were surviving on about 500 calories a day.24 After negotiations with the Germans, efforts to alleviate the famine were made in late April and early May. Operation Manna, conducted by the RAF and RCAF, dropped over 7000 tons of needed food and supplies to the starving population in the Netherlands. Similarly, the USAAF dropped a further 4000 tons of food in a humanitarian airlift called Operation Chowhound. victory and tragedy While no great battles marked the final Canadian operations in April and early May 1945, there were both moments of victory and tragedy. The Dutch remember well that “sweetest of springs” when Canadians liberated their towns and cities. My dear old friend and veteran Frank Whitford of the Westminster Regiment served two years in Italy, but it was the memories of his six weeks in the Netherlands that he held dearest until he died. Those bonds of friendship forged by a generation during the war remain today as the children and grandchildren of Canadians soldiers and Dutch citizens remain connected. But those heady days of liberation must always be tempered by the cruel statics of the butcher’s bill. Canadians were killed on every single day between 1 April and the final surrender of Nazi Germany on 8 May 1945, Victory in Europe Day. On two of those days, more than sixty were killed, and on no less than seven other days, fifty or more were killed. From 1 to 8 May, another sixty-seven Canadians were killed. In total, 1235 Canadians were killed during these last thirty-eight days. Three hundred and thirty-three days after the Normandy landings, the liberation campaign was over. In the words of the official historian C.P. Stacey, the Canadians were “a force to be feared and remembered.”25 Indeed, in spite of all obstacles they played a significant role in the defeat of Nazi Germany, but it came with a heavy price. Remember their efforts, remember the cost. Lest we forget. Padre G. J. Murphy of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade leads a small burial service near Xanten on 10 March 1945. Library and Archives Canada/Department of National Defence fonds/PA-167693
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