Battle of the Scheldt

Battle context

The Battle of the Scheldt was fought to open the Scheldt estuary between Antwerp and the North Sea so that Allied forces in northwest Europe could use Antwerp's port for resupply. Although Allied forces had captured Antwerp in September 1944, the port was useless as long as German forces controlled the estuary approaches. The series of operations, conducted primarily by the First Canadian Army under Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, with Polish and British units attached, lasted from 2 October to 8 November 1944 across northern Belgium and southwestern Netherlands. Canadian forces suffered over 6,300 casualties against a German force roughly half their size, with German losses reaching approximately 13,000. Clearing the Scheldt was critical to sustaining the broader Allied advance into northwestern Europe, as supply lines stretching back from Normandy were severely strained and Antwerp represented the nearest large port capable of handling the volume required.