| Canadian 1st Army |
Article Index for Canadian |
Website Links For Canadian |
Information AboutCanadian 1st Army |
|
The Canadian First Army was the overall command for the Canadian military forces in Europe during World War II . It was formed in early 1942 to command two Corps composed of the three Infantry Division s, two Armoured Division s, and two Armoured Brigade s that had assembled in England . At first under the command of General A.G.L. "Andy" McNaughton , in 1944 General H. D. G. "Harry" Crerar took charge. Units of the army led the ill-fated Dieppe Raid (2 Brigades of the 2nd Infantry Division) and participated in the invasion of Sicily and mainland Italy , (1st Infantry Division) subordinated to the British Eighth Army and thus for a time not part of the Canadian First Army. , the Netherlands , on May 20 , 1945 ]] The First Canadian Army was international in character. In addition to II Canadian Corps (which included the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division ), the 1st British Corps , and the 1st Polish Armoured Division , at various times American, Belgian, and Dutch soldiers were also included as units. The First Canadian Army in northwestern Europe during the final phases of the war was a powerful force, the largest army that had ever been under the control of a Canadian general. The strength of this army ranged from approximately 105,000 to 175,000 Canadian soldiers to anywhere from 200,000 to over 450,000 when including the soldiers from other nations. The Army proper first went into action in the Battle Of Normandy , with the headquarters becoming operational on 23 July 1944 . After conducting attacks on Falaise and helping close the Falaise Pocket , the First Army moved along the coast towards Belgium , with the Canadian 2nd Division entering Dieppe at the beginning of September. The critical Battle Of The Scheldt in October and November opened Antwerp to Allied shipping. The First Army held a static line along the Maas from December through February, then launched Operation Veritable in early February, cracking the Siegfried Line and reaching the banks of the Rhine in early March. In the final weeks of the war in Europe, the First Army cleared the Netherlands of German forces. By this time the First Division and Fifth (Armoured) Division as well as First Armoured Brigade had returned to the Army during Operation GOLDFLAKE and for the first time, both the I Canadian Corps and II Canadian Corps fought under the same Army commander. EXTERNAL LINK EXTERNAL LINK |
|
|