4th September – Finland and the Soviet Union agree to a ceasefire.
In the Battle of the Mons Pocket US First Army trap and take prisoner more than 25,000 retreating Germans near the French border in Belgium, south of Brussels.
In the Netherlands the Germans declare a ‘state of emergency’ with the disruption of retreating German soldiers and the dangers of a Dutch uprising.
British 11th Armoured Division, at the head of the XXX Corps advance, takes Antwerp and thanks to the Belgium Resistance the docks are undamaged. However, the German 15th Army took up positions along the Scheldt Estuary limiting use of the port. The advance of XXX Corps in Belgium halted due to a shortage of fuel.
50th Division's 231st Brigade (Dorsets, Devons and Hampshires) entered Brussels behind the Guards and took part in the ceremonial liberation parades on 4th September.
Anthony Rampling was with ‘B’ Squadron as they advanced into Belgium
Flowers and retreating Jerries
“As we went through villages people were stopping us, covering the vehicles with flowers, giving us bread, wine. As soon as we could we had to ditch the flowers.
I remember getting up into a church steeple and you could see the Jerries running and the vehicles retreating into the distance. This was a very pleasing sight.”
But not all of the Germans were running:
“We were travelling along a typical Belgium Road, lined with poplar trees and banksides, with cuttings in the banks for entrances to the fields. At this time I was in the leading armoured car, gunner in a turret, when two Germans ran across the road some way ahead. These were crack SS soldiers left behind as snipers, intent on delaying us. They ran into a cutting to a field and when we got there the armoured car backed into the cutting so I was ready to fire at them.
I thought they would hold up their hands and surrender but they started to fire at the turret, which had an opening for my machine gun, so I had to fire at them. Whether they were wounded or killed I shall never know as our ground troops took over and we carried on.” From Anthony Rampling’s account of 61st Recce (pers comm).
“The next day the rest of the Regiment, less ‘A’ Squadron, caught them up (B Squadron) as their anti-tank guns were knocking out soft vehicles at long range on their left flank, and a carrier troop was beating-up an enemy party that had come to blow a bridge on our route.
By now it was plain that there were a great number of enemy on our left flank, and as we were making for Alost at top speed, Corps Headquarters began to feel alarm that the Germans might try to cut across the Corps route behind the tanks. We were therefore ordered to stop our advance, and hold the line of the Escaut Canal from Ghent to a bridge south of Oudenarde, a stretch of thirty-five miles with more bridges than we had troops. In fact, until we were relieved to the south we were covering fifty miles with two squadrons." (From ‘A Reconnaissance Regiment in the B.L.A.’ by Lieutenant-Colonel P.H.A.Brownrigg D.S.O.)
61st Recce watched the line along the Scheldt/ Escaut Canal from Avelgem to beyound Audenarde / Oudenaarde (Lt-Col Brownrigg's DSO citation). In 2 or 3 days over 2,000 prisoners were taken and heavy casualties inflicted on the enemy as they tried to break out across the waterway.
61st Recce’s B Squadron covered more than 15 miles of the Canal including five bridges (Major Harding’s MC citation). C Squadron, at the north end of the stretch, had more freedom to patrol occasionally crossing the canal and entering the outskirts of Ghent. Although the town was not fully liberated until 8th September the squadron took out German outposts and liberate local villages including Bottelare.
Eric Postles of B Squadron recalled: "30 Corps headquarters was anxious to protect the left flank from attacks by enemy troops trying to get away from the Channel coast and ordered the regiment to seize and hold the bridges on the River Escaut Canal instead of pushing further north into Belgium. We covered 35 miles of the canal, which was about as wide as the Manchester Ship Canal, from Ghent in the north to south of Oudenarde." (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)
Lieutenant Albert R.V. Stone of ‘B’ Squadron received the Military Cross for his part in the capture of an important bridge over the Escaut Canal and destruction of the enemy who were trying to prevent the squadron’s advance. (See Lieutenant Stone’s citation in 61st Battle Honours.)
Eric Brewer wrote: "Pushed on again to Berchem (Kluisbergen, on the Scheldt/Escaut Canal). Came across Gerry convoy in flight. Knocked out 6 but was ordered to leave the rest and push on. We went about 2 mile outside Berchem and came to bridge that Gerry was trying to blow up so we had to guard it. The people are very nice here. Have had tea and other food in houses." (From Eric Brewer’s Diary by kind permission of Derek Brewer and his family.)
Recent Comments