Side view of 48th Highlander graves, 1 Bn, on dyke in Wilp, Netherlands, 26 April 1945.
Apeldoorn: After riding across France, past towns whose names were inscribed on their battle honours of the First War, the Highlanders arrived. Just days before on 24 March, the Allies had crossed the Rhine into Germany. Montgomery had the task of thrusting to the Elbe taking the coastal port cities, and the Canadian veterans from Italy had a lead role. At 1045 hours on 12 April, the 48th crossed the Ijssel River to begin the 1st Division’s liberation of Apeldoorn in Holland. The end of the war was clearly in sight, but the fighting was no less deadly. Colonel Mackenzie voiced his concern that Highlanders might die when the end was so near, and officers, as they sent out patrols, added, “don’t do anything foolhardy” to orders. The breakout across the Ijssel swung right as Able Company, paired with Shermans, operated with precision and with sharp force when needed. Baker, after early success, reported at 1500 hours “It’s a little sticky,” then communication faltered. Restless for information, Mackenzie moved forward. Spotting a tank troop of the 1st Hussars, he decided to try their radios. As they conferred an 88 shell hit, the concussion knocking both the CO and his Intelligence Officer, Lieutenant Jack Pickering to the ground. “See where I’m hit, Jack.” was all Colonel Mackenzie said, then fell silent. Major Jim Counsell, the 2IC, rushed forward upon hearing from Pickering, who then laid out the battle status in detail, refusing to go to the aid post until he had passed control. Then, hearing that Able had taken its objective, and with a clear grasp of the situation, Major Counsell ordered Dog and Charlie Companies to pass through. The battalion met the day’s objectives with force and creativity that included a fighting patrol all equipped with Brens and platoons riding Shermans as they routed the enemy.
The 15th started with Dog Company cleaning out the first of two groups of farm buildings, then pulling back under smoke and bypassing the second. With the bit in their teeth Dog exploded, taking an open 200 metres in sectional rushes, then a kilometre of street fighting, to reach the canal by 1600 hours. Charlie fought into line along the canal, capturing an officer and forty-four men. Meanwhile Able had hit trouble, forced to cover by machine guns in enfilade from their left. Realizing that a standard envelopment tactic would mean that they could not reach their objective by 1530 hours as ordered, Major George Beal ordered “Fix bayonets.” He then led a two-platoon, seldom seen bayonet charge over 150 metres straight into the machine guns. They killed seven, captured eighteen with only three Highlanders killed. Major Beal was awarded the Military Cross.
Apeldoorn fell on the 17th, abandoned by the Germans, with streets jammed by the celebrating Dutch. Two days later the 48th moved as a flying column of the division, over 100 kilometres past Apeldoorn, then right back. The German commander, Colonel-General Blaskowitz had offered a truce. The British could pass through German lines with food for the starving Dutch if the Canadians stopped. The 48th went out of action on the 25th. Their war was over.
On 26 April, they marked the end on a dyke at Wilp with a memorial service for their CO and eighteen others that had died in their last battle. Then on 7 May, Lieutenant-Colonel Counsell passed a message to all companies, without comment: “Unconditional surrender of German forces signed at 070141 (.) To be effective 090001. All offensive action will cease (.)”
(Prior accession No. P0898)