Members of A Company of the 48th Highlanders of Canada form up in carriers ready to leave Apeldoorn, Netherlands, 19 April 1945. P0602

Following the liberation of Apeldoorn on 17 April, the 48th were at the heart of celebrations by the the Dutch but their job was not finished. On the 19th, Able Company led a flying column from Apeldoorn to Harderwijk, 90 miles away. In a letter home, Major George Beal, OC of Able Company wrote:

“I had a birthday yesterday and my birthday present was to command a force that swept about 90 miles through Holland right to the Zuider Zee. It was to clear up small pockets in the area that were still holding out. I had my own company of course and under command five Sherman tanks, two recce tanks, 14 Bren gun carriers, four Vickers heavy machine guns, two anti-tank guns, a platoon of Canadian Engineers with a bulldozer, an artillery observation officer, a mortar representative with six 3” mortars, and four flame throwers. We had no trouble I guess because we were such a formidable looking bunch.”