Corporal Preston Duncan Campbell
After Moerkerke
Regrouping and Reconstituting
It is a testament to the resilience and fortitude of the Canadian Army at this point, and more importantly the men of that army, that only 48 hours after a disastrous attack across the Leopold Canal, the formation had gathered itself and was moving off further to the east searching for a more promising location to cross the canal or simply to bypass it if required.
The momentum of the Allied attack, which had not abated since the final days of the Falaise Pocket operation in late August had finally been halted. It is an infamous distinction borne by the Algonquins that their attack at Moerkerke seems to represent the turning of that tide for the 1st Canadian Army - the Germans were well positioned in an easily defensible area and it was going to be very tough to dislodge them. But so long as the Germans held the Breskens Pocket, the Allies would not be able to open the port of Antwerp, which was perhaps the most important single factor to enable the final push into Germany itself. The Breskens Pocket had to be cleared.
The Algonquins now moved further east, towards Ghent via Ecloo, where they all billeted that night in Flemish homes and, Cassidy notes, spent their first night in a proper bed since leaving England in July.
Assende and Isabella
The point of moving east after the near disaster at Moerkerke was to find an easier point at which to cross the Leopold Canal. The place they had in mind was a village at the eastern end of the canal named Isabella that provided the only entrance into the Breskens pocket that didn't involve a water crossing of some description. 4th Armoured Division had learned very plainly that attempting to cross a well-defended canal was an incredibly dangerous activity.
The 17th of September was a clear sunny day in which little resistance was encountered but on the 18th patrols toward Isabella found a strongly held village named Assende that controlled the access roads toward Isabella.
'D' company led the Algonquin attack into Assende around noon on the 18th and the other companies supported their attack from different axes of approach into the village. Each company in the battalion attacked from a different approach. After running into roadblocks preventing their entrance into the town, bulldozers were used to clear the way but German resistance in the town was formidable and it took until 10 am the following morning (19 September) to finally secure the town square.
The Algonquins took heavy casualties clearing this small village, but it had to be done to allow them to advance further. Despite the artillery employed, the centre of the town was spared from any heavy shelling as their intelligence reported the presence of an excellent brewery in the village.
Nonetheless, the way was now clear to continue the advance to Isabella.
The Slow Decay
With Assende cleared, the major obstacle on the road to Issabella had been removed. The 19th-21st of September were spent clearing and capturing other small surrounding villages such as Valk and Philippine Station. On the 22nd the Algonquins attacked Isabella itself but being the hinge of the whole defensive structure for the Germans in the Breskens Pocket, it was heavily defended and the heavy losses of that day was a dark foreboding of what lay ahead.
Under the command of Major-General Knut Eberding, the German 64th Division had expertly constructed multiple lines of defence in this area and employed them to great effect. Subsequent attacks by the Algonquins on the 23rd of September resulted in 43 more casualties.
For the next three weeks, the Algonquins and their sister battalions of the 10th Brigade would be continually beaten back by resilient German troops determined to hold this vital area. It was to be a 'nightmare period' for the troops consisting or repetitive patrols and limited offensive action for seemingly little gain. Morale was becoming very low at the apparent lack of success and mounting casualties. The companies were already very under-strength and could not afford this slow decay of their fighting power if they were to continue to fight into Germany.
Operation SWITCHBACK
Around this time, 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier Jefferson, addressed the soldiers and informed them of what a great job they were doing creating diversions for the 3rd Canadian Division (7th Brigade) who were at this time fighting their way across the Leopold Canal further west, (part of OP SWITCHBACK) the same spot where the Algonquins had suffered such a tragic loss on the 14th of September. This news brought great relief to the Algonquins who had begun to despair that they were failing to achieve anything while losing good men.
Thanks to the efforts of 4th Division, and the Algonquins around Isabella in particular, an amphibious assault by 9th Brigade (3rd Canadian Division) was able to land behind the German positions along the Scheldt and threatened their entire position in the Breskens Pocket. The weeks of attacking around Isabella hadn't been for nought; they had convinced the Germans that this was where any attack would come. Major General Eberding therefore had positioned significant numbers of his fighting force in the Isabella sector, leaving only light defences elsewhere in the Breskens Pocket.
A patrol by the Algonquins on the 14th of October seemed to indicate that the Germans had withdrawn from the area.
Stacey notes: “On 14 October the 10th Infantry Brigade's long and unpleasant vigil along the Leopold Canal was finally rewarded. [...] During the day Algonquin patrols made contact near the southwestern angle of the Braakman with patrols of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada coming down from the north. The eastern end had been sliced off the German pocket, and it was now possible to open a land supply route through the Isabella sector [...]”
On the 15th, the Algonquins said goodbye to Isabella. Cassidy notes that the three weeks in this sector did not make them a stronger unit. He says it had the opposite effect. “Our heavy casualties during the period had melted away most of the veteran troops, and those that had replaced them had received a very false idea of the enemy. The innumerable patrols and attacks, which had fizzled and failed miserably, inevitably impressed the minds of all ranks with the idea that the enemy was almost invincible [...] [M]orale had declined to a great extent.”
There is no doubt that the Allies had all gotten used to easy victories and mobile warfare in the heady days since August. Now, with their backs along the Rhine, the Allies were being treated to the true ferocity of defence for which the German army had always been known, in terrain that greatly favoured their defensive tactical skill.
But with the capture of Isabella, and the success of 2nd and 3rd Canadian Divisions elsewhere in finally breaching the German defensive lines in this fortified area, the demise of the German defenders in the Breskens pocket was well advanced and with it's capture, the way was paved for the re-opening of the Scheldt waterway, and thence the port of Antwerp. Montgomery's 21st Army Group now held the south bank of the Scheldt, but the North bank still needed capturing before merchant vessel traffic to Antwerp could commence.