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Media attention will soon be focused on the upcoming 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944.

When the assault force, including my regiment, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, was approaching the Juno Beach landing area, we saw all manner of special assault vehicles.

Known as “Hobart’s Funnies,” these vehicles were developed by the British 79th Armoured Division under the command of British military engineer Major-General Sir Percy Cleghorn Stanley Hobart.  Drawing on the lessons of the ill-fated Dieppe Raid of 1942, the Funnies were designed to perform tasks such as clearing mines, throwing flames and even travelling over water at the rate of almost five knots.

Among them was the Churchill Crocodile tank, which featured a flame gun mounted in place of the hull machine gun.  With a range of about 120 yards, it could fire continuously or 80 one-second bursts.  It also employed a quick-release device allowing it to discard its trailer and revert to a normal tank.

The Sherman Crab was a minesweeping adaptation of the Sherman tank.  It employed a flailing attachment, which was a rotor at the front of the tank to which was attached 43 chains with an iron ball at the other end.  These chains beat the ground and exploded mines.  They were of great benefit in Normandy and the northwest European campaign.

Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVREs) were Churchill tanks designed to handle tasks as varied as laying bridges over obstacles and dropping bundles of sticks (known as fascines) into trenches. Each was fitted with a powerful gun called a Petard, which fired high-explosive shells — dubbed “Flying Dustbins” — capable of destroying a concrete pill-box.

The Duplex Drive (DD) Tank was an amphibious Sherman tank, the “DD” quickly being converted to the nickname “Donald Duck” by the troops.  With a waterproof chassis, collapsible canvas screen with tubes that filled with compressed air, and two rear propellers, they were mistaken for small landing crafts by the Germans.  Once onshore, the air tubes deflated, the screen collapsed and the propellers retracted to allow the vehicle to act as a normal tank.

The Armoured Bulldozer was a standard Caterpillar diesel tractor converted  for military use by adding a blade and protective armour plating.  Carrying no armament, these vehicles cleared Normandy beach obstacles, assisted demolition teams with attacking seawalls, cleared debris, built ramps for inland-bound vehicles and later cleared streets, filled bomb craters and removed road blocks.

These and the other Funnies contributed enormously to the success on D-Day by helping the Allies break quickly through the German beach defenses.

Percy Hobart – “Father of the Funnies” — received a number of honours including Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire and the American Legion of Merit.  He retired in 1946 and died in 1957 in Surrey, England.

An excellent book titled The Tools of War notes that U.S. General Omar Bradley and his staff eventually accepted the swimming tanks, but not the rest of “Hobart’s menagerie.”  It concludes, however: “British and Canadian formations used them all.  The weird machines worked – and saved many lives.”

In this entry I conclude my short history of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I.

THE SCARPE, 1917

The 1st Canadian Division stormed Fresnoy on the 3rd of May. The 2nd Division advanced toward Acheville. The 4th Division took Avion in June.

HILL 70, 1917

The allied advance was now rolling. On the 15th of August, the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Canadian Divisions drove the enemy from Hill 70 and took more ground towards Lens.

PASSCHENDAELE, 1917

The Canadian Corps moved to Flanders on October 12th to continue the British offensive and to divert pressure from the French. The hilly countryside had been turned into a virtual quagmire by rain and bombardment. On the 22nd of October, the 3rd and 4th Canadian Divisions attacked Passchendaele Ridge. Four days later, they attacked and captured Bellevue Spur and on the 30th, Crest Farm and Meetcheele Spur. The 1st and 2nd Divisions, who relieved the 3rd and 4th Divisions on the 5th of November, went on to take the main Ridge. The total gains measured two square miles! The casualties numbered 16,404.

CAMBRAI, 1917

The Canadian Cavalry Brigade in the 3rd British Army, supported by the other units of the Canadian Corps, fought this action on the 20th of November. The Germans were driven back roughly four miles. The position was later evacuated under pressure of the German advance.

AMIENS, 1918

The German counter offensive began on March 21st. This was to be the last great effort made by Germany. It was now or never for them. The Canadian Cavalry Brigade fought stand-off actions near Moreuil and Hourges. The 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade harassed the enemy on the Somme on the 23rd of March. By April 13th, the four Canadian Divisions held 20 miles south from Lens. By the 15th of July, the German blows were all but spent. The Allied counter-stroke was ready. The Canadian Corps moved with secrecy and speed to Amiens by July 30th and prepared for battle. On August 8th, the Canadian Corps broke through the astonished Germans. Aeroplanes, tanks, and cavalry aided in the victorious advance.

ARRAS, 1918

The Canadian Corps prepared to attack on a five mile front astride Arras-Cambrai road. The assault commenced on August 26th.

THE DROCOURT-QUEANT LINE, 1918

The 1st and 4th Canadian Divisions advanced at dawn on September 2nd and seized Dury, Cagnicourt, and the woods above Buissy. On September 3rd, the Canadian line was established west of the Canal du Nord and along the south bank of the Scarpe. By this penetration of 9,000 yards into the famous Hindenburg Defence System, the Germans far to the south were outflanked and compelled to fall back.

CANAL DU NORD, 1918

The allied march was now in high gear. The 1st and 4th Canadian Divisions attacked above the enemy from Sains and Marquion. On September 28th, the 3rd Canadian Division joined the fight, pushing through Neuville Saint Remmie, Tilloy and Sancourt.

CAMBRAI, 1918

Before daybreak on October 9th, the 2nd Canadian Division rushed the bridges of the Scheldt Canal and the 3rd Canadian Division cleared Cambrai.

VALENCIENNES, 1918

The British Armies continued to attack, to force a decision before winter. The Canadian Corps attacked Douai and the 4th Division secured Valenciennes.

PURSUIT TO MONS, 1918

The Germans were now in full flight, with the Canadians in hot pursuit. Elements of the 3rd Canadian Division reached Mons on November 9th. The 2nd seized the commanding heights to the South and East. The Armistice was sounded at 11:00 a.m. on November 11th, at which time the Canadian line was five miles northeast of Mons, beyond Boursoit, la Bruyère and St-Denis, where British and German troops first exchanged shots in August 1914. Thus ended the fighting of the CEF in Flanders and France.

Lest We Forget.

My recent Second World War dictionary entries have prompted requests for a similar approach regarding World War I.  Here is a short history of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I.

YPRES, 1915

The 1st Canadian Division got its baptism under fire at the Ypres Salient on April 22, 1915. This was only about six months after the declaration of war! The Germans released chlorine gas but the Canadians held the line and counter-attacked. History records that the valiant fighting of the Canadians prevented the turning of the British line by the Germans!

ST JULIEN, 1915

The German offensive continued. The Allies lost considerable ground but the Canadians gained worldwide recognition for the fight they put up. The Hun always used his best troops when he was against the CEF. The battle of St Julien took place on April 24th. Again, the Germans used poison gas. Again, the Canadians held!

FREZENBURG RIDGE, 1915

This was the site of the gallant stand of the PPCLI who were fighting as part of the 27th British Division. They, with other units of Canadians, withstood repeated attacks of the Germans from May 8-14.

FESTUBERT, 1915

The Canadian Cavalry Brigade, together with other Canadian units, assisted the British in the assault on Aubers Ridge northeast of Bethune. This battle took place between May 20-25 and advanced the line 600 yards on a 2500 yard front.

GIVENCHY, 1915

The Canadians attacked on the 15th day of June, taking every important ground. It was not possible, however, to exploit this success and ten days later the Division was withdrawn from the line to position near Ploegsteert (known as Plugstreet) opposite Messines.

THE WINTER OF 1915/1916

The Canadian Corps was formed in September 1915 comprising the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Canadian Divisions, supported by the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery and other Canadian units. Throughout the winter the Canadians held a line from Ploegsteert to Kemmel.

ST ELOI CRATERS, 1916

On the 4th of April, the Canadians took over the new front on the Ypres-Menin road. During this action, the 2nd Canadian Division lost 1300 men.

MOUNT SORREL, 1916

The 3rd Canadian Division was attacked in this position. They held on valiantly and the position was restored by the 1st Canadian Division. Casualties numbered 9,624.

THE SOMME, 1916

The German offensive began in earnest on the 1st of July. Canadian Cavalry and Artillery were at Bazentin and Guillemont. The 1st Canadian Division was engaged in a struggle at Pozières. The Canadians held, and then counter-attacked.

COURCELETTE, 1916

Tanks were used for the first time on September 15th in this battle. Courcelette and the other battles of 1916 were mostly counter-attacks or near-guard actions. In effect, the whole front was see-sawing back and forth.

THIEPVAL RIDGE, 1916

The 1st and 2nd Canadian Divisions secured Zollern Hessian and Kenora Trenches in a three-day battle commencing September 26th.

ANCRE HEIGHTS, 1916

This battle took place on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of October when the Canadian Divisions attacked Regina Trench. The Canadian Corps then marched to the Vimy front on the 17th of October. Meanwhile, the 4th Canadian Division had moved to the Somme and in three attacks had advanced 500 yards by November 11th.

VIMY RIDGE, 1917

Early in January, the allied offensive north and south of Arras had begun. On the 9th of April, the four Canadian Divisions on a 7500 yard front crashed through the German lines and swept over Vimy Ridge.

More in next post…

My recent entry on Valour Road brings to mind another way that Manitoba has chosen to commemorate its war dead.

At the close of the Second World War, the Manitoba Government named a number of features across their province after decorated Canadian casualties.  The program is called A Place of Honour.  More than 4,150 lakes, rivers, creeks and other landscape features have been named for war casualties.  Most of these are in remote areas of the province.

I mentioned this program in my memoir, Excuse Us! Herr Schicklgruber.  Examples can be seen on a geographical map of Manitoba found here.

Some specific stories tell the tale:

Lt. Doug Kirkpatrick died on August 28, 1944 – how well and sadly the circumstances were known to me.  He was in Charlie Company, of which I happened to be the commanding officer.  It happened just after we crossed the Seine River at Elbeuf.  We saw some activity in a hedgerow about 400 yards to our right.  It was my responsibility to call up the mobile artillery – the 105mm mounted on tanks – to give covering fire.

Doug Kirkpatrick orchestrated the operation, bringing the 105s in from a roadway just west of the German position.  He was last seen leading the attack, in which the Royal Winnipeg Rifles (RWR) were successful.  Doug’s signaller sent back a sad message.  Doug was badly wounded and probably would not live.

By the time I reached the scene, Doug, at the age of 25, was dead.

He was, in pre-war times, a popular employee of the T. Eaton Company in Winnipeg.  Doug graduated from Gordon Bell High School in Winnipeg.  He took accountancy at night school and was well on his way to making a career for himself.  Doug was the son of John and Dora Kirkpatrick, and was married to Ella Kirkpatrick of Toronto.  He left a wife and a daughter as well as his grieving parents.

Doug is commemorated by the naming of Kirkpatrick Lake, northeast of North Knife Lake, in far northern Manitoba.

Lt. Don Riesberry was a promising graduate of Brandon University.  He was killed on October 11, 1944, in the infamous battle of the Leopold Canal.  Don had gone overseas with the Royal Saskatchewan Regiment, later transferring to the RWRs.  His widow, living in Brandon, Manitoba, was visited by a number of RWRs including myself.  She showed us some of his trophies, mostly for academic work.  In particular, she was proud of the fact that he had studied under the noted Manitoba historian, Dr. W.L. Morton.

As a personal comment, we should stop and think of the loss to Canada of the brilliant minds possessed by people with this capability.  Lt. Riesberry is commemorated by the naming of Riesberry Lake, east of North Knife Lake in Manitoba.