Steven Hawking's Tutor
Posts: 4,838 
Location: Independent Palestine
Location: Independent Palestine
June 18th, 2006, 09:59 PM
Now this is an amazing battle that has been mostly forgotten in Canadian history.
During the assault on Verrierres Ridge in July 1944, 325 men left the start line and only 15 made it back to friendly lines, the others being killed or wounded by well entrenched Waffen SS soldiers and tanks.The Waffen ss were shocked at these Canadian efforts as the soliders had no tanks,artillary cover.They marched with there guns to their breasts and up-right like in a parade.Soldiers that have had 4-5 years of experience in Russia were amazed as no man took cover,for the Black Watch were never taught the word retreat. Note they ordered there men not to shoot (those who are mostly wounded) as the fled back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bla...t%29_of_Canada
Now this is an amazing battle that has been mostly forgotten in Canadian history.
During the assault on Verrierres Ridge in July 1944, 325 men left the start line and only 15 made it back to friendly lines, the others being killed or wounded by well entrenched Waffen SS soldiers and tanks.The Waffen ss were shocked at these Canadian efforts as the soliders had no tanks,artillary cover.They marched with there guns to their breasts and up-right like in a parade.Soldiers that have had 4-5 years of experience in Russia were amazed as no man took cover,for the Black Watch were never taught the word retreat. Note they ordered there men not to shoot (those who are mostly wounded) as the fled back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bla...t%29_of_Canada
Steven Hawking's Tutor
Posts: 4,838
Location: Independent Palestine
Location: Independent Palestine
June 18th, 2006, 10:30 PM
Your welcome.
Its an amazing battle. Because even the SS, the tough censored of the German government were moved by what the Canadian soldiers did that day.
And it was a screw up from the beginning and Major Franks I believe his name was 25 year old guy was blamed for the incident. However, sadly he counldn't defend himself since he was six feet under. He was killed in the battle.
Your welcome.
Its an amazing battle. Because even the SS, the tough censored of the German government were moved by what the Canadian soldiers did that day.
And it was a screw up from the beginning and Major Franks I believe his name was 25 year old guy was blamed for the incident. However, sadly he counldn't defend himself since he was six feet under. He was killed in the battle.
Steven Hawking's Tutor
Posts: 4,838
Location: Independent Palestine
Location: Independent Palestine
June 19th, 2006, 06:36 PM
Yeah. If you want to see more about this battle. It is its own video which the Mckinnon Brothers did in the early 1990s. I believe the Valor and the Horror it was. It was an amazing movie even though I didn't agree with some of it, it presented the battle at Tilly La Campange that cost so many Canadian lives.
And as well, there is no monument at the site of the battle and from last check there is only a farm. Which I think is a good sign. Because even though the battle was vicious and so many Canadians were killed in the battle the area that is there is peaceful now what they were fighting for.
Yeah. If you want to see more about this battle. It is its own video which the Mckinnon Brothers did in the early 1990s. I believe the Valor and the Horror it was. It was an amazing movie even though I didn't agree with some of it, it presented the battle at Tilly La Campange that cost so many Canadian lives.
And as well, there is no monument at the site of the battle and from last check there is only a farm. Which I think is a good sign. Because even though the battle was vicious and so many Canadians were killed in the battle the area that is there is peaceful now what they were fighting for.
Steven Hawking's Tutor
Posts: 4,838
Location: Independent Palestine
Location: Independent Palestine
June 19th, 2006, 09:05 PM
I don't like Simmons but he couldn't be totally blamed for this mess up.
Quoting
The officer in charge was named Simmons and he lost communications with the squad under Major Frank and 25 year old man who was killed and Blame.
Thats messed. The officer who ordered that should have been shoot. Those tactics supposedly died during WW1.
I don't like Simmons but he couldn't be totally blamed for this mess up.
Steven Hawking's Tutor
Posts: 4,838
Location: Independent Palestine
Location: Independent Palestine
June 19th, 2006, 09:12 PM
I think that we can all agree that Tilly La Campagne is one of the best kept secrets because rarely anyone knows about this battle.
And second, the soldiers who died in the battle were some of the bravest in the world, then and now.
I think that we can all agree that Tilly La Campagne is one of the best kept secrets because rarely anyone knows about this battle.
And second, the soldiers who died in the battle were some of the bravest in the world, then and now.
Super Genius
Posts: 1,239
Location: Edmonton
Location: Edmonton
June 26th, 2006, 01:38 PM
Just to weigh in with my 61 cents on the issue:
The Black Watch was by far perhaps the hardest hit Canadian Infantry line unit of the Second World War. Elements of the Battalion participated in Dieppe, and following D-Day the BW suffered casualties on an epic scale; the Battle of Verrieres Ridge is an excellent example. In the fall of 1944, the Battle of the Scheldt began. The Schedlt was probably the most important Battle of World War II after D-Day. It was planned to liberate the city of Antwerp and give the Allies a badly needed deep water, inland, port to deliver supplies to. Without Antwerp, the Allies were still convoying supplies from the Normandy coast, a supply line that was in danger of becoming over-extended. The spearhead of the Battle of the Scheldt was the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, however additional Allied units were attached to the Divison to give it a robust nature. In addition to the Polish, American, British, and French units, the Black Watch were attacked to the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Division shortly after the Scheldt Campaign began. On October 13th, 1944, the Black Watch attacked heavily dug-in German positions at Hoogerheide. During the bloody engagement, all four (4) Company Commanders were KIA, and every Company was utterly decimated by well-cited German machine guns. In fact B Company lost over 90 men in the engagement, leaving only four (4) survivors to crawl back to the Allied lines. As a result, Friday October 13th, 1944, was refered to from that day forth as "Black Friday". To this day, every October 13th, the citizens of Hoogerheide and the surrouding area, visit the Canadian War Cemetary in the the fields surrounding the city and pay tribute to the Highlanders who fell trying to liberate them. The Dutch, are perhaps, the most poignant in their shows of respect for Canadians killed during the War. They light candles, sing songs, scatter poppies on the graves, they cry, and yet at the same time recount stories (those we experienced it) of the kindness the men of the 1st Canadian Army showed them. I speak of this, for I have seen it with my own two eyes. A few years ago I attended the Battle of the Scheldt ceremonies, and I was deeply moved by the utter sturdiness in the respect those people have for Canada. I, like every other Canadian soldier, was in uniform at the time and I was swarmed by civilians who wanted to talk to me. Young and old, they all wanted to thank me, as if I myself had somehow aided in the Liberation of their Nation over 60 years ago. When they found out my Grandfather had landed at Juno Beach, and was wounded four days later by a German sniper, they became even more vocal as to what they owed me. I tried to deflect the respect back towards those burried under the headstones, but apparently, to this day in the Netherlands, being a Canadian is as close to Sainthood as one can come. To bring this all back in to perspective, the Black Watch are an excellent example of what our Nation did when Europe was in its hour of need. Thousands of men sailed across the Atlantic, to Countries some of them hadn't even heard of, let alone been to, and many died, in fields, far from home, for people they didn't know, for a cause they believed in so much. A good friend of mine, who I actually went through my 3's training with, has a Grandfather who served with the Black Watch during World War II. I met the man on my graduation day several years ago, and while old, the man still embodies that sense of National Pride that makes up a soldier. He didn't really talk about the War (even though we tried), but he did give us a piece of advice he said he lived by while fighting in Europe;
Now as for Canada, we contributed on a monumental scale to World War I. We took a poorly trained militia and turned it in to one of the Worlds best armies. We were seen as the tip of the Allied spear, and during the last 100 Days of the War, including the pursuit to Mons, we were always on the foreground. In fact, following the 2nd Battle of Ypres in 1915 (the PPCLI stood against the first ever poison gas attack here) the Allies came to recognize just how valuable Canadian Divisions were. As a result, they were shuffled all over Europe, patching holes and taking part in Battles. Consider the Canadian Corps of WW I the proverbial "ringer" that the Allies always attempted to throw in to the fight.
Just to weigh in with my 61 cents on the issue:
The Black Watch was by far perhaps the hardest hit Canadian Infantry line unit of the Second World War. Elements of the Battalion participated in Dieppe, and following D-Day the BW suffered casualties on an epic scale; the Battle of Verrieres Ridge is an excellent example. In the fall of 1944, the Battle of the Scheldt began. The Schedlt was probably the most important Battle of World War II after D-Day. It was planned to liberate the city of Antwerp and give the Allies a badly needed deep water, inland, port to deliver supplies to. Without Antwerp, the Allies were still convoying supplies from the Normandy coast, a supply line that was in danger of becoming over-extended. The spearhead of the Battle of the Scheldt was the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, however additional Allied units were attached to the Divison to give it a robust nature. In addition to the Polish, American, British, and French units, the Black Watch were attacked to the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Division shortly after the Scheldt Campaign began. On October 13th, 1944, the Black Watch attacked heavily dug-in German positions at Hoogerheide. During the bloody engagement, all four (4) Company Commanders were KIA, and every Company was utterly decimated by well-cited German machine guns. In fact B Company lost over 90 men in the engagement, leaving only four (4) survivors to crawl back to the Allied lines. As a result, Friday October 13th, 1944, was refered to from that day forth as "Black Friday". To this day, every October 13th, the citizens of Hoogerheide and the surrouding area, visit the Canadian War Cemetary in the the fields surrounding the city and pay tribute to the Highlanders who fell trying to liberate them. The Dutch, are perhaps, the most poignant in their shows of respect for Canadians killed during the War. They light candles, sing songs, scatter poppies on the graves, they cry, and yet at the same time recount stories (those we experienced it) of the kindness the men of the 1st Canadian Army showed them. I speak of this, for I have seen it with my own two eyes. A few years ago I attended the Battle of the Scheldt ceremonies, and I was deeply moved by the utter sturdiness in the respect those people have for Canada. I, like every other Canadian soldier, was in uniform at the time and I was swarmed by civilians who wanted to talk to me. Young and old, they all wanted to thank me, as if I myself had somehow aided in the Liberation of their Nation over 60 years ago. When they found out my Grandfather had landed at Juno Beach, and was wounded four days later by a German sniper, they became even more vocal as to what they owed me. I tried to deflect the respect back towards those burried under the headstones, but apparently, to this day in the Netherlands, being a Canadian is as close to Sainthood as one can come. To bring this all back in to perspective, the Black Watch are an excellent example of what our Nation did when Europe was in its hour of need. Thousands of men sailed across the Atlantic, to Countries some of them hadn't even heard of, let alone been to, and many died, in fields, far from home, for people they didn't know, for a cause they believed in so much. A good friend of mine, who I actually went through my 3's training with, has a Grandfather who served with the Black Watch during World War II. I met the man on my graduation day several years ago, and while old, the man still embodies that sense of National Pride that makes up a soldier. He didn't really talk about the War (even though we tried), but he did give us a piece of advice he said he lived by while fighting in Europe;
Quote:
He teared up and refused to speak any more, but I felt that the old soldier had given us a piece of valuable advice. Value your friends, you'll need them. I cannot fathom what it must have been like for him, fighting at Dieppe, Normandy, and the Scheldt. The casualties figures of the Black Watch are astounding to say the least, yet somehow he survived the odds.
Your mates are the only ones you can count on when you're forced to do your job. They'll get you through tough times and keep you going when you think you can't. Hopefully none of you will have to know what it feels like to lose a friend in action, but if that day ever comes, know they died serving a higher purpose; their Nation.
Quote:
The Americans really didn't contribute as much to WW I as they think they did. They showed up like it was a giant game, lost mountains of men in a short span of time, and their only real claim to fame was the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918. In fact, the Americans were only in the War for around 7 months, yet managed in that brief time frame, to amass more casualties than Canada, a Nation that had been fighting constantly since 1914. The Americans deem they're the saviour of World War I, when in reality they showed up, late, untrained, and blundered through the few minor engagements they fought in. The only reason, and this is just my opinion at this point, that the Americans actually WON at Belleau, is that the enemy they were fighting was worn down after 4 years of warfare, and was also comprised largely of teenages (13-17). No, the Americans didn't so much help us in World War I, as much as they did soak up bullets. Terrible as that sounds, anyone that knows the history of the American involvment in WW I will agree.
Nah we didn't win world war one. We needed the little Americans to finish the Germans off in the end. However, we won probably the biggest battle, Vimy Ridge and a few others.
Now as for Canada, we contributed on a monumental scale to World War I. We took a poorly trained militia and turned it in to one of the Worlds best armies. We were seen as the tip of the Allied spear, and during the last 100 Days of the War, including the pursuit to Mons, we were always on the foreground. In fact, following the 2nd Battle of Ypres in 1915 (the PPCLI stood against the first ever poison gas attack here) the Allies came to recognize just how valuable Canadian Divisions were. As a result, they were shuffled all over Europe, patching holes and taking part in Battles. Consider the Canadian Corps of WW I the proverbial "ringer" that the Allies always attempted to throw in to the fight.
Newbie
Posts: 1
December 30th, 2007, 11:13 PM
My great uncle,Ernest Glenmore Hill, died in the battle of tilly La Campagne,fighting with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. An amazing book that describes the battle and gives you a great understanding as to what the North Nova Scotian Highlander(As well as others) went through is,"No Retreating Footsteps". It is the war diary of the North Novies.
You can get a copy of it through the museu in Amherst, Nova Scotia plus it helps support the museum and keeps it going. It is also an amazing museum, run by Ray Coulson who has dedicated his time in the last 20 years there.
Cheers ya'll! Thank a vet!
My great uncle,Ernest Glenmore Hill, died in the battle of tilly La Campagne,fighting with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. An amazing book that describes the battle and gives you a great understanding as to what the North Nova Scotian Highlander(As well as others) went through is,"No Retreating Footsteps". It is the war diary of the North Novies.
You can get a copy of it through the museu in Amherst, Nova Scotia plus it helps support the museum and keeps it going. It is also an amazing museum, run by Ray Coulson who has dedicated his time in the last 20 years there.
Cheers ya'll! Thank a vet!
