mike sciurko

🇨🇦 LEST WE FORGET 📅 October 28, 1944 THE BRESKENS POCKET — THROUGH MUD, WATER AND WAR In the autumn of 1944, Canadian soldiers were fighting their way through Belgium and the Netherlands, liberating communities after years of German occupation. But along the southern shore of the Scheldt estuary, the advance was anything but easy. During Operation Switchback, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division faced determined German resistance in the Breskens Pocket, a low-lying region of the Netherlands crisscrossed by canals, dykes and flooded farmland. The Germans had deliberately flooded parts of the countryside, forcing Canadian troops and vehicles onto narrow, exposed routes. On October 28, 1944, this remarkable photograph captured Universal Carriers of the Canadian Scottish Regiment struggling through mud and water beside a battered farmhouse. It is a striking reminder of the conditions these men endured. Every muddy road, every flooded field and every village brought new dangers. The fighting continued until November 3, when the Breskens Pocket was finally cleared. Their sacrifices helped open the vital sea approaches to Antwerp and contributed to the eventual liberation of the Netherlands. We remember the Canadians who fought, suffered and fell in the Battle of the Scheldt. 🇨🇦 Lest We Forget. 🌺 📸 DND / Library and Archives Canada, PA-131252