Leer

The commander of the 2nd Canadian Corps, Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, had intended for the Poles to reconnoitre crossings over the Leda at Leer, with the notion that if these were strongly held, the actual assault would be made by the 3rd Canadian Division while the Poles assaulted Varel at the eastern base of the peninsula.

The latter alternative ultimately proved necessary. The problem was in fact settled by developments to the eastward, where the 4th Armoured Division's bridgehead north of the Kusten Canal was under heavy attack. Consequently, on the morning of the 22nd, the Polish Armoured Division was directed along a north-easterly axis to relieve the pressure here. The tasks of forcing the Ems and the Leda and capturing Leer fell to the 3rd Division.

Leer is a small port for sea-going vessels at the junction of the Ems and the Leda. The town is an important communication centre, connected by good roads with Emden and Wilhelmshaven. Although the Polish advance east of the Ems had simplified the approach, an assault across the wide lower reaches of the Ems (where tidal action causes differences in width of up to 300 feet) promised to be difficult. The Leda, though narrower than the Ems, is itself some 200 yards wide at Leer and is also subject to tidal variations. These rivers surrounded the port on three sides and the fourth was protected by marshy ground. All bridges had been demolished.¹

Information on enemy defences in Leer was slim, though it was thought that units were not well equipped with supporting arms. As a water assault was in order, Major-General Keefler's 3rd Division - now referred to in some quarters as the "Water Rats" for its history of amphibious operations (D-Day in Normandy, the Scheldt, the Rhineland, the Rhine crossing) - seemed a natural choice. The 9th Brigade was selected to storm the two rivers while the 7th Brigade was to clear the north bank of the Leda as far as Loga, two miles east, establishing a base from which a drive north to Emden and Aurich could be established.²

In actuality, German defenders consisted of marine replacements and anti-aircraft personnel under command of an Oberstleutnant (lieutenant-colonel). Three companies defended the western outskirts of Leer, and four more the southern perimeter on the Leda side. Morale among the marines was low, as it was their first land battle, for which they were untrained.

Operation DUCK, the division's assault on Leer and Loga, was a three-phase operation.

• The 9th Infantry Brigade was to attack across both rivers to establish a bridgehead

• The 7th Infantry Brigade was to pass through to secure Loga and the adjacent Ljuianen Park

• The 9th Infantry Brigade would enlarge the bridgehead north towards Veenhusan and Terborg in the final phase³

Brigadier John Rockingham felt that if the three battalions of his 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade attacked simultaneously, it would minimize the risk of the enemy concentrating their force against any one assault battalion.⁴ The North Nova Scotia Highlanders were ordered to cross the Leda in storm-boats on the brigade's right to secure the north bank, the Highland Light Infantry to descend the Ems and land at Leerort at the junction of the Ems and Leda, and the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders would attack directly across the Ems to take the western edge of Leer. The timing was dependent not only on the desire to attack simultaneously, but on the tides and the desire of 2nd Corps headquarters to have the bridgehead firm by nightfall so that engineers could start their own operations under cover of darkness. H-Hour was thus set of 15:00hrs on 28 April.

Lieutenant W.B. Sparks of "A" Company, The Highland Light Infantry of Canada, and Captain J.D. MacFarlane of the 14th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (R.C.A.), awaiting the jump-off of the attack on Leer, Germany, 28 April 1945. Library and Archives Canada photo.

Support included tanks of the 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment) as well as 2nd Canadian Corps troops including two batteries of the 6th Anti-Tank Regiment, RCA, Headquarters 2nd Corps Troops RCE and the 20th and 31st Field Companies, Royal Canadian Engineers. Higher-level support included Crocodile flamethrowing tanks of "A" Squadron, 141st Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, guns of the 4th AGRA, heavy guns of 16th/1st Heavy Battery, Royal Artillery, and the 11th Army Field Regiment, RCA, all of whom augmented the 3rd Canadian Division's own field regiments. A British smoke company of the Pioneer Company was also provided for the assault, and the divisional machine gun battalion of the 3rd Canadian Division organized a "Pepper Pot" to assist the 9th Brigade's initial assault.

In the early afternoon of the 28th, Typhoons shot up targets in Leer and, 35 minutes before the stormboats were launched, the artillery opened a heavy bombardment. Brigadier Rockingham observed: "The shooting was for the greater part excellent, as burst after burst was seen along the dykes where the enemy was entrenched." However, on the 9th Brigade's right flank, the German positions were too close to our assembly area for the artillery to give support and a contrary wind made a normal smoke-screen impracticable. Nevertheless, the North Nova Scotias employed their 2-inch mortars, firing smoke, to screen the attack and they were helped by weapons of the Camerons and the 1st Battalion, The Canadian Scottish Regiment. "'D' Company, carrying the assault boats, left the cover of the dykes, dashed to the river banks, boarded the boats and were soon on the other side." The Germans were completely surprised; they were found cowering in their trenches and "three machine-guns were captured, fully loaded, before firing a round". The remainder of the North Nova Scotias followed "D" Company and in a short time had penetrated deeply into the southern portion of Leer. Meanwhile, two miles south of the town, The Highland Light Infantry of Canada launched their boats on the Ems, moving downstream to the point at Leerort. Although delayed en route, they received such excellent support from the artillery that their landing was virtually unopposed. The H.L.I. then pressed forward into the centre of Leer "against sniper and Panzerfaust fire". On the left of the brigade The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders encountered the heaviest opposition. As their boats crossed the Ems, 400 yards wide at this point, they were engaged by machine-guns from both flanks. The leading companies reached the eastern bank at 3:08 p.m.; but sustained German fire sank two boats in a second wave and 15 men were believed drowned. (Brigadier Rockingham afterwards questioned "the suitability of the type of lifebelt" then used.) The battalion mopped up resistance along the adjacent dyke and proceeded methodically to clear the western part of Leer.⁵

Fierce street fighting took place in the town itself, and Germans infiltrated Canadian positions, at times fighting with determination, and "(g)reat care was needed to avoid clashes between our own troops." Wind, tide and mechanical difficulties with the boats' engines hampered the work of the engineers struggling to ferry soldiers across the river, and DUCK came to a halt on 28 April, to be resumed on the morning of the 29th. At 18:50hrs on 29 April Brigadier Rockingham reported his brigade had captured all its objectives, and that the railway running through the eastern sector of Leer was in Canadian hands, all at a cost of just 70 casualties for all three of his battalions. The Army's official history concluded that "This relatively light loss was certainly due to the soundness of the tactical plan as well as to the supporting arms' efficiency and the determination of the assaulting troops."

The capture of Leer was completed by the 7th Brigade, as the Regina Rifles crossed the railway to the east against little opposition, then swung south down the right bank of the Leda, clearing out a German barracks while The Royal Winnipeg Rifles attended to Julianen Park. Loga fell to the Canadian Scottish, "delayed only by the rubble in the streets."⁶

Late on 1 May the 3rd Division's headquarters issued instructions for the final phase of the campaign that had begun on the beaches of Normandy. While the 7th Brigade held the Leer bridgehead, the 8th was to drive on towards Aurich, seizing crossings over the Ems-Jade Canal. The 7th would then take over and capture Aurich, while the 9th Brigade, on the left, probed towards Emden. The 8th and 9th Brigades proceeded to advance steadily along their designated routes in the face of scattered resistance and extensive demolitions; but hostilities ceased before the objectives were reached. The 8th Brigade was on the outskirts of Aurich, and Brigadier Roberts was negotiating with the Germans for the surrender of the place, when operations were suspended on 4 May.⁷

Battle Honours

The following Canadian units were awarded the Battle Honour "Leer" for participation in these actions:

3rd Canadian Division

• The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (MG)

9th Canadian Infantry Brigade

• The Highland Light Infantry of Canada

• The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders

• The North Nova Scotia Highlanders 

Notes

1. Stacey, C.P. Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Volume II: The Victory Campaign. pp.594-597
2. Williams, Jeffery The Long Left Flank: The Hard Fought Way to the Reich, 1944-1945 (Stoddart Publishing Co. Ltd., Toronto, ON, 1988) ISBN 0-7737-2194-0, p.294
3. Stacey, Ibid
4. Williams, Ibid, p.294
5. Stacey, Ibid
6. Ibid
7. Ibid