A Small Town In Germany

The occupation of the Groningen bulge made it possible for the British Second Army to drive into northern Germany. The Allied advance did not go smoothly. Small “stay-behind” forces resisted bitterly. One example occurred when the Canadian 4th Armored Division, …

1945-04-08

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The occupation of the Groningen bulge made it possible for the British Second Army to drive into northern Germany. The Allied advance did not go smoothly. Small “stay-behind” forces resisted bitterly. One example occurred when the Canadian 4th Armored Division, advancing to cross the River Ems, tested the savage resistance the Wehrmacht was still capable of offering. Flank elements of the Division, moving into the village of Friesoythe, encountered fierce opposition from a scratch force of students and German regulars who resolutely stood their ground in the face of the oncoming armor. Unable to fully deploy, the Canadian tankers were surprised by the German ambush and their vehicles repeatedly hit. The Canadians did take the unimportant little village of Friesoythe, but suffered heavily in the process.

Friesoythe, Germany

The Battle of Groningen took place during the penultimate month of Second World War in Europe, from April 13 to 16, 1945, in the city of Groningen between a mixture of German soldiers, Dutch and Belgian SS troops numbering 7,000 against the entire 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, though the whole division was never in combat at any given time. There were also substantial amounts of Luftwaffe units manning flak guns in the area. Groningen was also the site of the headquarters for the Sicherheitsdienst in the North of the Netherlands. The German command structure was poor and the defenders had never exercised together.

Wikipedia: Battle of Groningen

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