Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the Second World War. The operation was conducted by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group, primarily consisting of the First Canadian Army under Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar and the British XXX Corps under Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks.
Veritable was the northern pincer movement and started with XXX Corps advancing through the Reichswald (German: Imperial Forest) while the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, in amphibious vehicles, cleared German positions in the flooded Rhine plain. The Allied advance proceeded more slowly than expected and at greater cost as the American southern pincer; Operation Grenade was delayed by the deliberate flooding of the Rur River by German forces under Alfred Schlemm, which allowed them to be concentrated against the Commonwealth advance.
The fighting was hard, but the Allied advance continued. On 22 February, once clear of the Reichswald, and with the towns of Kleve and Goch in their control, the offensive was renewed as Operation Blockbuster and linked up with the U.S. Ninth Army near Geldern on 4 March after the execution of Operation Grenade. Fighting continued as the Germans sought to retain a bridgehead on the west bank of the Rhine at Wesel and evacuate as many men and as much equipment as possible. Finally, on 10 March, the German withdrawal ended and the last bridges were destroyed.
1945Feb, 8
World War II: The United Kingdom and Canada commence Operation Veritable to occupy the west bank of the Rhine.
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Events on 1945
- 23Feb
Manila
World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by combined Filipino and American forces. - 23Feb
History of Poland (1939-45)
World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces. - 25Feb
Turkey
World War II: Turkey declares war on Germany. - 9Mar
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
World War II: The first nocturnal incendiary attack on Tokyo inflicts damage comparable to that inflicted on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki five months later. - 30Aug
Douglas MacArthur
The Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Douglas MacArthur lands at Atsugi Air Force Base.