In February 1945, the First Canadian Army began its largest battle of the Second World War. Canadian, British, Belgian, Dutch, and American forces struck into the Rhineland, gateway to the Ruhr, Nazi Germany’s industrial heartland. With nearly a half-million Canadian and Allied troops under his command, General Harry Crerar commanded the largest military force ever assembled under a Canadian general.

The Battle of the Rhineland, characterized by flooded terrain, muddy roads, cold and damp winter weather, and sometimes fanatical German resistance, lasted a month. Canadian troops suffered 5,300 killed, wounded, and missing before Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery’s forces crossed the Rhine in mid-March 1945. Here Canadian paratroopers participated in their final and most successful combat drop of the war, Operation Varsity. In less than a month three Canadian soldiers earned the Victoria Cross, the British Commonwealth’s highest award for valour in combat.

The Juno Beach Centre has several online resources for you to learn more about the Battle of the Rhineland and Canadian troops in the final months of the war:

Listen to a special crossover episode of Juno Beach and Beyond, Kicking in the Door: Canada Invades Nazi Germany, with David Borys of Curious Canadian History. Or check out the podcast episode featuring interviews from six Veterans of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and their experience during Operation Varsity.

Watch our newest Legacy of Honour video with Lieutenant James Drummond Grieve, a Canadian signals officer who served with the British 9^th Parachute Battalion during Operation Varsity.

Read about the liberation of the Netherlands and capitulation of Germany.

Explore the online exhibition “Maple Leaves and Tulips: 75 Years, Then & Now” that highlights the major role played by Canadians during the liberation of the Netherlands in the final nine months of the Second World War.

Discover the new 4-part series by Norma Graham that takes you through Operation Varsity in March 1945  to reaching Wismar in May with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.

• • Part 1: Varsity to Wismar
  • Part 2: The Fighting Trek Across Northern Germany
  • Part 3: A Quick Advance
  • Part 4: Reaching Wismar