November 8th, 1944 - The Battle of Walcheren Island

Conflict: World War II

Combatants: Anglo-American Allies vs. Germans

Location: Netherlands

Outcome: Allied victory

The campaign to free up passage to the important port of Antwerp came to a close on this day in 1944. Having already invested the South Beveland peninsula, British troops, with some American support, captured Walcheren Island in an amphibious assault.

LVT Buffalo amphibians during the invasion of Walcheren Island by an unknown photographer

Points of Interest:

• Allied bombers destroyed the sea dikes to allow for the amphibious attack of the island.

• During and after the battle, Allied minesweepers swept the 70-mile Scheldt Channel 16 times before any vessel was allowed to pass through.

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Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.