October 31st, 1944 - The Battle of South Beveland

Conflict: World War II

Combatants: Anglo-American Allies vs. Germans

Location: Netherlands

Outcome: Allied victory

As part of the operation to capture the Scheldt and open a shipping lane to the port in Antwerp, Anglo-American forces assaulted the peninsula of South Beveland by both land and sea. It fell to the Allies on October 31st of 1944.

Forces of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, part of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, move towards South Beveland during the Battle of the Scheldt by an unknown photographer

Points of Interest:

• Walcheren Island was taken a week after South Beveland, freeing the Scheldt for Allied use.

• In the Battle of South Beveland, Allied bombers destroyed the sea dikes to allow for the amphibious attack of the island.

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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.