Guy Simonds Archives

Troops and armor of the Canadian First Army cautiously enter the French town of Calear on February 28, 1945. The Germans had previously evacuated the area, but they later stood and fought the Canadians viciously. (National Archives)

Guy Simonds

The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada in the Rhineland, 1945

By Angus Scully

By February 1945, the green Allied formations that landed on D-Day had become hard professional armies. Army, corps, and division commands had been shaken down and were operating efficiently. Read more

A Polish tank commander salutes as his unit passes in review during a ceremony in Scotland prior to deployment to Normandy. Polish units made a significant contribution to the Allied offensive in Western Europe. (National Archives)

Guy Simonds

Poles in the West: Fighting in the Falaise Pocket

By Major General Michael Reynolds

The dismemberment of Poland by the German and Soviet armies in September and early October 1939 saw the temporary destruction of the Polish armed forces. Read more

Manning his Bren Gun, an Canadian soldier prepares to advance during the Scheldt Estuary offensive in October 1944.

Guy Simonds

Battle of the Scheldt Estuary

By Allyn Vannoy

As the Allied armies advanced across Western Europe in the summer of 1944, the First Canadian Army undertook the task of clearing the coastal areas and opening the Channel ports. Read more

The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada in the Rhineland, 1945

Poles in the West: Fighting in the Falaise Pocket

Battle of the Scheldt Estuary

From Around the Network

The National World War II Museum

Patton’s Fight for Fort Koenigsmacker

Patton in Lorraine: Breaking the Moselle Line

One Family’s Ordeal