| 3rd Canadian Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
3rd Canadian Infantry Division formation patch |
|
| Active | 1940–1945 |
| Country | Canada |
| Allegiance | Allies |
| Branch | Canadian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Nickname | The Water Rats |
| Engagements | D-Day, Juno Beach Battle of Normandy The Scheldt |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
n/a |
| Notable commanders |
Rodney F.L. Keller Daniel C. Spry Ralph H. Keefler |
The Canadian 3rd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Canadian Army from 1940 to c.1945.
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The formation of the division was authorized on 17 May 1940. There was then a considerable delay until the brigade and divisional headquarters were formed on 5 September, and the first divisional commander was appointed on 26 October.
While the division’s components were forming, The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa were detached and transferred to Iceland as part of Z Force. The battalion spent the winter of 1940–41 there before moving to the UK. The division's 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade and 9th Canadian Infantry Brigades began embarking as early as 1 July 1941 and arrived in the UK at the end of that month. The 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade embarked in August and arrived at the beginning of September. After its arrival, the division spent three uneventful years in garrison and training duties prior to the assault landing on Juno Beach in Normandy, as part of the British 2nd Army, later joining the newly-formed 1st Canadian Army. Battle honours include Caen, Falaise, capturing the Channel ports, the Breskens pocket, and the final offensives of 1945. During the Battle of the Scheldt, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had the nickname of "Water Rats" bestowed upon them by General Bernard Montgomery, in recognition of the poor conditions of terrain through which they fought, first in the Normandy landings, and then in the flooded Breskens Pocket.
Juno beach was five miles wide and stretched on either side of Courseulles-sur-Mer.
The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division with the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade under command landed in two brigade groups,the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade and the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade ,Each Brigade had three Infantry Battalions and an armoured regiment in support , 2 artillery field regiments, combat engineer companies and extra units from the 79th Armoured Division. The Fort Garry Horse tanks (10th Armoured Regiment) supported the 7th brigade landing on the left and the 1st Hussars tanks (6th Armoured Regiment) supported the landing on the right.
The 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade was kept in reserve and landed later that day and advanced through the lead brigades. The Sherbrooke Fusiliers tanks (27th Armoured Regiment) provided tank support.
The initial assault was carried out by:
In the first hour of the assault on Juno Beach, the Canadian forces suffered approximately 50% casualty rates, comparable to those suffered by the Americans at Omaha Beach. Once the Canadians cleared the seawall (about an hour after leaving the transports) they started to advance quickly inland and had a much easier time subduing the German defences than the Americans at Omaha had. By noon, the entire 3rd Canadian Division was ashore and leading elements had pushed several kilometres inland to seize bridges over the Seulles River. By 6:00 pm they had captured the town of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. A 1st Hussars armoured troop reached its objective along with men of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada before nightfall, when both units moved 15 km inland and crossed the Caen-Bayeux highway.[1] However, this troop was forced to pull back because they had passed the supporting infantry. By the end of D-Day the 3rd Canadian Division had penetrated farther into France than any other Allied force, though counter-attacks by elements of two German armoured divisions would stop any further movement for several weeks.
None of the assault divisions, including 3rd Canadian Division, had managed to secure their D-Day objectives, which lay inland, although the Canadians came closer than any other Allied formation.[2]
By the end of the next day, the Canadian forces had linked up with the British forces that had landed at Sword Beach.
Juno Beach: 21,400 troops landed, with fewer than 1,000 casualties. Aim of capturing Carpiquet airfield not achieved. No link yet with Sword forces.[3]
In 1945, the Canadian Army Occupation Force (CAOF) was formed, based on the organization of the 3rd Infantry Division, and named after the units of the 3rd Infantry Division. It was created as part of Canada's commitment to postwar Europe. The formation was formed on the organizational structure of a standard infantry division. It appears that the CAOF was disbanded later in 1945.
Among the units of the CAOF were the: