Exactly 80 years ago, Allied commandos attacked Kapelsche Veer. British and Norwegian elite troops stormed the island near Sprang-Capelle. There was an enemy German strong point there. The Allies saw ‘The Island’ as a threat and wanted to destroy it. But the operation resulted in many casualties and was a tragic failure. The umpteenth.
On New Year’s Eve 1944, Polish troops tried to clear the ‘German’ island between the Bergsche Maas and Oude Maasje. That turned into a fiasco with more than 40 dead and 140 injured on both sides.
A larger Polish attack followed on January 7, 1945: Operation Trojan. With even worse losses: 34 Polish dead and 90 wounded. The Germans had 68 killed and wounded. But the support point remained intact.
Bakery
A mini-war broke out. Remaining residents of the still occupied Land van Heusden and Altena were hit hard. In early January 1945, the Allies bombarded German positions in Wijk and Aalburg. Allied bombs accidentally fell on an air raid shelter under a bakery. 28 civilians in the basement died in this forgotten disaster.
The Allies remained determined to destroy the German stronghold. British General Crocker, top boss in the region, decided to deploy commandos on ‘The Island’ as they called the island. The Germans called it a ‘Brückenkopf’.
The 47th Royal Marine Commando was ordered to carry out the attack. That unit had proven itself during the Battle of the Scheldt in Walcheren in early November 1944.
One of the commandos was Lieutenant Ian William Adam, a 19-year-old student from near Brighton. Ian was billeted with a family on the Veerseweg in Oosterhout on New Year’s Day 1944. Together with his peers, including Samuel Greenhalgh, Raymond Williams and Arthur Bennet.
‘Buffalo’
On the evening of January 13, they were deployed in the operation codenamed: Horse. They advanced from the polder neighborhoods of Labbegat and Scharlo. Buffalos were also used. The landing craft had difficulty crossing the Oude Maasje because there was a lot of ice floating there.
It was almost one in the early morning of January 14 when the commandos reached their positions in the harsh winter cold. They gave a code word over the radio and then a barrage of guns and mortars broke out. Polish tanks fired smoke grenades so that the enemy could no longer see anything.
Flamethrower
The commandos advanced. They found cover in ditches and bomb funnels. But the closer to the German trenches, the heavier the resistance.
In the heart of Kapelsche Veer, the ruins of the cantonnier’s house, were the German paratroopers, the fallschirmjäger. They threw hand grenades from their trenches. An Allied flamethrower put an end to that.
Ian Adam fought on the right flank with the Norwegians. A medical officer was there and wrote about the fight.
“Captain Brian Stickings courageously led his Q-Troop into a wall of enemy fire. Corporal Tye and Lieutenant Ian Adam ran in the lead. Less than 20 meters from the enemy, Tye was hit first in the left arm and fell wounded.”
Head
19-year-old Ian Adam took his place but was hit in the head. Samuel Greenhalgh was also hit, as was Raymond Williams. They both died in the attack. Corporal Tye was taken away injured. Captain Stickings would also die in battle that day, only 22 years old.
During the fighting, a Polish soldier found 19-year-old Ian Adam. The Pole wanted to carry him on his shoulders. “Ian said he wanted to be left behind because he felt he was going to die,” according to an eyewitness account.
The 19-year-old Briton did not survive. Several Norwegian commandos were also killed, including Olav Björndalen, Peter Emil Hopen and Bernt Myrvaag.
That night the battle raged back and forth on the island. All troops were thrown into battle, including the Poles in the rear.
In the early morning of January 14, the commandos became exhausted. Moreover, ammunition was running out. At half past six the Allied headquarters gave the order to withdraw.
Blood
That morning, Ian’s host family on the Veerseweg in Oosterhout saw only one soldier return: Arthur Bennet. According to one of the family members, he was “very tired and wearing a uniform with a lot of blood on it.” He went straight to bed.
Eleven British and Norwegian commandos died during the attack. Also tragic is the death of a British officer who advanced with the commandos. He fell into a ditch and drowned. The number of Allied wounded was around 40. On the German side there were 47 dead and wounded.
Once again there was no breakthrough. General Crocker ordered a decisive attack to be prepared. Now with an entire Canadian brigade. End of January 1945.
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