Canadians Battled Nazis, We Battle Winds

 Canadians Battled Nazis, We Battled Winds

The day began overcast and rain clouds scudded across the sky. Our first stop was Fort de Roovere. It was part of the West Brabant Waterline which was constructed in 1628. Essentially it was a deep defensive moat that ran the length of this peninsula. Sluice gates could be opened allowing sea water to flood the low lying areas. It was about 55 kilometres long. As our cycling guide Corinne described, the water inundation was deep enough to stop calvary and infantry from attacking, and undeep enough to prevent ships from sailing across. 😂 By 1830 there were 6 planned inundations to thwart Spaniards, the French (4 times) and the Belgians. 

In 2011, a sunken bridge called the Moses Bridge was constructed so people could "walk through" the existing stream. 

The Pompejus Open Air Stage, built in 2018, offers views of up to 21 km on a clear day. There are 129 steps to navigate the 26 metres to the top. Michael said he would pay me to climb and take a picture and airdrop it to him so he could "prove" he had done it. 😂 Nope! It doubles as seating for numerous outdoor concerts. 

The wind had been steadily increasing during the morning. A steady 50-55 kph wall of wind kept us focused on the ride. Rarely was it a tailwind. If coming from the side it buffeted us, making for some dicy moments riding beside water. Kudos to the 4 who had regular bikes, as we on our ebikes were challenged. At the end of the day, one requested an ebike for the rest of our tour. 

We visited the Groesbeak Canadian War Cemetery, which was not included in last night's briefing. It was an emotional time for we three Canadians. Even our international travelling companions "thanked us for our service" after viewing a short documentary on the Battle of the Scheldt (pronounced Skelt) River Estuary. The Germans were holding off the Canuck Army from taking Antwerpen which would be a critical supply site. Even after Antwerpen was in Allied hands, the Nazis tried to control the river to block supply ships. The offensive took 5 weeks and cost over 6 000 Canadian lives.   

Walking through the grave stones I noticed that the majority were privates aged 19-24. I did see one captain's grave. 

A random example of Canadian bravery. 

We were encouraged to leave a note of thanks. There were many Dutch notes, but also many from other countries of the world. 

Several years ago, I watched the Dutch movie "The Forgotten Battle" a fictional account of the Battle of the Scheldt. Unfortunately it doesn't focus on the Canadian soldiers but is a fair rendering of the offensive. 

Corinne, one of our cycling guides shared with me that her grandparents lived on the outskirts of Rotterdam during the war. The city was levelled by bombs, but the family house and surroundings were spared. Her mother told her that Corinne's grandmother always made just enough food for the family, but freely served larger portions to the needy of the city. Her grandparents also hid, fed and planned escape routes for several Jewish families. 

Our battle with the wind lost any significance after that grim experience. However, we were all "winded out" when we reached the boat in Antwerpen.