After losing the Battle of Falaise, German troops were forced to retreat to the Scheldt River, located 30 kilometers southwest of Ghent, Belgium. The Allied troops gave chase, and on August 29, 1944, they were joined by the 1st Polish Armored Division. As an independent column, it began the pursuit. Within 9 days, it covered a distance of 400 km, fighting numerous battles with the retreating enemy and capturing subsequent cities. On September 6, it entered Belgium, where the 10th Mounted Rifle Regiment defeated one of the German infantry divisions, and the 3rd Rifle Brigade captured the city of Ypres. On September 8, after encirclement and with the help of the resistance movement, Tielt was recaptured. At the same time, Ruiselede was attacked, where the Germans defended very fiercely and the fighting continued. In this situation, General Stanisław Maczek sent additional forces there. After suffering heavy losses, the Germans were forced to withdraw. Then, the unit under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Koszutski set out with the task of controlling the crossing on the Ghent Canal. However, the German LXVII Corps turned out to be too strong and the Polish Division was stopped. Although the Podhale Rifle Battalion managed to cross the first branch of the canal, due to heavy losses, the Podhale Riflemen had to retreat.
On September 10, the commander of the 2nd Canadian Corps ordered the crossing of the canal to be stopped and directed the 1st Armored Division to the Ghent area. At that time, the southern part of the city was already occupied by units of the British 2nd Army, while the northern part was still occupied by the Germans. The city was under heavy German artillery fire. The 3rd Rifle Brigade entered Ghent, welcomed by the inhabitants, and together with the Belgian resistance movement, they attacked the northern part of the city. The fighting lasted several days and only on September 17 did the Germans stop firing.
At the same time, the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade moved to the area east of Ghent and captured a number of towns, capturing approximately 170 German soldiers. The strong defense of the Ghent Canal forced the command of the 1st Canadian Army to change its course of action. On September 15, the 2nd Canadian Corps and its 1st Polish Armored Division attacked towards the mouth of the Scheldt. On the way there was the port of Terneuzen, but to capture it it was necessary to attack two towns nearby. The town of Axel was located on a hill and was a natural defense bastion. The attack began on September 16 and lasted several days. On September 19, both cities were captured, and General Maczek began to reorganize the units of the 1st Armored Division.
On October 27, 1944, Polish troops received an order to attack an important road junction and the capital of Dutch Brabant – Breda. On October 29, after heavy fighting, the Poles managed to liberate the city without losses among the civilian population or the city’s buildings. This fact is remembered by the Dutch to this day. The attack lasted two days, after which the Division attacked Moerdijk. The attack began on November 3 and ended only on November 9. The difficult terrain made a quick attack impossible. Artillery had to destroy German fortifications to make them passable for tanks. Twenty artillery squadrons from the 1st Canadian Army were then engaged to help clear the passage. Only after six days and a strong attack by the 1st Division did the Germans capitulate.
After capturing Moerdijk, the Poles moved to defense on the Meuse River and until April 7, 1945, they conducted reconnaissance sorties. During this time, Polish soldiers were busy with constant patrols, replenishing equipment and personnel, as well as a constant training.
Photos for the text from the collection of Capt. Jan Brzeski was donated by Witold Gudyś
