History
The Battle of the Scheldt, October-November 1944
In the autumn of 1944, First Canadian Army fought through flooded polders, along dykes and across canals to clear the approaches to Antwerp. Veterans Affairs Canada dates the battle from 2 October to 8 November 1944. This page sets out the four operations it describes and what each one gives you on the table.
Why Antwerp mattered
Antwerp was a large port, but ships could only reach it up the Scheldt estuary, and German forces held both banks. Veterans Affairs Canada records that First Canadian Army was given the task of clearing the estuary on 12 September 1944, and that its first attacks the next day had little success. On 16 October, Montgomery made opening the Scheldt the top priority.
Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds commanded First Canadian Army during the battle, in place of General Harry Crerar, who was ill. The army included II Canadian Corps (the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division), I British Corps and the 1st Polish Armoured Division.
1. North of Antwerp, toward South Beveland
The first operation pushed north from Antwerp to close off the neck of the South Beveland peninsula. Woensdrecht was taken on 16 October. The 4th Canadian Armoured Division drove on Bergen-op-Zoom; photographs in the Veterans Affairs Canada record show South Alberta Regiment Shermans in Bergen op Zoom on 29 October.
On the table: an armoured push across open, wet ground toward a town. Tanks are restricted to roads and dykes, so a single anti-tank gun covering a dyke road can hold up a squadron.
6 October - 3 November 19442. The Breskens pocket and the Leopold Canal
South of the estuary, German forces held the Breskens pocket behind the Leopold Canal. The attack across the canal began on 6 October. An amphibious assault followed on 9 October, and the south shore of the Scheldt was secured by 3 November. Veterans Affairs Canada's photographs show Buffalo amphibious vehicles carrying troops across the Scheldt on 13 October.
On the table: a canal crossing under fire, or an amphibious landing on a muddy bank. Infantry carried by Buffalo or Terrapin amphibians suits a scenario where the defender has to stop them reaching the far bank.
24-31 October 19443. South Beveland
The entrance to the South Beveland peninsula was secured on 24 October. The British 52nd Division made an amphibious landing on the peninsula. The area was secured by 31 October.
On the table: a long, narrow advance with flooded ground on both sides, plus a landing from the water behind the defenders. Two-sided pressure makes a good asymmetrical game.
31 October - 8 November 19444. Walcheren
Walcheren Island guarded the mouth of the estuary. The RAF breached its dykes, and the island was attacked from three directions. Canadian troops attacked along the causeway from South Beveland on 31 October. Middelburg fell on 6 November, and organised opposition ended on 8 November.
On the table: the causeway attack is a classic narrow-front scenario: one road, no cover, and the defender dug in at the far end. Our scenario ideas page includes a Scheldt polders game built around the same terrain.
The cost and the result
Veterans Affairs Canada records that First Canadian Army took 41,043 prisoners during the battle, and lost 12,873 casualties, of whom 6,367 were Canadian. The first Allied convoy reached Antwerp on 28 November 1944, led by the Canadian-built ship Fort Cataraqui.
Many of those killed are buried in Belgium and the Netherlands. Veterans Affairs Canada lists 848 Canadians in Adegem Canadian War Cemetery and 968 in Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. See our Remembrance page for how to look up a relative's service.
Building a Scheldt force
A Scheldt force is mostly infantry: Canadian rifle sections with carriers, mortars and anti-tank guns, plus amphibious transport for the crossings and landings. Veterans Affairs Canada's photographs show Universal Carriers, Buffalo and Terrapin amphibians and Shermans in use. Our guide to building a Canadian force covers the infantry, and Canadian markings covers the formation signs for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Divisions.
We read the kit in detail on our sister site: LVT-4 Buffalo kit guide.
Northern Front Wargaming is run by Warlord Minis, which sells this kit. History on this page comes from Veterans Affairs Canada and is written in our own words.
Sources
- Veterans Affairs Canada: The Battle of the Scheldt — dates, operations, formations, figures, cemeteries and photographs
Source checked October 29, 2026. Figures are quoted as the source gives them; where sources differ we say so.