“The Hochwald” is a Battle Honour awarded to the 21st Canadian Armoured Regiment (GGFG) for its participation in Operation Blockbuster in late February and early March 1945.
The Battle of the Hochwald The operation was designed to break through the final belt of the Siegfried Line defenses in the Rhineland, specifically the Hochwald and Balberger Wald forests. The German commander in the region had considered the terrain “impenetrable to large-scale armoured assault” due to the narrow forest tracks, anti-tank ditches, and wet ground.
Key details of the Regiment’s involvement include:
• The Objectives: The Regiment, operating as part of “Smithforce” (along with the Lake Superior Regiment), was tasked with capturing the high ground northeast of Udem, specifically Pauls-Berg and Katzenberg, to secure the approach to the Hochwald Gap.
• The Action: On February 26, 1945, the Regiment attacked Pauls-Berg. Despite heavy anti-tank fire and boggy ground that trapped many vehicles, they secured the objective. It was a costly day, with ten members of the Regiment killed, including Lieutenant E.G. Venus, and numerous tanks destroyed.
• The Gap: Following the capture of the hills, the Regiment was ordered to push through the Hochwald Gap, a narrow corridor between the forests. The fighting in this gap was intense; the wet ground made off-road movement nearly impossible, restricting tanks to the road where they were vulnerable to German 88mm guns. Ultimately, the Regiment held its ground until the enemy began to withdraw toward the Rhine bridgehead at Wesel.
• Individual Bravery: Major Geoffrey Clark Lewis was awarded the Military Cross for his bold leadership on February 26, 1945, during the seizure of the ground near the Hochwald.
