Operation Switchback - Paulinapolder Monument

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Today I visited the monument for the seaborne landings at the Paulinapolder, Biervliet, the Netherlands. It commemorates what happened here 80 years ago:

"During the night of October 8 to 9, 1944, nearly 100 Buffalo amphibious vehicles full of military personnel were transported from the port of Terneuzen out onto the estuary of the Scheldt. The Canadian troops were shuttled to the coast of western Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. Between Hoofdplaat and Biervliet, they landed on ‘Green Beach’ and ‘Amber Beach’. The objective was to open a front at the coast of West-Zeeuws-Vlaanderen in order to weaken the German opposition at the Leopold Canal.
The "Green Beach" landings went smoothly. Although the sound of motors and exploding grenades must have been deafening, the German defenders initially thought Walcheren was being attacked. On the second beach, ‘Amber Beach’, a number of Buffalo’s got stuck in the clay. As the Canadians struggled to get away from the mud flats, they were under heavy fire.
The landing zone, between Hoofdplaat and the Paulinapolder, soon became the target of a German counterattack. Unlike other German units in Belgium and Zeeland, these were highly trained troops. The counterattack was repelled, and the bridgehead could be extended with new troops.
At the centre of this beachhead, fierce battles broke out. The village of Driewegen was almost completely destroyed. After two days there was a deadlock. As the Canadian attackers defended the landing area, more and more troops were transferred. With smokescreens they prevented German observation from Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland.
Over the next few days, pressure to break out quickly began to rise for the Canadians. The German coastal batteries on Walcheren and around Cadzand, and the artillery at IJzendijke, increasingly hit their Canadian targets. On October 11 the impasse was broken with a successful attack on Biervliet. The Canadian troops were able to advance further into western Zeeuws-Vlaanderen."

Text source: https://www.liberationroute.com/pois...borne-landings


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[Hanno Spoelstra]

The area circled in green is where the landings took place:

Battle_Scheldt_annotated.jpg


This is a view of the mudflats where Buffalo and Terrapin amphibious vehicles came ashore, manned by the British 5th and 6th Assault Regiments (Royal Engineers) and carrying the troops of 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade.

It was a cold and damp day. These days the mud and water of the Scheldt river are polluted by the chemical industry upstream.


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[David Dunlop]

Hello Hanno.

Are those mud flats exposed most of the day or subject to the usual twice in/twice out tidal flow?


David

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Are those mud flats exposed most of the day or subject to the usual twice in/twice out tidal flow?

The mud flats are exposed to the tidal flows, the areas with growth on them only once in a while with spring tides, storms, etc. The photos were made from the foot of the dyke which protects the polders behind them. The monument stands on the other side of the dyke.

I have yet to find out if this was ‘Green Beach’ or ‘Amber Beach’. One of them was more to the West directed at the town Hoofdplaat, this one is the most Eastern one of the two, directed at taking the town Biervliet:

Map_-_Battle_of_the_Scheldt_(Breskens_pocket).jpg

[Jakko Westerbeke]

They’re tidal. The areas with the plants don’t flood every day, else there wouldn’t be anything growing there at all, but I would guess they are underwater when the tide is unusually high. There is a dyke behind the photographer to stop the sea from flooding the farmland and industry here:

Braakman.jpeg

The photographer probably stood somewhere near the blue parasol icon. The green near the water is the green in Hanno’s photos, the grey road running east–west is on the inside of the dyke, which is the green line right next to the road.

This whole area has changed a lot since the war, though:

Braakman 1944 & 2023.jpg

[David Dunlop]

IIRC, the tracks on the Buffalo were somewhat narrow. I suspect if the mud was softer than anticipated, the tracks may have dug into the mud enough the hulls simply bottomed out and the Buffalo would be going nowhere until either enough tide came back in to refloat it, or a LAD could retrieve it.

Either way, pretty uncomfortable for the troops.

Is there any mention in the records about sufficient air cover being provided for the landings?


David

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Though I’ve never been there, if the beach there is the same as here on Walcheren (only about 20 km away, on the other bank of the river) then it’s sand and not a mudflat. Perhaps a relatively thin layer of mud over sand? I don’t remember any reports of LVTs getting stuck on the beach here, three weeks after the Switchback landings.