Operation Infatuate II: Sherman tanks at Westkapelle

[Hanno Spoelstra]

The BBC WW2 People's War website hosts another relevant bit of information.

I have yet to match Trooper Scott to one of the two other Crabs which made it ashore but got swamped later. So it seems John Douglas Scott crewed either Sherman V Crab T-148656 or Sherman V Crab, DANDY DINMONT, Turret No.15.

A Trooper's Story
Contributed by trooperscott
People in story: 14259421 Trooper Scott JD
Location of story: England & Normandy
Background to story: Army
Article ID: A4032037
Contributed on: 08 May 2005

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Trooper 14259421John Douglas Scott

[snip]
November 1944
Operation Infatuate — the Invasion of Walcheren Island

My personal D-Day was November 1st, the invasion of Walcheran Island, which was defended by about 10,000 enemy personnel; army, navy and air force. We were loaded onto landing craft with other members of the 4th Commando Brigade and the 30th Armoured Brigade, and set off for the island. Seasickness and nerves were terrible. Support ships pounded the coastal guns and defences.

The island is below sea level and surrounded by a wall, which was defended by heavy guns, and underwater and beach obstacles. Mine fields, pillboxes with machine guns and flame throwers were positioned amongst the dunes. The RAF bombed the sea defences and breached the walls so that water covered low ground when the tide was in. Unfortunately, the civilians couldn’t be pre-warned about the raid so quite a number were caught in the flooding.

On the boat going over I met a lad named Bill Wilde who lived nearby and went to Bridge Road School in Coalville at the same time as I did. It was nice to see a familiar face at a time like this.

After landing on the beach, which came under heavy shelling, we had to breach the obstacles at the Westkapelle dyke, clear the mine fields and then give fire support to the Commandos assaulting the town. There was a lot of fierce fighting coming from the centre of the town, especially from around the church tower (used as an observation post by the Germans). Heavy tank fire from one of our Sherman’s put a stop to this. We then made our way to a place called Domburg where another fortified tower and concrete positions were giving strong resistance. Again, fire from a Sherman’s 75 mm gun neutralized this action. We stayed in Domburg for a few days on guard duty, but there was no trouble as the place was flooded most of the time due to the sea wall damage. Part of the squadron had gone ahead on to higher ground and we joined them later, but our tank was left behind — it got swamped, along with another when the high tide came in - maybe it's still there.

When the island had been taken we came back to a place called Flushing, where a second invasion force had landed at the same time as we did. From here Buffalo Amphibious Vehicles took us back to Ostend then by road to Blankenberg. A Victory Parade was held shortly after the capture and all those who took part in the invasion were on a march past.
[snip]

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Today, 75 years ago, Operation Infatuate II started with the landing at Westkapelle on the island of Walcheren, the Netherlands. The 79th Armoured Division disembarked with armoured support for the Commando units, comprising of two Sherman gun tanks, ten Sherman Crabs, eight Churchill AVREs and four Armoured Dozers. Out of a total of twenty-four armoured vehicles, only seven made it ashore of which three Crabs were disabled by the floods during the first night in Westkapelle.

In the next few days, the remaining two Sherman gun tanks and two Churchill AVREs delivered sterling service to the Commandos to drive the German Army out of the Scheldt area.

The bogged vehicles remained stuck in the mud for many years after the war. After the dyke and town were rebuilt, all bar one Sherman Crab were scrapped. The Sherman V Crab T-148656, which landed from LCT 650 "6 CHERRY", was in the process of being scrapped when it was saved for preservation. By that time its flailing equipment had been torched off.

Today, the Sherman at Westkapelle is in dire need of restoration, and I hope the local authorities do so soon before this battle relic has rusted away beyond repair or recognition, even.


Some pics from the official remembrance today at Westkapelle (source)

"A spontaneous kiss from a bagpipe player for 97-year-old veteran Chuck Harris. 75 years ago, he fought on the beach at Westkapelle with a German submachine gun in his hand. He lost his own weapon when his landing craft sank after a direct hit"
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© Emile Calon"

Sherman V Crab T-148656 as a backdrop for the remembrance today: "The regimental flags are lowered while the national anthems are played during the commemoration in Westkapelle"
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© Emile Calon

[James P]

Amazing, thanks Hanno for posting this and your researching into the action and history of the vehicles involved.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by James P

Amazing, thanks Hanno for posting this and your researching into the action and history of the vehicles involved.

James, my pleasure. I lived in the area during my teenage years where I was immersed in history of the Battle of the Scheldt.

As one can see on the pictures above and by e.g. Jan de Jonge, this period in time still brings back evocative memories.

H.

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