Operation Switchback - Paulinapolder Monument

[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.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

From Project ‘44:

The forgotten D-Day: Canada’s amphibious assault through the flooded fields of the Scheldt.

Early in the morning on the 9th of October 1944, 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade struck behind German lines in the Breskens Pocket. An amphibious assault from Ghent carried two columns of Buffalo amphibious vehicles across the flooded terrain.

At 2 AM, the North Nova Scotia Highlanders landed on Green Beach and the Highland Light Infantry on Amber Beach. Three hours later, the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders came ashore, completing the landing. With a full brigade now behind enemy lines, the Canadians had bypassed the elaborate German defences designed to block an advance from the south and west.

This bold move forced the Germans to fight on two fronts and marked a turning point in the battle for the Scheldt.

The map shows the path of the Amphibious assault on the western side of the Breskens Pocket. It notes “LVTs out” and “Terrapins out”, which helps to pinpoints where the photos were taken.

IMG_2787.jpg

IMG_2789.jpeg IMG_2790.jpeg

[Jakko Westerbeke]

Interesting! Let’s overlay that map on a modern one:

Switchback landing sites today (map).jpeg

And on an aerial photo:

Switchback landing sites today (aerial photo).jpeg

Interestingly, Green Beach is now some way into the sea, probably only reachable when the tide is very low. Amber Beach, though, is easy to locate in the model landscape: find the field full of solar panels, go to its northwestern corner and cross the dyke there.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jakko Westerbeke

Interesting! Let’s overlay that map on a modern one:

Interestingly, Green Beach is now some way into the sea, probably only reachable when the tide is very low. Amber Beach, though, is easy to locate in the model landscape: find the field full of solar panels, go to its northwestern corner and cross the dyke there.

Hi Jakko, thanks for doing that overlay. I reckon the scaling of the hand drawn sketch is a bit off, as GREEN and AMBER BEACH are more to the left.

Switchback - Amber Beach.jpg Switchback - Green and Amber Beach.jpg

[Jakko Westerbeke]

I suspected as much, because the curve of the coastline on the left seems like it should fit the dyke to the west of the solar panels, but ends up east of that. But looking at it better, I noticed I got the size wrong: I thought I had everything lined up correctly, but didn’t because I made the Second World War map too small. Here are improved versions:

Operation Switchback 1940s.jpeg

Operation Switchback 2020s map.jpeg

Operation Switchback 2020s photo.jpeg