Today's Itinerary and Activities
Day 8: July 13
Today we met the Italian Campaign veterans, brought to Northwest Europe for the Liberation Campaign. We followed them in the great humanitarian rescue drive over the Ijssel River to Apeldoorn and on towards the densely populated western provinces in April 1945. We also considered the role of the Dutch Underground. Our day concluded at the small town of Putten, famous in the Netherlands as a site of German reprisal.
Today we met the Italian Campaign veterans, brought to Northwest Europe for the Liberation Campaign. We followed them in the great humanitarian rescue drive over the Ijssel River to Apeldoorn and on towards the densely populated western provinces in April 1945. We also considered the role of the Dutch Underground. Our day concluded at the small town of Putten, famous in the Netherlands as a site of German reprisal.
Considering hunger
Today we had the option to eat the number of calories the Dutch civilians did in the winter of 1944/45, and the types of food they might have had (though ours was fresh). Pictured to the right is a day's worth of food.
The question here was: Does an activity like this have any pedagogical value?
Read Connor's blog post on this topic for a student's perspective!
Questions our groups had to work through centred on rationing the food - How do you make it last? Who needs it most?
We reflected on each step we took: the act of dividing up the food, deciding how much to eat when, making sure everyone received their share, making sure none went to waste. We even ate the pieces that dropped on the ground, conscious that engaging in the exercise at the very least required respect for those whose shoes we were attempting to step into.
The question here was: Does an activity like this have any pedagogical value?
Read Connor's blog post on this topic for a student's perspective!
Questions our groups had to work through centred on rationing the food - How do you make it last? Who needs it most?
We reflected on each step we took: the act of dividing up the food, deciding how much to eat when, making sure everyone received their share, making sure none went to waste. We even ate the pieces that dropped on the ground, conscious that engaging in the exercise at the very least required respect for those whose shoes we were attempting to step into.
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In the winter of 1944/45, the Dutch are surviving on approximately 600 calories per person per day. The railway strikes in 1944 mean no food is coming in by train, and the Germans are taking a harsher approach towards civilians due to the Resistance. The Resistance is negotiating with the German army to allow Allied food drops because Dutch civilians are starving.
Today we are looking at the March/April liberation, and while the war may be over, the fighting is not. 1st Canadian Army’s last mission of the war is after the liberation, and they are not to press into Germany but to advance into the Netherlands in a 2-part mission. |
The military missionAdvance to the northeast corner of the country near Groningen, and seize control of those ports to ensure that the German army doesn't disrupt supplies coming in. We also don't want the Soviets to seize control of the ports, and we need to cut off German retreat into Germany, to prevent an insurgent force and to prevent as many as possible from returning and extending death camp operations.
The humanitarian missionWe need to get food to the people in the western Netherlands who have survived the Hongerwinter. Unique in Canadian history - the humanitarian mission takes precedence.
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We have a secret weapon! 1st Canadian Corps brought over from Italy. 5 Italian divisions have relieved the Canadians in Italy, and the German army is unaware of their presence here in the Netherlands. These soldiers are tired, want go home to their wives and children they've never met. This is the last mission, and we wrestle with the question: Who do you send to be the last to die?
Our intelligence tells us that the Germans are losing morale, and we know we may encounter 3 types of soldiers
1) Those concerned by the German kith & kin law, which puts their families at risk if they do not do their duty. They will fight as long as they can prove they’ve done their duty.
2) Those who want to surrender.
3) Those who will fight to the end and cannot be taken prisoner.
At this point in the war, the German army is using the towns as human shields, using Allied humanitarian policy against us. The Canadians who fought in Italy have experience with fighting building to building in urban areas as well as river crossings. They will be our front line.
Our intelligence tells us that the Germans are losing morale, and we know we may encounter 3 types of soldiers
1) Those concerned by the German kith & kin law, which puts their families at risk if they do not do their duty. They will fight as long as they can prove they’ve done their duty.
2) Those who want to surrender.
3) Those who will fight to the end and cannot be taken prisoner.
At this point in the war, the German army is using the towns as human shields, using Allied humanitarian policy against us. The Canadians who fought in Italy have experience with fighting building to building in urban areas as well as river crossings. They will be our front line.
Photo Gallery
Classroom questions
How do we consider hunger as a factor among many others? (being refugees, being shelled by the Germans and Allies, burning your belongings to stay warm, fear of being rounded up, to support the resistance efforts or stay away in fear)
How do we think about the winter of 1944/45 from a military and an humanitarian perspective?
What separates one battle from another? Aren't they all essentially the same?
How do you balance immediate vs. long-term needs in times of war?
What do military plans look like that need to secure a political effect?
From an Allied perspective, how do you arrange for food drops?
Who creates the maps the military uses? How do they create them?
What do you do when the able bodied men in your town are gone?
How do we think about the winter of 1944/45 from a military and an humanitarian perspective?
What separates one battle from another? Aren't they all essentially the same?
How do you balance immediate vs. long-term needs in times of war?
What do military plans look like that need to secure a political effect?
From an Allied perspective, how do you arrange for food drops?
Who creates the maps the military uses? How do they create them?
What do you do when the able bodied men in your town are gone?