s
Christopher Vokes,
Harry Crerar,
Sir Bernard Montgomery,
Brian Horrocks (both British Army),
Guy Simonds,
Daniel Spry and
Bruce Mathews (February 1945) When the First Canadian Army was formed overseas in 1942, Lieutenant-General
Andrew McNaughton's aim was to keep Canada's contributions to the British Army together to lead the cross-channel assault on northwest Europe. Aside from this endeavour, the field army did not see combat until July 1943. In 1943, because the Canadian government wanted Canadian troops to see action immediately, the
1st Canadian Infantry Division,
1st Canadian Armoured Brigade, and
5th Canadian Armoured Division were detached from the field army for participation in the
Italian Campaign. In early 1944, the
3rd Canadian Infantry Division and
2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade were also detached to
British I Corps to participate in the assault phase of the
Normandy landings.
II Canadian Corps became operational in Normandy in early July 1944, as the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division landed. The First Canadian Army headquarters did not itself arrive in Normandy until mid-July, becoming operational on 23 July 1944 just before
4th Canadian Armoured Division arriving on the Continent. (Polish Army),
Guy Simonds,
Harry Crerar,
Charles Foulkes,
Bert Hoffmeister. Standing from the left:
Ralph Keefler,
Bruce Matthews,
Harry Foster,
Robert Moncel (standing in for
Chris Vokes),
Stuart Rawlins (British Army). During
Operation Overlord, the First Canadian Army was under the control of the British
21st Army Group. The Army proper went into action in the Battle of Normandy and conducted operations aimed at
Falaise.
Totalize was the first major operation carried out by the army, followed by
Operation Tractable and the closing of the
Falaise pocket. After reaching the Seine, the objective of the first phase of Operation Overlord, the field army moved along the coast towards
Belgium, with the Canadian 2nd Division entering
Dieppe at the beginning of September. The First Army, under acting command of Lieutenant-General
Guy Simonds (from 28 September 1944 to 7 November 1944), fought the critical
Battle of the Scheldt along with the supporting
Operation Pheasant in October and early November, opening
Antwerp for Allied shipping. The First Canadian Army held a static line along the
river Meuse (Maas) from December through February, then launched
Operation Veritable in early February. By this point, the field army, besides the II Canadian Corps, contained nine British divisions. The
Siegfried Line was broken and the field army reached the banks of the
Rhine in early March. In the final weeks of the war in Europe, the First Army cleared the
Netherlands of German forces. By this time the First Division and Fifth (Armoured) Division as well as First Armoured Brigade and the 1st Cdn AGRA had returned to the field army during
Operation Goldflake, and for the first time, both the
I Canadian Corps and II Canadian Corps fought under the same army commander. ==Makeup==