​While Allied forces had invaded Europe in 1944, the Netherlands would not be liberated from German occupation until 1945. In part this was due to the failure of Operation Market Garden to establish a presence in the eastern part of the country in preparation for a strike into Germany. As such, following the re-deployment of the Canadian Corps to North-Western Europe after Operation Goldflake in 1945, it was left to the Canadians, with British support, to liberate the Dutch people. Understanding the importance of the task, the Corps would participate in a series of operations over the next several months that would drive the Germans back from their strongholds in the Dutch provinces, eventually forcing their surrender in May 1945. 

​Operation Cleanser set into motion  forces that would drive the Germans to surrender. The task of executing Cleanser was given to the 5th Canadian Armoured Division. The objectives were twofold. First, to advance towards the Ijsselmeer, and in the process destroy any German positions that impeded their advance. Second, the Division was to block the retreat of German forces from the assault of the 1st Canadian Division. In order to accomplish this, the Division prepared for a two-pronged advance across the terrain, splitting its regiment into assault columns. On 15 April 1945, the orders came down: full advance, The Division had four days to achieve its objectives, the race to the Ijsselmeer was on.
Joining this race was the 5th Armoured Regiment, 8th New Brunswick Hussars, who were to play a prominent role in Operation Cleanser. After mustering in Arnhem, the regiment prepared for the push to the Ijsselmeer. Intelligence briefings indicated that the Germans arrayed against the regiment were not fielding any heavy armour. Now it was simply a matter of cutting through those German forces that remained. The regiment prepared to engage in tank warfare the likes of which they were unable to experience in the confined spaces of the Italian interior. If successful, the Germans wherever they might pivot would be met by the Canadians on all sides. 

​On the morning of the 15th the Hussars mounted up and sent their armour into the midst of the German occupied territory in front of them. The regiment’s initial pace was reduced due a string of anti-tank fortifications that were erected in the area. Eventually, the Hussars bypassed the last of these fortifications and swept towards the open ground outside of Arnhem. On the way, they dealt several blows to German positions outside the city. By the end of the day, the regiment had captured nearly 200 German prisoners and put out of action a score of anti-tank weapons. However, this was not without cost. The German panzerfausts and 88 mm guns took their toll on the Hussars, knocking tanks out of action and killing several men during the course of the day.  ​
Notwithstanding this, the fight continued with the regiment pushing on towards the coast. Flush from their victory the day before, the Hussars increased their speed. They had to reach the coast before the Germans could join up with their compatriots and mount a resistance against the 1st Canadian Division chasing them. As such, many of the smaller towns were bypassed as the regiment hustled towards Putten. With the Germans nearly encircled, the Hussars quickened their pace, the race to Ijsselmeer was not over yet. 

​As the regiment regrouped for the final push to Putten, and the Ijsselmeer, they came face-to-face with the surreal nature of war. The people they came across were in dire straights, as they had been cut off from a steady supply of food. The populations liberated by the Hussars were bedraggled, hungry, and sickly looking, the army did what it could to help alleviate their plight. Besides this, the Hussars had to face off against Dutch turncoats, men who had abandoned their country to serve the Germans, in the process contributing to the suffering of their own people. Suffice it to say, the Hussar did not let the traitors slip away unscathed. When those Dutchmen offered resistance, they were met with fire, steel, and death.

​Having defeated scores of Dutch turncoats, the Hussars were delayed in their advance to Putten. The Germans were fleeing before the 1st Division, and they had to hold ready to respond. Fortuitously, the Germans were routed at the town of Otterloo, freeing the Hussars to continue their advance. Sallying forth, the Hussars rained destruction on the German positions blocking their path. Throwing their tanks into battle against the German’s anti-tank weapons, the Hussars swept the opposition from the field achieving victory after victory. They capturing the Germans that would surrender and eliminated those that continued to fight. Cutting through scores of men, the Hussars were sitting on Putten's doorstep by day’s end. Being so close to their objective, an attempt was made to capture the town as night fell. Unfortunately, a German ambush confounded the advance causing the Hussars to retire for the night.
 Regrouping for the final assault on the fourth morning, the regiment prepared itself to burst through those last German positions and reach the Ijsselmeer. Moving forward, the regiment brushed aside the demoralized contingent of German soldiers remaining in their path and charged into Putten. The city’s residents turned out to laud their liberators. Shortly after, an advance party had parked itself on the shores of the Ijsselmeer. Four days after setting out, the regiment had accomplished its task. The Germans were successfully contained, and large swaths of the Dutch people had been liberated. The success in this campaign would force the Germans to the table to work out their surrender. The race to the Ijsselmeer had been won.  
 
To find out more about Operation Cleanser, or about the 8th Hussars in general, stop by the 8th Hussars Museum located in the historic Sussex Train Station along Broad Street.
 

​Amid the impressive advances of Allied forces in Western Europe, by 1945 it was becoming clear that the strategic importance of the Italian campaign was waning. As a result, it became increasingly difficult to justify the presence of the significant number of Allied troops remaining stationed on the Italian Peninsula. Meanwhile in the Western European theater, operations demanded increasing numbers of troops and growing quantities of materiel. Consequently, Allied High Command devised Operation Goldflake, a plan to relocate the 1st Canadian Corps (including the 8th New Brunswick Hussars) and British 5th Infantry Division, from Italy to North West Europe. 

​The operation posed a significant administrative challenge given that the troops and equipment slated to be moved to Western Europe were scattered across the Italian Peninsula. Men and supplies needed to be trucked from their positions across Italy to the ports of Naples and Leghorn, where they would embark upon ships bound for Marseilles, France. Upon arrival in France, it was then a five-day drive to the front. Embarkation began on 22 February, and by the end of April, over 60 000 men had been relocated from Italy to France at an average rate of 3 700 men and 740 vehicles a day.
The 8th New Brunswick Hussars were pulled off the frontline from the 11th to the 14th of January, 1945. A mere five Sherman tanks were left behind in fortified positions while the Regiment was placed in Corps reserve. There, the men got some well-deserved rest but instead of being mustered for a new offensive as they expected, the Hussars found themselves in the port of Leghorn embarking on ships bound for the south of France.
The entire operation required the utmost secrecy, and several precautions were taken to ensure the Germans were kept in the dark. Should the operation be discovered, the Germans would undoubtedly make efforts to intercept the troops en route to their destination and might attempt to exploit the weakened Allied presence in Italy by launching offensive operations. To maintain the charade, the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals maintained normal levels of radio chatter by sending fake messages to avoid rousing enemy suspicions. Next, a special unit was created with the task of keeping up appearances. These men were tasked with driving along predetermined routes across the front to maintain the illusion that Canadian forces remained in their positions.

​Meanwhile, the men were ordered to strip all uniforms and vehicles of any identifying marks that would indicate they were Canadian. Thanks to these measures, the Germans were completely fooled and the operation was executed without any major problems. Later in the war, captured German documents proved the ruse was a success. Enemy maps showed Canadian units to be positioned in various locations across Italy when, in fact, they had left for France.
Moving to France provided a significant boost to the morale of the regiment. Though the men had become acclimated to fighting in Italy, their relocation seemed to signal the war was entering its final stages. As the regimental war diary notes, “the atmosphere among the men is very cheerful, everyone anticipating their move to France and seemingly happy to leave Italy. A number of the men have been in Italy since November, 1943, and the remainder have spent approximately 15 months in this theater.”
By the 24th of January, the entire regiment had been assembled in France and was given the order to move off.  The first day they moved 250 kilometers, 140 on the second, and 200 on the third. The tanks were moved up on rail cars, while many of the men drove up in wheeled vehicles. Throughout the journey to the front, the men were struck by the breathtaking beauty of the countryside through which they passed juxtaposed by the burnt-out remnants of thousands of German vehicles. Eventually, the regiment found itself stationed at a Belgian town names Roulers. Located in the Ypres area of Great War fame, the Hussars stayed there for three weeks. The Hussars found Roulers to be much cleaner and friendlier compared to Italian towns. Relations with the locals were characterized as excellent, and a lively social life emerged. During the period the Hussars were in Roulers, leaves were granted to England and France, and visits to the battlefields of Ypres and Vimy organized. It was a welcome break for a battle-hardened regiment. 
Despite the happy respite, soon it was back to the business of warfighting. The 5th Canadian Division was reorganized, and armoured regiments, including the Hussars, were reinforced with one extra tank per troop, raising the regimental total from 64 to 85. More importantly, however, each troop was given two Sherman Fireflies armed with an excellent 17 pounder gun. Though a reliable and fast tank, the Sherman had long been held back by its inadequate armament. Its short-barrel low-velocity 75mm gun was designed to engage infantry and light vehicles, so it could not penetrate the thick frontal armour of heavy German tanks. The 17 pounder, on the other hand, was much longer and could impart a much greater velocity on its projectile which enabled it to penetrate the armor on even the dreaded Tiger. The Sherman Fireflies would become the regimental fire brigade, being called upon to provide anti-tank support across the line. Well-rested and newly fortified with new tanks, the Hussars were finally ready to head back into action.
            The stage was now set for the endgame in Western Europe. As the Americans thrust into the German Rhineland the Canadians were given the task of moving into the Netherlands. The next phase of the Regiment’s war was about to begin.
To find out more about the 8th Hussars in North-West Europe, stop by the 8th Hussars Museum in the historic Sussex Train Station on Broad Street.