King Filip commemorates Battle of the Scheldt
Filip, King of Belgians, and his wife, Queen Mathilde, have attended ceremonies in the Netherlands marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Scheldt. Representatives of all the nations that fought on Dutch soil gathered at the port of Terneuzen in the Dutch Province of Zeeland on Saturday.
The Battle of the Scheldt was a crucial chapter in the liberation of the Netherlands from the Nazis and one of the largest military operations of the entire war. Belgian frigate Louise Marie took part in the international flotilla on the western Scheldt. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands sounded the bell buoy just like 75 years ago, when it signalled that the maritime approach to the Flemish port of Antwerp was free of mines. Free navigation on the western Scheldt was one of the main goals of the operation allowing troops and equipment to be brought into Europe via Antwerp and reinforce the Allied advance. Canadian forces played a star role in this battle and were instrumental in removing the Germans from the banks of the Scheldt.
