|
|
The 28th Canadian Armoured
Regiment
(The British Columbia
Regiment),
4th Canadian Armoured Brigade,
4th Canadian Armoured Division,
1st Canadian Army
The Move to Bergen op
Zoom 28 October 1944.
A road block on
the main road to Bergen op Zoom reported by “A” Squadron was
investigated by the Reconnaissance Tank Troop at dawn.
Corporal McKay of Vancouver, B.C. who was in command of one
of the patrols of two Stuart tanks was held up when his tank
was hit by a German ‘panzer faust’, as he and his crew
worked to repair the broken track, machine guns opened-up
and mortar bombs were fired from the north bank of the
river, still held by the enemy, and dropped along the road.
Corporal McKay ordered the gunner to engage the machine gun
while he complete the repairs. He also killed the panzer faust operator, two snipers, saved his tank and returned to
Headquarters with information about a route across the
obstacle. For this courageous action, he was awarded the
Netherlands Decoration. |
|
Sinking Three German Naval Ships at ZIJPE, The
Netherlands, 5-6 Nov 1944.
One of the comic episodes of the Victory Campaign took place
at Zijpe on 5 – 6 November 1944 when the 28th Canadian
Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Regiment), “C”
Squadron and anti-tank
gunners of the Lake Superior Regiment had the satisfaction
of fighting a “Naval Engagement” when their fire, directed
across the intervening channel, sank three small German
Naval vessels and damaged a fourth in the harbour of Zijpe located on the eastern end of
the Island of Schouwen, the Netherlands. The largest ship
was 100 feet in length and mounted 4 inch naval guns. The
tank trop from “C” Squadron was commanded by Lieutenant R.H.
(Rusty) Goepel, of Vancouver, was responsible for this
unusual achievement, and a ship’s bell belonging to one of
the sunken German vessels now stands in the Officers’ Mess
of the British Columbia Regiment (DCO) and is rung on
important occasions. |
|
Their fire sank three small German Naval vessels
Stories written by
Archie M. Steacy,
CD (Lt Col Ret’d),
President BCR Association |
