page_title: 2nd Canadian Division
section_title: North of the Rhine (March – May 1945)
hierarchical_section_title: 2nd Canadian Division / History / Second World War / North of the Rhine (March – May 1945)
caption_attribution_description: Canadian soldiers in Groningen during the Battle of Groningen in april, 1945; "Tabaksfabriek Th Niemeyer" in the background.
context_page_description: The 2nd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army in the province of Quebec, Canada. The present command was created 2013 when Land Force Quebec Area was re-designated. The main unit housed in this division is the Royal 22nd Regiment based at CFB Valcartier near Quebec City, which is the biggest regiment in the Canadian Army.
  The division draws its historical lineage from formations that existed during the First and Second World Wars.
context_section_description: Canadian forces having incurred heavy casualties in clearing a path to the Rhine, the 2nd Division was rested from the massive crossing operation that took place on 23 March 1945, instead crossing in relative ease a week later. After a brief detour through German territory, the First Canadian Army—now unified with the arrival of I Canadian Corps from Italy—prepared to assault German positions in the Netherlands. The 2nd Division moved northwards towards Groningen. In the nine days preceding their attack, German resistance had been light and uncoordinated but opposition stiffened as the assault progressed, leading to heavy losses among the battalions of the 5th Brigade. By 13 April, the division had been shifted eastward to guard the flanks of a British assault on Bremen, and the following day I Canadian Corps liberated Arnhem. On 2 May, the 2nd Division took Oldenburg, solidifying Canadian positions throughout the Netherlands. German and Canadian forces declared a ceasefire on 5 May, and all fighting came to an end with the surrender of German forces in Western Europe on 7 May 1945. In October 1945, after four months in the Netherlands, General Order 52/46 officially disbanded the headquarters of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. By December, the entirety of the division had been stood down and returned to Canada.
caption: Canadian troops at Groningen
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