page_title: I Corps Troops, Royal Engineers
section_title: Clearing the ports
hierarchical_section_title: I Corps Troops, Royal Engineers / World War II / Clearing the ports
caption_attribution_description: English: The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 Churchill bridgelayers, Sherman flail tanks and infantry during the assault on Le Havre, 13 September 1944.
context_page_description: I Corps Troops, Royal Engineers was a battalion-sized unit of Royal Engineers attached to the British I Corps Headquarters in World War II. It served with the British Expeditionary Force in the Battle of France and Dunkirk evacuation, and later with 21st Army Group during the campaign in North West Europe 1944–45 from D Day until the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath. It later served in British Army of the Rhine.
context_section_description: First Canadian Army's next task was to liberate the Channel ports and make them available to supply 21st Army Group. The first of these were captured by I Corps: St Valery-en-Caux on 4 September and Le Havre, in Operation Astonia, 10–12 September. The initial attack at Le Havre was launched by 56th Brigade of 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division, supported by 240 Fd Co of I CTRE and led by the AVREs of 42 Assault Regiment, RE. 'Astonia' was very much a sapper's operation: the port was heavily fortified, but despite setbacks the set-piece operation went well, the defences were overrun and the town captured in 48 hours.
  First Canadian Army then moved on to Antwerp: the city had quickly fallen to 21st Army Group's advanced elements, but there was a prolonged campaign to clear the approaches to the port, after which I Corps held the line of the River Maas for the winter.
caption: Tanks, infantry and sappers advance during Operation Astonia
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