II Canadian Corps II Canadian Corps was a corps - level formation that , along with I ( British ) Corps ( August 1 , 1944 to April 1 , 1945 ) and I Canadian Corps ( April 6 , 1943 to November 1943 , and April 1 , 1945 until the end of hostilities ) , comprised the First Canadian Army in Northwest Europe during World War II . Authorization for the formation of the Corps headquarters became effective in England on January 14 , 1943 . Over March 4 – 12 , 1943 the new Canadian corps was involved in Exercise " Spartan " , a large - scale training exercise in southern England . This exercise revealed weaknesses in the command of both the new Corps and of First Canadian Army , and this led directly to several changes in leadership over the subsequent year . The first commander of II Canadian Corps was Lieutenant - General Ernest William Sansom , effective January 15 , 1943 . Concerns over his leadership abilities and health caused Sansom to be replaced by Lieutenant - General Guy Simonds on January 29 , 1944 . Simonds led the Corps for the remainder of its existence . On May 5 , 1945 , at Bad Zwischenahn in Northern Germany , Simonds accepted the surrender of German forces facing II Canadian Corps at the end of the war . The Corps was deactivated on June 25 , 1945 as part of general demobilization . II Canadian Corps opened its first tactical headquarters in Normandy at Amblie on June 29 , 1944 . The headquarters became fully operational on July 7 as the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division began to arrive in France . This first division was soon joined by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Armoured Brigade , which had participated earlier in the Normandy landings and in Operation WINDSOR as part of I ( British ) Corps . The 4th Canadian ( Armoured ) Division was the third Canadian division - level component of the Corps . Finally , for most of the campaign through Northwest Europe the Corps also included 1st Polish Armoured Division . Although nominally a Canadian formation , II Canadian Corps contained significant contributions at different times from other Allied countries . In addition to the 1st Polish Armoured Division , the Corps included the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade , the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade , and the 51st ( Highland ) Infantry Division . Major Operations . II Canadian Corps engaged in combat operations in North - West Europe from the beginning of July 1944 to just before VE Day in early May 1945 . During the Battle of Normandy , the Corps was used to spearhead the British - Canadian advance from Caen to Falaise . With the final closure of the Falaise Gap on August 21 , 1944 , the remaining German forces in northern France were forced into a rapid retreat back towards defensive positions in port cities along the coast , and in the regions just south of the Netherlands and outside the western borders of Germany , in Belgium and eastern France . The First Canadian Army formed the left flank of the advancing Allied armies , and was charged with capturing or sealing off German - occupied ports in Northern France and in Belgium . Dieppe , Boulogne , Calais , Cap - Gris - Nez and Ostend were captured in September by troops of II Canadian Corps . However , the defences of Dunkirk proved to be so strong that it was decided to leave the German - occupied port city under siege until the end of the European war . Antwerp had been captured by the British Second Army on September 4 , but the city ' s large port facilities were useless to the Allies as long as German forces continued to occupy the banks of the Scheldt Estuary . As the spearhead of the First Canadian Army , II Canadian Corps was heavily involved in the Battle of the Scheldt to clear out those German positions . II Canadian Corps was involved in the battles to expel German forces from the eastern provinces of the Netherlands , back across the western border of Germany , and then to drive them out from the west bank of the Rhine River . In the final phases of the war , II Canadian Corps advanced into the northern provinces of the Netherlands and across the border into Germany towards the North Sea coast . On May 5 , 1945 Lt . - Gen . Simonds received the unconditional surrender of those German forces facing the Corps in northern Germany .