Canada and the liberation of the Netherlands

Following the Allied invasion of Normandy in the summer of 1944, the long-sought breakout finally started. Canada captured French ports along the English Channel, then focused on the Netherlands. Occupied by the Nazis since 1940, the Dutch were in dire straits. Food and supplies, stolen and hoarded by the Germans, were running out. German defences at the great port of Antwerp throttled critical Allied supply lines. Canada’s job was to open the waterway, then liberate the Dutch, town by town, village by village. The result was a deep and lasting friendship between nations. Written by Tim Cook.