April 17: Canadian army repels desperate Germans
Broadcast Date: April 17, 1945April 17, 1945: OTTERLO, Netherlands — "Victory is in the air," says CBC war correspondent Matthew Halton. The war is winding down. But even as Canadian forces continue their sweep through enemy-occupied Holland, the Germans aren't giving up without a fight. In a bid to get back into western Holland, 1,000 German soldiers launch an attack at Otterlo, tossing grenades and firing on the Canadians. Reuters war reporter Charles Lynch tells the story for CBC.
Canadian gunners fire back at the Germans before digging slit trenches and using Sten submachine-guns, rifles and pistols to repel the attackers. But once the Germans get past the gun lines there's only one way to stop them. The Canadians roll four flamethrowers into position, sending flames into advancing columns of Germans. When it's all over Canadian casualties are light, but 400 Germans have been killed and 250 taken prisoner.
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