In the final days of World War II, a little-known event took place that would foreshadow the tensions of the Cold War. This event, known as the Wismar Incident, involved Canadian paratroopers, Soviet tanks, and a race to shape the future of post-war Europe. Let’s dive into this fascinating story that bridges the end of one global conflict and the beginning of another.
The Final Days of World War II
A Chaotic Landscape
As April 1945 drew to a close, the situation in Germany was in chaos. British and Canadian forces prepared to cross the Elbe River in northern Germany. The military situation was extremely fluid, with patchy resistance from German forces.
The roads were packed with a mix of:
- Terrified refugees trying to escape the advancing Soviet forces
- German soldiers desperately attempting to surrender to British forces
- Masses of civilians fleeing westward
On April 30, 1945, as Adolf Hitler took his own life in his Berlin bunker, the Allied forces continued their push eastward.
Churchill’s Concerns
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had become worried. It appeared that Soviet forces would soon reach the Danish border. Churchill feared that the Soviets might occupy Denmark, which was still under German control. He had promised the Danish government that British forces would liberate their country.
Churchill was also concerned that Soviet occupation of Denmark would give them control of the Baltic Sea after the war. This would provide the Soviet fleet easy access to the Atlantic Ocean, something Churchill was determined to prevent.
Operation Eclipse: A Daring Plan
The Race to Wismar
To address these concerns, a bold plan was devised. A lightly armed, mobile unit would be sent deep behind German lines to capture the port of Wismar on the Baltic coast. This mission, part of Operation Eclipse, aimed to stop the Soviet advance for a few crucial days.
The challenge was significant. At the Yalta Conference, it had already been agreed that Wismar would fall within the post-war Soviet zone of occupation. If the Soviets refused to stop their advance, there was a real risk that World War III could break out in the last days of World War II.
The First Canadian Parachute Battalion
For this crucial mission, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, commander of the British 21st Army Group, chose the First Canadian Parachute Battalion. This elite unit, formed in July 1942, had already seen extensive action in Normandy on D-Day, in the Ardennes offensive, and during the crossing of the Rhine River.
On May 2, 1945, the battalion set out on its final assignment. Their goal: to reach Wismar before the Soviets.
The Race to Wismar
A Rapid Advance
The Canadian paratroopers, riding on tanks and in army vehicles, made rapid progress. They encountered little opposition from German forces. Instead, they found themselves dealing with thousands of German soldiers and civilians seeking to surrender and escape the advancing Soviet forces.
Despite these potential obstacles, the Canadians pushed on, determined not to be slowed in their race for Wismar.
Arrival in Wismar
Upon reaching Wismar, the Canadians found minimal resistance. They quickly secured key positions in the town, including the railway line, roads, and bridges.
For the rest of the day and night, thousands of German troops and civilians poured through the Canadian lines. The Canadians also encountered several hundred Allied prisoners of war, including British soldiers captured as far back as Dunkirk in 1940.
The Soviet Encounter
First Contact
The Canadians didn’t have to wait long for the Soviets to arrive. On the evening of May 2, a Soviet officer and his driver, scouting ahead in an American Jeep, unexpectedly encountered the Canadian forces.
Soon after, more Soviet forces arrived at the Canadian perimeter. A Soviet column of T-34 tanks from the 3rd Guards Tank Corps was heading ominously towards Wismar.
A Tense Standoff
Major General Eric Bols, commanding the 6th Airborne Division, met with the senior Soviet officer. The meeting was tense. The Soviet general stated that his orders were to capture Wismar and move on to Lübeck. In a bold bluff, Bols claimed he had a complete Airborne Division and five artillery regiments at his disposal and would not hesitate to use them if the Soviets attempted to move forward.
In reality, an Airborne Division would have had difficulty stopping masses of Soviet tanks and rifle divisions if the Soviets had decided to force the issue. However, in this tense standoff, the Soviets blinked first and backed off.
The Aftermath
Fraternization and Friction
Despite the initial standoff, there was some fraternization between the Canadians and Soviets along the perimeter. However, distrust grew stronger as time passed. There were incidents of Soviet soldiers entering Wismar at night, leading to cases of rape and looting. Canadian paratroopers sometimes opened fire on these intruders.
The Bigger Picture
While the Canadians held Wismar, British forces captured Lübeck and accepted the surrender of German forces in the Netherlands, northwestern Germany, and Denmark.
Canadian paratroopers’ blocking of the land route via Wismar likely saved northwestern Germany and Denmark from being overrun and occupied by Soviet forces. This action potentially altered the political and economic landscape of post-war Europe, preventing the extension of communist influence hundreds of miles to the west.
The End of an Era
On May 8, 1945, World War II in Europe officially ended with the German High Command’s complete capitulation in Berlin. However, the agreed-upon areas of occupation had to be enforced. This meant that US and British forces, including the Canadians in Wismar, had to pull back from certain areas of Germany destined to form part of the Soviet zone.
On May 17, 1945, the Canadian and British soldiers left Wismar. The town would spend the next 40 years behind the Iron Curtain as part of communist East Germany.
A Bridge Between Two Eras
The Wismar Incident is a fascinating bridge between World War II and the Cold War. It showcases how quickly wartime allies became post-war rivals, and how the seeds of the Cold War were sown even before World War II had officially ended.
The actions of the First Canadian Parachute Battalion in Wismar demonstrate the complex realities of war’s end. These soldiers, who had fought across Europe, found themselves in a delicate diplomatic situation, facing down their former allies to shape the future of post-war Europe.
The Wismar Incident reminds us that history is not made up of clean breaks between eras, but of overlapping events and shifting alliances. It serves as a testament to the bravery and adaptability of soldiers who went from fighting a hot war to preventing a cold one in the span of a few days.
