Paul Heinzig was born in Prelate Saskatchewan, into a family with six brothers and five sisters. He spoke both English and German and had complete Grade VIII before leaving school to work full-time on the family farm. He enrolled in Winnipeg on 3 November 1941 and was assigned to the 20th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers, which had just been mobilized in that city.
Paul completed his basic training at Portage la Prairie and joined his company in North Vancouver, British Columbia in February 1942. In March, the company moved to the Nanaimo Military Camp as part of the 13th Brigade Group as part of the force being assembled to defend against any Japanese incursion on the west coast. The company had three roles: training for battle as part of the brigade group, improving and constructing communications in the operational area, and camp construction. A platoon had been detached to No. 11 Engineer Services & Works Company for construction work in Victoria and Burnaby. Paul completed a driving and maintenance course in Victoria and later qualified on motorcycles. In September 1942, the 20th Field Company returned to Winnipeg in preparation for transfer overseas. This move was delayed four times until May 1943 when they finally moved to Camp Aldershot in Nova Scotia to prepare for embarkation, arriving In the United Kingdom on 17 July 1943. The company trained in bridging, airfield construction and other mobility tasks.
The company disembarked in France on 10 July 1944. A notable accomplishment was the construction of the Monty Bridge across the Orne River in only ten days. They then moved on to route, bridge and rafting operations construction in support of the Battle of Normandy and the breakout to the Seine. They rafted the Seine, took part in evacuating British paratroopers from Arnhem after the failure of Operation MARKET GARDEN, and played a pivotal role in the Battle of the Scheldt. In another notable accomplishment, the 20th Field Company built and operated a Bailey pontoon raft between Breskens and Walcheren Island. At seven miles over the open sea of the Scheldt Estuary, this was the longest ferry crossing of the war.
On 2 November 1944, the 20th Field Company moved to Herenthals just east of Antwerp in support of the 1st British Corps. The area was known to be infested with mines and booby-traps - the last German defenders were engineers. Once the danger could be neutralized, the company’s main task of the Canadians, however, was to construct semi-permanent bridges over the Albert Canal.
On the morning of 4 November, Lieutenant Holland and Sapper Heinzig of 3 Platoon were killed when what was believed to have been a booby-trapped Teller mine exploded. These were the first fatal casualties the company had faced and the loss of these two men was felt deeply by the unit. The unit held a funeral the following day and the two bodies were buried in Schoonselhof Cemetery near Antwerp.
Return to Part 5: Tributes to the Fallen Sappers of the Scheldt