In the final stages of the Second World War, the Allies attacked out of Holland and France into Germany towards the Rhine. In a big pincer movement, the attack started out on 8 February with the First Canadian Army on the northern arm, First British Army in the centre, and the Ninth US Army on the southern arm. Operation VERITABLE was a combine Canadian and British attack into the Reichswald, while the US part of the attack was Operation GRENADE, just north of the Ruhr. Fighting through the Reichswald was fierce but by 22 February it was clear. The next step in the advance was Operation BLOCKBUSTER aimed at linking up with Ninth US Army which they did on 4 March 1945.
The formidable defences about the Hochwald Forest and Balberger heights still barred the way to the Rhine. The assault, Operation BLOCKBUSTER, against these formidable positions was launched on February 26 by the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions and the 4th Armoured Division. The advance was an agonizing repetition of the Reichswald battle with troops holding slight gains against fierce enemy counter-attacks as tanks, handicapped by mud, rain and deliberate flooding, struggled forward. It took until March 4 to clear the enemy from both objectives. The Canadians and Americans linked up on 4 March 1945.
Brigadier John Robert Blakely Jones, OBE, DSO, MiD, CD, was born in Edmonton in 1908. In 1940, he enlisted as an officer with the 10th Fd Sqn and served in North Africa, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. During the war he commanded the 10th Field Squadron, 31st Field Company, 4th Field Park Squadron and 2nd Tunnelling Company. He was promoted Lieutenant Colonel on 21 February 1944 and appointed Commander Royal Canadian Engineers (CRE) of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division holding this appointment until the end of the war.
After the war, Lt-Col Jones remained in the army, and in 1946 was posted to Whitehorse as the Senior Highway Engineer of the North West Highway System. In 1949, he was promoted to Colonel and appointed Director of Works and Accommodations at NDHQ. This was followed by an appointment as the Chief Engineer at Army HQ from 1951-54. Later as a Brigadier, he commanded the New Brunswick Area, returning to the Yukon in 1957 as Chief Highway Engineer. From 1965-66 he acted as the National President of the Military Engineer’s Association of Canada. Brigadier Jones died in Calgary in 2000. (see CMEA Last Post)
Distinguished Service Order
During Operation BLOCKBUSTER, 4 Canadian Armoured Division was directed on the axis Kappelen 9844-Udem 9842-Soesbeck 0535-Veen 1135 to Winnenthal 1135. The roads in the area in which the division was operating had become, in many cases, impassable due to artillery fire, enemy mines and demolitions. As Chief Royal Engineer of 4 Canadian Armoured Division, Lieutenant-Colonel Jones was charged with the task of providing routes in order that the division might continue the advance. On 7 March 1945, the attack by armour on Veen was halted by a 75-foot crater at Map Reference 10, 6354, 500 yards west of Veen itself. This crater completely obliterated the road and deployment in the fields, due to ground conditions, was impossible. This was the only route directly into the town and it was imperative that the obstacle be overcome. Due to the urgency of the work to be done and because of the technical difficulties involved, Lieutenant-Colonel Jones carried out the engineer reconnaissance personally in daylight, despite the fact that the position of the crater was completely exposed to the enemy in the woods on the high ground 1,000 yards to the north and east as well as being under fire from the enemy in Veen itself, 500 yards to the east. The enemy opened fire at any sign of movement in the area and the lips of the crater were mined with anti-personnel mines which could not be removed. After completing his close reconnaissance of the obstacle, Lieutenant-Colonel Jones returned to his field squadrons and ordered the work to commence under cover of darkness. He returned to the site with his men and remained there throughout, under extremely heavy mortar and machine gun fire, until the by-pass was completed at first light, 8 March 1945, thus enabling the division to continue the advance. His display of coolness under fire and utter disregard for his own personal safety inspired his tired officer, Non-Commissioned Officers and men to continue working under extremely hazardous and difficult conditions. This is only one instance during the operation in which Lieutenant-Colonel Jones has displayed the highest sense of duty, initiative and leadership, which has provided a constant inspiration to all ranks under his command.