Amundson, Samuel “Sam”.

Amundson, Samuel “Sam” born 08-11-1913 in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada to Rangvald “Ralph” (1887-1973) and his wife Serina (1886-1920)  Amundsen..

Sam’s parents came from Norway and emigrated to America. In 1912 they came to Canada from Valley City, Barnes County, North Dakota, America, just across the border to the northern slope of “Old Man on his Back Plateau” to start an agricultural business. Old Man On His Back Plateau is a small plateau in Southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada, southeast of the Hamlet of Robsart, Saskatchewan in an area known as the Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area

After college, Sam went on to work as a dragline operator at O’Sullivan Construction in Lethbridge, Alberta, living in the hamlet of Robsart. These places are all located in the south of Canada.In 1942 Sam joins the Canadian Forces, he arrived in Calgary and received a service number. M/102981. After his training and placement with “The Algonquin Regiment” . Sam went with his regiment aboard the troopship the RMS “Empress of Scotland” in Halifax on 10-6-1943. The ship departed for England the next day with a transport of 4,500 troops destined for the European battlefield.

Sam’s regiment was assigned to the 10th Infantry Brigade, under command of Major General Norman Elliot Rodger,

, which part belonged to the 4th Canadian Armored Division. under command of Major General Frederic Franklin Worthington The regiment landed with 4 companies on 25-7-1944 on the beach of Juno Beach, France. It marched through France, Belgium and the Netherlands in battle. Major General Norman Elliot Rodger survived the war and died very old age 103 on 15-09-2010 and Major General Frederic Franklin Worthington also survived the war and died 08-12-1967, age 78, in Ottawa, Ottawa Division, Ontario, Canada.

At the beginning of November 1944, the regiment had completed its tasks and a rest period followed from 5 to 8 November in the vicinity of Steenbergen in Brabant, Netherlands. The period after this has become knownas the “winter war” (November 1944 – February 1945). The Rhineland Offensive is the collective name for five Allied military operations in the period from February 8 to March 25, 1945 at the end of the Second World War. These operations had goal the conquest of the Rhineland and the crossing of the Rhine. These operations were Operation Veritable, Operation Grenade, Operation Blockbuster, Operation Plunder, and Operation Varsity. Operation Veritable started on 08-02-1945 and was the attack from the Reich of Nijmegen on the Reichswald and the Kreis Kleve. It was the northern half of a pincer movement to cover the area between to liberate the Roer and the Rhine.Operation Blockbuster was the sequel to Operation Veritable from the Kreis Kleve.The Algonquin Regiment advances into the Hochwald area, 01-03-1945, in preparation for the heavy fighting in the Hochwald Gap the following days.

Death and burial ground of Amundson, Samuel “Sam”

Operation Blockbuster, the breakthrough of the German defense line in the Hochwald Gap, started on 27-02-1945 and ended in the afternoon of Saturday, 03-03-1945 when the Germans withdrew to Wesel behind the Rhine. The Rhineland Offensive cost both warring sides very large losses. Samuel Amundson, age 31, lost his life, in battle, on the last day of the battle in the Hochwald Gap, Saturday 03-03-1945.German POWs dig graves for the Canadian casualties in the Hochwald Gap, 03-03-1945 Samuel Amundson was reburied after the war at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek (GL) in Plot XIV, Row D, Grave 14.

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