Lieutenant General Guy Granville Simonds, CC, CB, CBE, DSO, CD (April 23, 1903 - May 15, 1974) was a Canadian Army officer who commanded the II Canadian Corps during World War II. He served as acting commander of the First Canadian Army, leading the Allied forces to victory in the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944. In 1951 he was appointed Chief of the General Staff, the most senior member of the Canadian Army. He was the youngest officer in the history of the Canadian army to be promoted to the rank of general. [edit] Education Born in Bury St Edmunds, England on April 23, 1903, he emigrated to Canada with his family. He studied at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario between 1921 and 1925 (College Number 3521). [edit] Wartime career On September 27, 1944, Simonds temporarily took charge of First Canadian Army from General Harry Crerar and led the liberation of the mouth of the Scheldt River. When Simonds resumed his command of II Canadian Corps for the liberation of North-Western Europe, Crerar resumed command with the First Army.  Major General C Vokes (4th Armoured Division), General H D C Crerar (Army Commander), Field Marshal Sir Bernard L Montgomery, Lieutenant General B G Horrocks (30 British Corps, Attached Canadian Army), Lieutenant General G C Simonds (2 Corps), Major General D C Spry (3rd Infantry Division), and Major General A B Mathews (2 Division) In 1944, Simonds devised the "Kangaroo", an early armoured personnel carrier converted from non-operational armoured vehicles. [edit] Post war He returned to Canada in 1949 to take a role as Commander of the Royal Military College of Canada. He was also the Commandant of the National Defence College and the Canadian Army Staff College in 1949 and 1950. In 1970 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. He died in Toronto on May 15, 1974. [edit] Assessment In his book "The Normandy Campaign" Victor Brooks lists Simonds as the most effective corps-level commander of the Allied Forces in Normandy. He wrote: The corps commander among the units that comprised the 21st Army Group who most likely had the largest personal impact on the Normandy campaign was Lieutenant General Guy Simonds. This senior officer of the II Canadian Corps created one of the most effective tank-infantry teams in the Allied forces through a high degree of improvisation during the drive from Caen to Falaise. This general was versatile and imaginative but was not able to generate the momentum that would have more fully closed off the Falaise gap at an earlier date. Despite this drawback, Simonds deserves credit for his effective command. [1] [edit] Timeline | Date | Event | | April 23, 1903 | born | | 1912 | family moves to British Columbia | | 1921 | entered Royal Military College of Canada | | 1925 | graduated RMC; joins Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA) | | 1928 | RCHA Winnipeg Battery | | 1929 | brevet Captain | | 1932 | married to Kay Higginson | | 1933 | daughter born | | 1935 | son born | | 1936, 1937 | attended Staff College, Camberley | | 1938 | joined instructional staff at RMC | | Sept 1939 | General Staff Officer grade 2 (GSO2) 1st Canadian Infantry Division (see also GSO) | | December 1939 | posted overseas | | July 1940 | commanding officer 1st field regiment Royal Canadian Artillery | | Nov 1940 | appointed to lead Canadian Junior War Staff Course | | May 1941 | GSO1 2nd Canadian Infantry Division | | Aug 1941 | Brigadier General Staff (B.G.S) Canadian Corps | | May 1942 | Exercise Tiger; noticed by General Bernard Montgomery | | Sept 1942 | commander 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade in 1st Div. | | April 1943 | promoted to Major General, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, age 40, promoted in 3.5 years from major to major general, | | April 29, 1943 | appointed to 1st Canadian Infantry Division, to replace Major General Harry Salmon, who died in an air crash. | | July 10, 1943 | Invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky; "First Canadian officer to lead his troops in an invasion and sustained campaign"; "youngest Canadian ever to lead a division into action" | | July 16, 1943 | under fire for the first time (in Sicily) | | Sept 1943 | Italian mainland invaded | | Oct 1943 | appointed GOC 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division | | January 1944 | appointed GOC II Canadian Corps; purported to be the youngest corps commander in the Empire | | July 11, 1944 | II Corps activated in Normandy | | August 7, 1944 | Operation Totalize | | August 14, 1944 | Operation Tractable | | August 21, 1944 | Falaise pocket closed | | September 27, 1944 | becomes acting commander First Canadian Army, due to illness of Harry Crerar | | Oct 2 - Nov 8 1944 | Battle of the Scheldt, Walchern island | | November 29, 1944 | Antwerp available as port for the allies | | 1945-1949 | completes course at Imperial Defence College; stays as instructor | | 1949 | returns to Canada, commands National Defence College, Kingston | | 1951-1955 | Chief of General Staff | | 1960 | retires | | 1970 | Companion of the Order of Canada | | May 15, 1974 | dies | [edit] References [edit] External links  Royal Military College of Canada | | | Faculties | Faculty of Arts • Faculty of Engineering • Faculty of Continuing Studies • Faculty of Sciences |  | | | Centres | Canadian Forces Language School • Canadian Forces Management Development School (CFMDS) • Centre for Space Research • Institute for the Environment • Center for Smart Materials and Structures • Canadian Forces Leadership Institute at RMC • Centre for Automotive Materials and Manufacturing at Queens and RMC • Centre for International Relations at Queens • Fuel Cell Research Centre at Queens and RMC • GeoEngineering Centre at Queens and RMC • High Performance Computing Consortium (HPCVL) • Institute for Defence Resources Management at the Royal Military College of Canada | | | Student Life | | | | Athletics | RMC Paladins • Sir Archie Macdonell Athletic Centre • Constantine hockey arena • Playing fields • Old gym | | | Commandants, Alumni, Staff | | | | Buildings and Features | | | | Preparation | | | |
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