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On 6 September 1944, Canadian forces advanced north, encircling Boulogne, Calais, Dunkirk, and the Pas-de-Calais coastal batteries. Just two days earlier, Hitler had ordered these ports to be fortified strongholds. As Canadian units advanced towards Bruges and Ghent, intense fighting broke out near Bourbourg while German troops entrenched themselves in Dunkirk.
As part of the final push through northern France, the First Canadian Army advanced towards the strategically vital ports of the Pas-de-Calais region. Their objective was to encircle and secure Boulogne, Calais, and Dunkirk, along with the coastal artillery positions that had been used to threaten Allied movements. On 4 September, Adolf Hitler personally ordered that these port cities be transformed into German strongholds and that they were to hold out at all costs.
The Canadian advance began on 6 September, progressing northward while British forces pushed ahead at remarkable speed to the east, covering up to 100 kilometres per day. The British liberated Arras on 1 September and reached Lille and Brussels by 3 September. The following day, in a significant development, they captured the port of Antwerp intact, a surprise that exceeded Allied expectations.
Meanwhile, Canadian forces pressed forward along the coast, gradually tightening their hold around German-occupied ports. As the Canadian vanguards moved towards Bruges and Ghent, intense fighting erupted near Bourbourg on 7 and 8 September. These clashes marked the effort to seal off the Dunkirk pocket, where nearly 10,000 German troops were now entrenched.
The situation remained volatile. While the main Canadian forces continued their encirclement operations, smaller units engaged in skirmishes across the region. On 16 September, civilians in Bergues, still under German control, left the town to meet the advancing Canadians. That same day, a soldier from the Royal Canadian Engineers erected a signpost near Bergues, and units from the 8th Anti-Tank Regiment took position nearby. Heavy resistance persisted, with losses on both sides, including a Canadian Cromwell tank hit by an enemy 88mm gun, leaving its crew exposed to enemy fire as they attempted to evacuate.
The encirclement of the Pas-de-Calais ports was a critical step in securing the coastal supply lines necessary for the continuation of the Allied advance. Despite Hitler’s orders to defend them at all costs, these ports eventually fell, clearing the path for further liberation efforts in Belgium and beyond.