American Water Weasel

After the September 1944 defeat during the Battle of Arnhem, taking control of the mouth of the River Scheldt in Belgium was a priority for the Allies. This strategic move would give them access to the waterway leading to the city of Antwerp, which had already been liberated. Antwerp’s harbour was a very important supply point for the massive Allied effort. To help make this possible, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) bombed dykes at four different locations on Walcheren in the Dutch province of Zeeland, almost entirely submerging the peninsula.