The 4th Canadian Armoured Division was the only Canadian armoured division to fight in the Northwest Europe campaign. It landed in Normandy in late July 1944, entering the battle during the critical breakout phase following Operation Cobra.
The division's baptism of fire came during Operation Totalize (August 1944), the Anglo-Canadian offensive toward Falaise designed to cut off the retreating German armies. The operation saw the division employ innovative night assault tactics but also suffered from command and coordination difficulties that limited the exploitation of early gains.
Despite a difficult start, the division matured rapidly and played an important role in closing the Falaise Gap, the liberation of the Channel ports, and the Battle of the Scheldt. During the Rhineland campaign in early 1945 it fought through the Hochwald Forest, among the most difficult terrain encountered by armoured forces in Northwest Europe.
The division crossed into Germany in March 1945 and was advancing toward Hamburg when the war ended in May 1945.