A Second War Military Cross Citation to Lt. Howitt 28th Canadian Armoured Regiment

Original typeset two-page citation for Lieutenant Henry Robinson Howitt, Troop Officer, "B" Squadron, 28th Canadian Armoured Regiment, for actions in the North West Europe theatre in 1944-45, in black ink on a thin paper stock, 203 mm x 330 mm, stapled together in the upper left corner, foldmarks, extremely fine. Footnote: "At Bergen op Zoom, Holland, on 29 October 1944, Lieutenant Howitt commanded the first tank to cross the canal at the northern part of the city and the fire which he was able to bring upon the enemy caused the enemy casualties in great number and also assisted the infantry in holding the position which was counter-attacked on three occasions. During this operation he handled his troop with great tactical skill and his deployment of his troop during the counter-attacks did much to establish the bridgehead firmly in our hands. During the winter months of 1944-45 this officer, on many occasions, acted as Forward Observation Officer of shoots conducted by his squadron in support of raids across the Maas River made by our infantry. His utter disregard for his own safety in finding positions from which to observe while wholly exposed to enemy fire won him the admiration of all associated with him. "On 6 March 1945 in an outflanking move on the town of Veen, Germany, Lieutenant Howitt was in command of a force consisting of two tanks and a section of infantry. He was ordered to seize a cross-roads. Although exposed to heavy shelling and high velocity fire, Lieutenant Howitt led his force to the objective and inflicted severe casualties on the enemy. On reaching the objective he was able to inflict further casualties by skillful application of the artillery fire working in his support. Direct hits were made on enemy self-propelled guns and infantry, bringing about such confusion that a force on the left flank was able to gain their objective with few casualties. "From 8 April 1945 to 25 April 1945 Lieutenant Howitt acted as Rear Link Officer during a period of heavy fighting leading up to and including the Kusten Canal bridgehead. Due to the fact that the troops were dispersed in areas far distant from the squadron headquarters it was necessary for Lieutenant Howitt to carry out normal administrative work in a very hazardous country. These areas were constantly under sniper, small arms and mortar fire but, despite danger and physical hardship brought about by lack of sleep for days on end, Lieutenant Howitt always maintained an adequate supply of ammunition, petrol and food to the forward elements. During all this time his never-failing courage was a source of constant inspiration to those serving with him and the ingenuity he displayed in getting supplies forward under adverse conditions had much to do with the successful outcome of the operation." Lt. Howitt shipped home from England in February, 1946.