HOFFMAN, Leonard Theodore

NAME                  HOFFMAN          Leonard Theodore                                                                                              RANK                  Private                 115918                                                                                                                                            1st Canadian Army - II Canadian Corps - 3rd Canadian Infantry Division - 9th Infantry Brigade  UNIT                    Highland Light Infantry of Canada                                                                                                                              "defence not defiance"                                                                                                                                                Royal Canadian Infantry Corps                                                                                                      Born                     January 28, 1922 - Zurich - Township of Hay - County of Huron - Ontario                      Residence            London - Ontario                                                                                                                        Died                     March 5, 1945          23 years  2months                                                                                    Cemetery             Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery - Groesbeek - Gelderland - Netherlands                                                           VIII  G   12                                                                                                                                      Parents                 Mr. Simon and Caroline Hoffman - Zurich - Ontario                                                                      Brothers                Messrs. Wilfred, Leo, Edgar, Albert, Anthony and Joseph Hoffman - Zurich - Ontario                Sisters                  Miss Doreen and Mary Hoffman  - Zurich - Ontario                                                                                                     Sister Angela Hoffman - Chatham - Ontario                                                                                                               Mrs. Rose Traher - London - Ontario

Leonard was born on January 28, 1922 in Zurich and he and his family would have attended St Boniface Catholic Church. He left school at the age of 17 after completing his third year of High School. He did not finish his education on medical advice received in October of 1942. He took his studies so seriously he began to suffer from "nervous indigestion". Today this is known as stress. He was intense and serious and his ultimate goal was to study for the Roman Catholic Priesthood.  He originally worked on the family farm for 2 1/2 years. Prior to enlistment he was employed as a shoe packer with the London. Shoe Company at 140 Dundas Street.. He had no sports interests or hobbies. Leonard was self conscious, timid, cautious and very close to his family and to the friend around the family farm. He was reasonably comfortable and sociable with this group. He then moved to London in June of 1942 and took night classes.

Canada

Under the National Resources Mobilization Act Leonard was called to serve Canada and he enlisted into the Canadian Army on December 30, 1942. At this time he stood 5' 6" and weighed 144 pounds. He had a fair complexion with blue eyes and fair hair. Upon his enlistment, Private Hoffman went to No. 1 District Depot in London – Ontario and would be assigned there on a temporary  basis.
As is the case with every soldier he has an interview with officials of the Canadian Army prior to being Taken on Strength anywhere and their conclusions of Private Hoffman were that they considered him to be very intense and serious. These Army personnel were aware of why private Hoffman had left school. They felt that he had superior learning abilities. Private Hoffman explained to them that he had hoped at some time in his life be able to study for the Roman Catholic priesthood. They also considered him studious and very hardworking. Private Hoffman felt it was his duty to serve his county and the Army felt he would do so with considerable determination. The Army suggested to Private Hoffman that he should train as a Clerk in the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. On January 27, 1943 Private Hoffman was re-allocated from Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps as a clerk/typist to the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps as a clerk/typist. At the beginning of February he joined the Royal Canadian Infantry Corp as a clerk/typist. On February 5,  Private Hoffman was attached to the Oxford Rifles based in Prince George - British Columbia. Then in June the Oxford Rifles were in Wainwright - Alberta and in September they were in Nanaimo - British Columbia.                                                                                                He was a Rifleman until April 1944 at which tome he took an intelligence test course as was in the "I" section. The Oxford Rifles were part of the 8th Canadian Division and Rifleman Hoffman was with the 16th Infantry Brigade. They were part of the Canadian home defence on the west coast. On June 18 Rifleman Hoffman was deemed suitable for duty overseas. He was the granted 14 days furlough and 6 days leave and on July 2 was assigned to No. 2 Transit Camp.

Overseas

On August 1 Private Hoffman was Struck off Service to the Canadian Army in Canada and embarked from Canada for overseas. The following day he was Taken on Service with the Canadian Army overseas. He disembarked in the United Kingdom on August 10 and reported for duty the next day. On August 24 he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion Canadian Base Reinforcement Group and Taken on Service with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada.

In the Field

Private Hoffman embarked from the United Kingdom on August 25 and arrived on French soil the following day. He was involved in "Operation Wellhit" which was the capture of Boulogne, "Operation Undergo" and the capture of Calais, "Operation Switchback" and the Scheldt, Savojaards Plaat, Breskens Pocket, "Operation Veritable", and then "Operation Blockbuster".

The fight for the Rhineland continued and the rains had started in the early spring of 1945 and the Canadians found themselves in water, mud and gooey sticky mud which made it difficult to advance. There was also a series of small dams in the forest and the Germans destroyed them which flooded the farmland. Finally, there was one road through the forest with deep ditches in some places and it was cratered, mined, obstacles were booby trapped and the enemy armour and artillery was very well hidden along the road and around the battlefield. During this fighting the Canadians found the enemy to be fanatical.                                                                      On March 4 the Canadians heard nothing but silence. The enemy had pulled his forces back to the City of Xanten and it was here they chose to make their final stand.                                                                                  On the morning of March 5 the Canadians were at the Hammerbruke Feature and as the eyes adjusted to the darkness the Canadians could see the gentle rolling hills, fields of crops, orchards, buildings and patches of bush. An open field was a dangerous place full of nests of enemy resistance and very shortly the scene would be a battlefield.                                                                                                                                                   Before first light the Highland Light Infantry on the left began their advance with the support of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers. The weather was clear and bright and morale was only fair. They were advancing toward the high feature south of Xanten. "A" Company reached their objective first. "C" Company was busy clearing buildings that had become enemy strongpoints. "D" Company had run into an enemy bees nest and were pinned down at the crossroads by enemy machine gun fire. A Platoon eliminated this threat. Enemy self propelled guns were active along the front and destroyed 3 Sherbrooke Fusilier tanks. The Highland Light Infantry took the first two wooded knolls but were unable to capture the third. The North Nova Scotia Highlanders on the right had been slowed down and now the right flank of the HLI was unprotected. The enemy then pounced and cut the HLI off from the Brigade and sent a force around the HLI right rear and "B" Company was tasked with dealing with the threat. It was during this day of fighting when Private Hoffman fell in battle.

Private Hoffman was originally buried in the Canadian cemetery located in Bedburg - Germany located 1 1/2 miles south-east of Cleve on March6, 1945.

During the month February 1946 was when his mother Caroline received the Memorial Cross. In July of 1946 Private Hoffman was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the France & Germany Star, the War Medal along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp. In October 1946 the parents of Private Hoffman a Commander in Chief's Certificate which mentioned Private Hoffman's devotion to duty while serving in the field in north-west Europe.

Private Hoffman is not honoured or remembered on a Cenotaph in Huron County and the Huron Remembers Committee will try and rectify this error. He is honoured and remembered on the MemorialPlaqueof St Boniface Catholic Church. He is honoured and remembered in the Centre Block on Parliament Hill where the Books of Remembrance are displayed and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial