Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Razing of Friesoythe

Razing of Friesoythe

 * This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page.

The result was: scheduled for Today's featured article/April 14, 2020 by Jimfbleak - talk to me?  14:13, 3 March 2020 (UTC)



The Razing of Friesoythe took place on 14 April 1945 towards the end of World War II. The 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division, advancing into north-west Germany, attacked the German-held town of Friesoythe. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada captured the town. During the fighting the battalion's commander was killed by a German soldier, but it was reported that he had been killed by a civilian. The division's commander, Major-General Christopher Vokes, ordered that the town be razed in retaliation, and it was substantially destroyed. Twenty German civilians died in Friesoythe during the fighting. The rubble of the town was used to fill craters in local roads to make them passable for the division's tanks and heavy vehicles. Little official notice was taken of the incident and the Canadian Army official history glosses over it. Forty years later, Vokes wrote in his autobiography that he had "no great remorse over the elimination of Friesoythe".
 * Most recent similar article(s): On 12 January there was South China Sea raid
 * Main editors: Gog the Mild
 * Promoted: 31 December 2019
 * Reasons for nomination: 75th anniversary of the event.
 * Support as nominator. Gog the Mild (talk) 20:51, 20 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Support Historic event of extreme significance. Unfortunately there has already been a war-related article this year but I can look past that due to the fact that this is the event's 75th anniversary. JAH2k (talk) 03:48, 24 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Support Aoba47 (talk) 00:12, 3 March 2020 (UTC)