On Tuesday 10 October 1944, Canadian soldiers reached the railway embankment between Rilland and Bergen op Zoom. A stone's throw away from the Canadian advance guard was the slipway of the Kreekrakdam, the only route that led to Zuid-Beveland. Shocked, German command pulled out all the stops to prevent the Allies from continuing their advance towards the mouth of the Scheldt. Near the Kreekrakdam, they opened fire on the Canadians, launching several attack in short succession at dawn and dusk.