On 24 September 1944, Polish Major General Sosabowski was ordered to report to Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks for a staff meeting. Sosabowski’s second-in-command, Dyrda, described the drive to Valburg: “The jeep careered down the narrow roads at a steady 50 miles an hour. At one point bullets from a German patrol whizzed past us, but we could not release our grip on the handles to fire back for fear of falling out of the jeep.”

During this briefing it was decided that the next night the 4th Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment, a unit of the 130th British Infantry Brigade, together with the remaining Polish forces would cross the river Rhine. Much to Major General Sosabowski's dismay, this was to be done at the ferry port at the bottom of the Westerbouwing building, which was now in German hands. From there the German forces had a clear view and line of fire on the Rhine and its banks.

The reception at the Headquarters in Valburg was very cold, and at first Dyrda was not allowed by Horrocks to accompany Sosabowski as an interpreter. It was only after intervention by British Major General Browning (commander of the First Allied Airborne Army) that Dyrda was allowed into the tent where the meeting was taking place.

According to Dyrda, the setting was more like a council of war than a meeting of British officers. Browning, Horrocks and Major General Thomas (commander of the 43rd Wessex Division), all dressed in their neat uniforms, were seated on one side of a long table. Opposite them sat the tired Sosabowski, dressed in his combat gear. There was no chair for Dyrda, who had to remain standing. After the British soldiers explained the plans for that night, Sosabowski's objections were rejected and the conference ended. The general and his brigade had to follow the orders given.

As Sosabowski had expected, the Dorsetshire Regiment's attempt to cross the Rhine ended in failure and was abandoned. The following night, the withdrawal of the British and Polish forces from the perimeter on the north side of the Rhine took place.