[2] In September 1944, the Allies had launched Operation Market Garden, a major offensive from the Dutch-Belgian border across the south of the Netherlands through Eindhoven and Nijmegen toward the Rhine bridge at Arnhem.

The advance stopped south of the Lower Rhine, resulting in a narrow salient that ran from the north of Belgium across the south-east of the Netherlands and was vulnerable to attack.

[5] An operation was devised in order to liberate the middle and Western sections of the North Brabant Province through a strong thrust westward on the axis from 's-Hertogenbosch to Breda.

The city with a population of 50,000 was effectively a medieval fortress with ramparts, a moat and a citadel intersected by waterways: the River Dommel and the Zuid Willems Canal.

[8][9] On the Poles' left flank the British 49th Infantry Division aimed to strike at the city of Willemstad and to force a bridgehead over the River Mark, which was the German 15th Army's only ferry and bridge crossing points over the one-mile wide Hollands Diep (part of the Maas Estuary).

[5] The attack began on the night of 22 October – the Royal Artillery of XII Corps opened fire on known German positions in the village of Nuland.

Germans desperate not to be enveloped tried to keep the route open for as long as possible but the British crossed the Donge after having found an intact bridge and subsequently took the city of Geertruidenberg without any resistance.

One of the self propelled guns was knocked out by a PIAT but with ammunition having run out the trapped platoon were forced to surrender, roughly fifty men in all, some attempting to swim back across the river.

Tanks and armoured carriers of the Inniskilling Dragoons rode on top of the railway line – a bumpy and exposed ride but they had soon linked up with the infantry.

[17] Supported by these tanks the East Lancs attempted to capture the two bridges over the River Aa and Zuid Willems Vaart Canal in line on the road leading from Hintham.

[18] The following day the 7th Royal Welch under the cover of smoke and supported by mortar fire, tanks and Crocodile flame throwers managed to cross the lock and overcame a German post nearby.

Their assault took the Germans by surprise and they captured 25 prisoners – the rest of the battalion crossed and a strong bridgehead was secured on the western bank of the Dommel.

Farther to the south, a column of the 15th Division and 6th Guards Tank Brigade from their position near Moergestel had captured Oisterwijk in a brisk action in the early hours of the October 26.

[19] As a result, the 44th Lowland Infantry Brigade leading the way into Tilburg encountered only minor resistance and liberated the town on 27 October after the Germans withdrew.

[20] The 15th Division and later the 6th Guards Tank Brigade were ordered to rejoin VIII Corps with all haste on the eastern flank, where a German counterattack had started on the Peel marshes just south-east of Eindhoven.

[21] The I British Corps launched their attack on October 23, in order to drive from the South Beveland isthmus towards the important Hollands Diep waterway, hoping to squeeze the Germans into a smaller space.

[23] On October 26, 1944, Field Marshal von Rundstedt ordered to forestall an enemy breakthrough and economize with our strength, I hereby authorize Fifteenth Army to withdraw to the general line Bergen op Zoom/Roosendaal/Breda/Dongen/west of 's-Hertogenbosch.

[9]On October 27 the Canadian 4th Armoured Division were on the outskirts of Bergen-op-Zoom, two infantry companies from the Lincoln and Welland Regiment had moved ahead on tanks to a roadway just south and east of the city.

The elite German 6th Parachute Regiment put up stiff resistance, using panzerfausts and self-propelled guns to knock out the Canadian tanks, but withdrew into Steenbergen when the Foot Guards threatened to cut off their line of retreat.

[24] The Germans abandoned Bergen Op Zoom completely on 30 October, and the following day the Algonquin Regiment and the Grenadier Guards attacked the village of Welberg just outside Steenbergen.

Wild celebrations took hold as the Poles were greeted but in the fighting 42 Polish soldiers were killed (along with two Canadians) and double that number wounded but civilian casualties were light as was damage to the city.

[29] On 30 October, after five days of continuous operations the division had pushed about fifteen miles to within sight of the Mark river and had liberated the town of Zundert after a hard fight.

The Polar Bears were to attack towards Loenhout, and then unleash Clarkeforce[a] to exploit the breakthrough and move up the main road to Wuustwezel in Operation Rebound.

On 20 October Rebound started with a barrage following which Clarkeforce was launched at 16.00, bypassing some strongpoints to be mopped up by supporting troops, and reached an area known as 'Stone Bridge'.

[30] The fight for this point took most of the remaining afternoon, but the bridge was seized before it could be completely demolished, and Clarkeforce pushed across it and into Wuustwezel from the rear taking about 500 prisoners during the day.

[33] The 49th felt the full brunt of 245th Infantry Division's counterattack which had been instructed to retake Wuestwezel with the support of their parent LXVII Corps’ artillery.

The Germans continued the attack until the evening when they had withdrawn having suffered heavy losses in men as well as having thirteen tanks and Self propelled guns knocked out in total.

By 5 November the implacable pressure exerted by the formations of I Corps, much assisted by RAF fighter bombers, had broken the German held Mark river line.

After the completion of Pheasant, Canadian troops then took over responsibility for the line of the Maas river upstream as far as Maren and also the Nijmegen sector from the XXX Corps.

[37] The liberated towns and cities suffered only minor damage; with the exception of 's-Hertogenbosch – Tilburg, Wilemstadt, Breda, Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom were all captured relatively unscathed and civilian casualties were light.