The island of Walcheren remained the one great obstacle to the use of the port of Antwerp. Its defences were extremely strong and the only land approach was the long narrow causeway from South Beveland. To make matters worse, the flats that surrounded this causeway were too saturated for movement on foot while at the same time there was not enough water for an assault in storm boats.
General Mondgomary urged Simonds to speed up the attack and get Antwerp opened for shipping faster. Simonds refused; He was certain his tactics would save Canadian lives and still capture Antwerp in good time.
The attack was to be made from three directions: across the causeway from the east; across the Scheldt from the south; and from the sea. To hamper German defence the island's dykes were breached by heavy RAF bombing to inundate the central area and thus permit the use of amphibians followed the order of Eisenhower.
The Canadians attacked the causeway on October 31 and after a grim struggle established a precarious foothold. Then, in conjunction with the waterborne attacks, the 52nd British Division continued the advance. On November 6 Middleburg, the island's capital fell and by November 8 all resistance ended.
The channel was cleared of mines and on November 28 the first convoy entered the port of Antwerp.