Heavy fighting for Holten

In the heat of battle, several soldiers of the French-Canadian battalion Le Regiment de Maisonneuve were already killed, and Sergeant Lalonde realised that quick action was necessary. Without orders, he crawled towards the German positions, exposed to enemy machine-gun fire. Once close enough, he stormed forward with determination, emptying his sten machine gun on the German defenders and taking out one German while wounding three more.

Canadian soldier Private Leonard Turgotte, together with his comrades, reached a position 70 metres from the railway embankment near Holten. However, they came under heavy fire from German machine guns and 8.8 shells from farms in Neerdorp. Despite the intense fire, Turgotte grabbed a Bren machine gun and filled his pockets with magazines. Under enemy fire, he crawled to a strategic position, effectively shooting at the German positions. This laid the groundwork for targeted attacks on the farm with a flamethrower.

Canadian tanks of the Fort Garry Horse regiment were deployed to break the German resistance. Some tanks approached the small viaduct, but the first tank fell victim to a shell from a German Pantzerfaust. Nevertheless, thanks to the deployment of flamethrowers, it became untenable for the Germans. They let themselves roll backwards off the embankment, looking for a safe escape route to the north.

Although about 50 German SS soldiers tried a desperate counterattack, it was quickly repulsed. By 18:00, the action was over. Unfortunately, there were 18 Canadian casualties, two of whom were killed. The fallen soldiers were buried at Reijlink farm. As many as 40 German soldiers were made prisoners of war during this heroic action.