Since the British are responsible for the western and northern flanks of the Allied advance, Montgomery is ordered to do what he should have done earlier: clear the Scheldt waterway and open the port of Antwerp. He gives this task to the Canadian First Army. It involves bitter fighting. The Canadians suffer heavy casualties and succeed in their mission. But because large and complex minefields must be cleared, and the fighting is so bitter, it is not until November 26 that the first Allied merchant vessels can unload in Antwerp.
