16 May
The SS units had halted at the canal through Zuid-Beveland after they had crossed the two defense-lines on the 15th. During the night, soldiers on rafts were able to cross the canal. The two French battalions that defended the canal—no more than 1,250 men—were forced to defend a front of 9 km (5.6 mi). The canal had a width of 50–90 m (160–300 ft), and as such, it formed a considerable obstacle for any attacker. Since all the bridges had been destroyed, an assault crossing had to be executed by making use of rafts or boats. The Luftwaffe continued its morale-sapping presence, forcing considerable numbers of French soldiers to flee their positions along the canal. The French defenders had requested fire-missions against the sectors where the Germans deployed. The French feared the lack of precision of their own artillery, many company commanders ordered their units a few hundred meters back from their positions along the canal.
Soon afterward, the entire French occupation of the canal defensive area in the northern sector gave way, resulting in a desperate dash for safety. At one location close to the Postbrug, a squad of French colonial soldiers held out, but a storm-troop was quickly organized and this position was soon abandoned. Meanwhile, the Germans had managed to repair the northernmost river crossing. Some light armored cars and motorcycles were able to cross at this point and these units chased after the fleeing French. These motorized units reached the Sloedam early in the evening, but avoided contact.
The majority of Dutch units around Goes had managed to cross the Sloedam or had taken the ferry to Noord-Beveland before the evening, many French units had been cut off. The Luftwaffe had driven off all Allied planes in the region, giving them free rein over the retreating defenders.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Zeeland