​​Before the assault, Lieutenant-Colonel Ross Ellis reviewed the troops, dressed as if heading to an officers’ club rather than a battlefield. The advance, however, proved anything but straightforward. A Company led the attack, pushing towards the hamlet of Vossendaal. Around 11:00, approximately 1.5 km from their starting line, they came under heavy fire and found themselves trapped in a minefield. Within minutes, nearly every soldier in the forward platoon was wounded.

​Corporal R.A. McMahon, commanding the platoon, quickly assessed the dire situation. He identified the source of the enemy machine-gun fire coming from two houses on the edge of Vossendaal. Braving the minefield, McMahon maneuvered his way to the buildings, silenced the machine guns, and single-handedly captured 23 German soldiers. Realising the risk of a counterattack, he forced the German officer—whom he identified as the leader—to the ground, while he led the rest of the captured soldiers back through the minefield. In an extraordinary show of bravery, McMahon compelled the prisoners to carry wounded Canadian soldiers to safety.

​The battle for Wyler was far from easy, as recounted by Canadian soldier Frank Holm. Many frontline soldiers returned with severe injuries, often with feet blown off by mines. The landscape was left devastated, resembling a field churned up by relentless artillery fire. By evening, the Calgary Highlanders had finally secured Wyler, making it the first German village to fall to Canadian forces. Yet, this victory came at a steep cost: in just eight hours of fighting, the Highlanders lost thirteen men, with 61 more wounded.

​Source 1:  

​War diary, Calgary Highlanders of Canada

​Source 2:  

​Battalion of Heroes, The Calgary Highlanders in World War 2 by Bercuson​