around both sides of the Tholseindsedijk. The Germans once again attacked the line, this time with air support. The Dutch naval artillery continued shelling their perimeter, forcing the Germans to keep their noses to the ground until the artillery gradually decreased its fire. It was enough time for the Dutch to evacuate their troops in the northern sector and cross the bridge over the Postbrug canal. The only sector of the Zanddijkline that was not evacuated right away was the southern part. Here, the remaining battalion was spared the attention of the Luftwaffe. However, within a few hours they were forced to retreat as well. Tholen Tholen, a natural island, formerly part of the North Brabant territory, was separated from the mainland by the Eendracht, a shallow and muddy natural waterway. The de facto capital on the island was a small town, also named Tholen, which had the only connection with the North Brabant mainland. The entire occupation of the island—which needed a little more than two companies—was concentrated along the Eendracht. During the day, a German patrol approached, but was quickly driven off by Dutch machine-gun fire. As a result, a German negotiator came out and demanded the surrender of the island; the Dutch commander refused. Soon afterward, German field artillery and mortars opened fire on the defenders. Other than a direct hit on a gas storage tank, little damage was inflicted by the German guns. The German infantry began to advance. The Dutch let them approach until they were close to a road-barrier; then mortars and machine guns opened fire, devastating the attackers. The Germans suffered heavy casualties, some men jumped into near-by pools of water to escape the shooting. The Germans were forced to retreat. Their reports spoke of 20 men KIA. The Dutch defenders suffered two losses. After realizing that they could not hold their positions much longer, the Dutch retreated further onto the island during the night. 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 . The canal had a width of , and as such, it formed a considerable obstacle for any attacker. Since all the bridges had been destroyed,