 Lieutenant General Alan Brooke, commanding II Corps, was to conduct a holding action with the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 50th Divisions along the Ypres-Comines canal as far as Yser, while the rest of the BEF fell back.The battle of Wytschaete, over the border in Belgium, was the toughest action Brooke faced in this role.On 26 May, the Germans made a reconnaissance in force against the British position.