 Both land and water were mined, and the Germans defended their retreating line with artillery and snipers.The Allies finally cleared the port areas on November 8, but at a cost of 12,873 Allied casualties (killed, wounded, or missing), half of them Canadians.An area known as "the Coffin" due to its shape on maps was held by entrenched Germans of Battle Group Chill, holding the mouth of the Beveland isthmus.