The 56. Infanterie-Division (ID) of the German 6th Army met with considerable success as they advanced through Belgium. After occupying Ghent, they moved to the next Belgian line of defence – the Lys Deviation Canal. This was weakly defended by the Belgian 4th Infantry Division, who were only at half strength and missing much of their support weaponry.
By midday on 21 May, elements of the German 56. ID had crossed the canal and created a rapidly expanding bridgehead. In an attempt to contain this movement, the Belgian High Command rushed reserves to the area south of Nevele, where the line had been breached. The Germans wasted no time, though, and drove quickly on, not allowing the Belgian forces time to organize a proper counter-attack. They were soon less than 1 km from the strategically important village of Vinkt.
At this point, in order to hold on to the
