The Battle of the Reichswald (Operation Veritable) opened at 05.00 on 8 February with the heaviest concentration of artillery employed by the British Army so far in the war. The bombardment hit enemy gun positions, HQs, and communications. After a pause and dummy attack at 07.40 to induce the Germans to man their guns, the Counter-battery fire was resumed and a barrage was laid down to protect the assaulting columns. At 10.30 the full barrage made its first lift and the advance began. Both regiments supported the advance of 71st Bde. By 15.00, 133rd Regiment was out of range, but it took over 2 hours to extract its guns from their muddy positions to move forward. 83rd Regiment also moved forward at 19.00. 53rd Division's objectives were the Brandenburg and Stoppelberg features in the northern part of the Reichswald. Opposition was not strong but the terrain was difficult. By 02.00 on 9 February the leading units were through the Siegfried Line defences and closing on the Stoppelberg. That feature was taken during the morning and the division pushed on to the edge of the forest, but it was hard to get guns and vehicles along the muddy forest tracks. The regiments deployed on German soil for the first time on 11 February. It took several days for the division to push on through Pfalzdorf towards Goch, mopping up opposition and fending off counter-attacks. Goch fell on 21 February.