​​Previous attacks to capture the German defences around Cap Griz-Nez on 16 to 17 September 1944 had failed.

​The North Nova Scotia Highlanders (NNS) and Highland Light Infantry of Canada (HLI) were positioned to the south of the ‘Todt Battery’ at the village of Ambleteuse, and tasked to finally capture the battery and Cap Griz-Nez.

​Canadian forces had progressed rapidly over a four-week period from Normandy and had pursued German forces across France as they fell back eastwards. Tasked to clear the Channel ports, they had now reached the areas leading to Calais and Dunkirk.

​On 29 September 1944 the NNS led an attack on the battery, supported by the HLI. Days prior to the attack, reconnaissance had shown the battery was surrounded by barbed wire, minefields, anti-tank obstacles and was still defended by German troops.

​On 28 September some German prisoners had been captured from the battery. They had informed the Canadian forces that the men wanted to surrender but officers forbade this. The Canadian troops had made one of the prisoners return to the battery to try and get other German soldiers to surrender. However, as he approached, he was fired upon by fellow German forces and so failed.

​The attack commenced 06:35 as Canadian artillery fired on the area of the German defences. D Company, NNS advanced on the right and B Company, NNS to the left. A and C Companies went in reserve.

​The attack was delayed by ten minutes as fascines (large wooden bundles) had to be deployed to fill anti-tank ditches. The NNS were on the pillbox defences quickly, before the German forces had time to react. By 08:30, the four large casemates containing the 381mm cannons had been captured, although a considerable number of tanks were disabled due to minefields around the battery.

​By 10:30 the HLI had captured four casemates of another battery close by and began to push forward towards the Cap. They captured the German battery commander, Captain Schilling, who was quickly sent off for interrogation.

​The NNS and HLI moved on to the area of the Cap and cleared out the remaining German positions later in the day. By the end of the 29 September NNS casualties totalled 27, including Major C. Abell B Company Commander, killed attacking a mortar position, and Lieutenant G. Campbell, killed by a sniper. Both are buried in the Calais Canadian War Cemetery. Plot 8, Row A, Grave 7 and 11.

​The HLI claimed that 1,300 German prisoners of war were captured by the end of day, twice the number of men believed to have been there.​