During the Battle of the Scheldt in October–November 1944, the First Canadian Army had taken such heavy losses and the battle had been so psychologically exhausting for the rest of the men that the First Canadian Army needed a three-month period of rest to recover, which prevented further losses. Furthermore, the transfer of the I Canadian Corps from Italy to join the II Canadian Corps provided further manpower for First Canadian Army, which now had the task as part of the 21st Army Group starting in February 1945 of advancing into the Netherlands and north-west Germany to secure the left flank of the 2nd British Army as it advanced deep into the "Reich". No further combat employment was made until February 1945, when 12,908 men were sent overseas, most of whom were from the home service conscripts drafted under the NRMA, rather than from the general population.