Route of Commemoration No.21: Mines

The 96 km long hiking trail „Route of Commemorating" was opened in the spring of 2015. The road passes over striking places of war history in the German-Belgian border area via already existing hiking trails in Büllingen, Bütgenbach and Waimes on the Belgian side and the municipalities of Hellental and Monschau in Germany. Along the way, 30 four-lingual info panels explain the historical events surrounding the Ardennes offensive, smuggling, Westwall and many other themes.

Info panel No. 21
When the US troops captured Rocherath-Krinkelt on 12th September 1944, our homeland was turned into a war zone. In the 3 months that followed, the front line crossed the great forest region to the Siegfried Line. German storm troops occasionally came to the village on reconnoitring expeditions. They would also lay mines which further exposed people to mortar fire. On the 20th September three locals met their fates:

* Father of three Mathias Rauw (*1897) was driving his cattle, with the help of his children, to the meadow in the "Hüeneknäepp" field when he stepped on a mine. Suffering severe injuries, he died soon after at a US military hospital in Malmedy.

* The unmarried Agathe Hönen (*1911) was on a dirt road when she was killed by a mine.

* Margaretha Steffens (*1920) also lost her young life to a mine on a dirt road. In both cases the women were returning from cattle driving.
On the 7th October, most inhabitants were evacuated inland.

When the first returned to their shattered homeland, they still faced danger as people continued to be killed by the mines after the war had ended:
* 14th April 1945: Arnold Schröder (*1912), former engineer on the eastern front, wanted to put his experience defusing mines to use. A multiple mine in the street behind Wirtzfeld proved fatal to him.
* 21st July 1945: Josef Palm (*1927) was blown up by a mine in the Dreiherrenwald and his brother Otto suffered injuries. They would not be found until the next day.
* 15th May 1946: Four men were killed by a mine on a forest path in "am Elsenbüchel" near Wirtzfeld: Nikolaus (*1878) and Johann (*1904) Hilgers and Richard (*1882) and Bernhard (*1924) Brück.
* 29th August 1946: A mine in the street to Wahlerscheid tore two gendarmes to shreds.
* 22nd March 1950: Toni Jajesnika (*1924) was killed by a mine while removing wood.
* 22nd February 1954: Customs officer Camille Titeux (*1928) lost his life in a mine explosion on the road from Krinkelt to Dreiherrenwald. His co-worker Georges Beguin suffered serious injuries.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Hans Tasma