Cycling route Death Valley de Peel - End Veencolony (#14)

End of Peat Colony

We are on the border of Asten / Someren / Nederweert, also the border between Brabant and Limburg. Where Jan Smitslaan is now located, there was still a Peel Canal at the end of 1944. Since the end of the 19th century, a peat factory belonging to De Mij had been located between Weerterbaan and Ospeelweg. Griendtsveen, actually the third factory of this company. It was located in the middle of peatlands that had not yet been developed. By 1900, up to 700 Peel workers had earned a living. That number had dropped to a few hundred people. Several dozen of them lived close to the factory in Veencolony de Moost, just on Limburg territory.

The peat area was called 'no man's land' in the autumn of 1944 after the liberation of Asten and Someren; but was actually controlled by the Germans. When they launched a counter-blast from Meijel on October 27, 1944, it became clear that the entire Peel had to be cleared of German soldiers. This difficult operation was recorded as the Battle of Peel. The residents were evacuated and from the Zuid-Willemsvaart units of the 7th US Amoured Division advanced towards Meijel. During the fierce fighting, Peat Colony De Moost - more than ten houses - was largely wiped out. An unknown number of soldiers died. The heavily damaged peat factory was still being repaired; the peat colony was no longer built up.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Martin Damen (1, 3), G.J. Wouters (2)