Cycling route Death Valley de Peel - Unsafe shelter (Wolfsberg) (#4)

Unsafe shelter

A stunning war drama took place on the Wolfsberg on December 24, 1944 - more than three months after the liberation of Asten.
At that stage of the war, Asten was full of English and/or American soldiers. On the one hand, they had to clear mines and other weapons of war; on the other hand, they are preparing for an advance to Germany, to Berlin.

Asten was a temporary garrison town. There were exercises and marches every day and war equipment was standing or moving everywhere.
In the Wolfsberg there were tanks behind the Cuppens sawmill (photo) and at the Van den Eerenbeemt farm.
On December 24, 1944, the day before Christmas, the air raid siren went off.
German planes appeared in the airspace. Their bombardment may have been aimed at the troops present and their equipment, but destroyed a house in the Wolfsberg where passers-by were seeking protection. Five civilians were killed. Two people were seriously injured and later died. The aircraft flew low towards Heusden, where they shot at columns of English soldiers.
There were no casualties.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Martin Damen