Liberation Route Marker 109: A paratrooper in Eindhoven

A paratrooper in Eindhoven
On September 18, 1944, American paratroopers make contact with British ground troops at this church. At that moment, Eindhoven is liberated. More and more people take to the streets and welcome their liberators with overwhelming enthusiasm. The crowd is so dense even the British and Americans struggle to continue the advance. An American paratrooper explains.

On September 18 1944, the people of Eindhoven celebrated the liberation of their city with wild rejoicing. They welcomed the American liberators from the 101st Airborne Division with great enthusiasm in the north of the city and the British from the XXXth Corps in the south. Here and there, the revelry was so great the Allied advance was delayed, because the people of Eindhoven wanted to thank their liberators in every possible way. After more than four long years of oppression, the relief was enormous. For the many American paratroopers who were there, this made a deep and lasting impression.

Audiospot - A paratrooper in Eindhoven

Liberation Route Europe is a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. With hundreds of sites and stories in nine European countries, the route links the main regions along the advance of the Allied Forces in 1943-1945.
The entire route consists of themed routes that can be travelled by by hiking, walking, cycling and car. These routes pass numerous historical and interesting sites and tell stories from a multitude of perspectives that were important in the final phase of World War II.
Many routes feature listening spots, offering the opportunity to listen to a historical story at a location. In addition, many ‘Vectors of Memory’ have been placed, indicating that the passer-by is on one of the Liberation Routes.
The routes can be found on the Liberation Route Europe website or in the app through which many stories can also be listened to.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Liberation Route Europe
• Photos: Arie van Wijngaarden