Liberation Route Marker 108: A tragic mistake

A tragic mistake
On September 18, American paratroopers enter Eindhoven. They liberate the city. They also ensure the advance route and the bridges over the Dommel are secure and open for British ground forces. The people of Eindhoven, often dressed in orange, are ranged along the road to welcome the Americans. But liberation has its drawbacks. During the fighting one of the paratroopers commits a tragic mistake.

American paratroopers, who had been dropped at Son on September 17 1944, advanced to Eindhoven the next day. The mission of the 506th regiment of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division was to take Eindhoven and immediately secure the four bridges over the River Dommel. “We can’t waste any time to kill Germans”. With these words, Colonel Sink, the commander of the 506th, made very clear there was no time to lose. After some German resistance on the Vlokhovenseweg and then the Woenselsestraat, the Americans were able to reach the bridges. But the liberation of Eindhoven also took its toll of the people of Eindhoven. Some resistance fighters were killed, including Adri Luijkx, who was shot in error by an American paratrooper.

Audiospot - A tragic mistake

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