Liberation Route Marker 001

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.
Each route is marked with so-called markers. These are large boulders or pillars equipped with text or opportunities to listen to the stories.
The routes can be found on the Liberation Route Europe website or in the app through which many stories can also be listened to.

The arrival of the first black American military
During the Second World War, black soldiers generally served as engineers or drivers as the American Military segregated units based on race. The local people of Wijchen looked on in amazement as the first African-Americans drove into their village.

At the time, many African-Americans saw military service as means to escape poverty and build a better live for themselves and their families after the war.

The audio story was created in 2008. It still gives a true picture of events during WW2. Today, however, we think and speak about black people in a different way.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Liberationroute.com
• Photos: Henny van Loenen
• The arrival of the first black american military | Liberationroute.com