Liberation Route Marker 118: Refugee

Refugee
On September 27, 1944, because the Germans were expecting an Allied attack, they order the population of Overloon and the villages to the east to evacuate immediately. A stream of refugees begins. This village, Holthees, has 420 inhabitants. It provides approximately 1.500 refugees with friendly shelter. But on September 30, Holthees is also bombed. The inhabitants and the refugees are forced to move on. Among them is Jan Henckens.

Because the Germans expected an Allied attack in this region, on September 27, the order went out to evacuate the population immediately. Overloon and the villages to the east had to be evacuated within a few hours. The 3,000 evacuees sheltered in the small villages of Holthees, Maashees and Smakt.

But on September 30, the British bombed Holthees. There were 12 deaths and many wounded, with extensive damage to homes and buildings. The inhabitants of Holthees and the evacuees were forced to move on towards Venray.

Audiospot - Refugee

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: Arjan Vrieze