Liberation Route Marker125: Dear Mrs. Webb

Dear Mrs. Webb
During Operation Market Garden, numerous air battles take place above the operations area and on the approach routes, during which planes are shot down and crash on Dutch territory. So, on 21 September 1944, the inhabitants of Zeeland and Langenboom witness that a Dakota, registration number KG579, is attacked and shot down by 25 German fighters.

Six of the eight occupants jump out of the crashing plane. Two reach the ground safely. Four others, hanging in their parachutes, are shot at by the three times returning German fighters. Two of them do not survive. The other two are injured. The two pilots are not able to leave the aircraft. Their plane crashes at Volkel airfield. They are buried in the Catholic cemetery of Zeeland. Their comrades lie in the British war cemetery in Uden.

Audiospot - Dear Mrs. Webb

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: Jeroen Koppes