Liberation Route Marker 129: A German loose cannon

A German loose cannon
On September the 17th 1944, Veghel celebrates the liberation. American paratroopers have control of the bridges andare celebrating. Veghel is anticipating the arrival of the British XXXth Army Corps when a German tank crashes through the crowd firing as it goes.

On the 17th of September1944, the US 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment captured Veghel. This was part of Operation Market Garden. As part of this operation, thousands of American, British and Polish paratroopers were dropped near Eindhoven and Veghel as well as near Nijmegen and Arnhem. These paratroopers had orders to seize and hold bridges and roads, so that a corridor could be established, which would allow the British XXXth Corps to advance to Arnhem.

In Veghel, a bizarre situation occurred when a German tank commander realised too late that Veghel had fallen into the hands of the Americans. Firing as he went, he tried to re-join his own troops.

The corridor was targeted by German attacks. The roads both north and south of Veghel were cut off repeatedly. As a result, the British did not reach Arnhem on time and Operation Market Garden failed. But the Allies held their ground in Veghel. For a time, Veghel was a liberated island in occupied territory.

Audiospot - A German loose cannon

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.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Liberation Route Europe
• Photos: Jeroen Koppes