Liberation Route Marker 133: Caesar in the bomb crater

Caesar in the bomb crater
At the end of October 1944, Wagenberg is under heavy artillery fire. There are many casualties among the villagers. A Red Cross volunteer is looking for his horse, Caesar, to take the injured by horse and cart to the hospital.

In late October 1944, the 1st Polish Armoured Division approached the villages of Terheijden and Wagenberg from the south. The Germans had retreated to a defensive line behind the Mark and the Mark Canal. The Poles made several attempts to break through this line. This resulted in Terheijden and Wagenberg, just behind German lines, being subjected to devastating artillery fire. A barrage of grenades was fired, both from the Nieuwe Veer as well as the Mark Canal. What’s more, air strikes were launched by RAF fighter-bombers.

There were many deaths and injuries among civilians. Risking his own life, in Wagenberg, Red Cross volunteer Piet Meeuwissen attempted to transport the wounded to the hospital.

On the 4th of November 1944, the German resistance broke. The Poles managed to cross the Mark Canal and liberate Wagenberg. But the shelling only stopped on the 9th of November when Moerdijk was liberated.

Audiospot - Caesar in the bomb crater

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