Liberation Route Marker 134: Black Friday

Black Friday
On Friday the 13th of October 1944, a Canadian soldier, John Dubetz, is ordered to storm the railway embankment with his battalion. Through a hail of bullets, he tries to reach the top. A massacre takes place, which results in the death of 58 soldiers of The Black Watch of Canada.

In October 1944, to more quickly supply the Allied forces, access had to be gained to the port of Antwerp. The 1st Canadian Army was given the task to capture the roads to and the banks of the Scheldt. A part of this operation, the Allies advanced towards Woensdrecht and Bergen op Zoom, and via the Kreekrakdam, to Zuid-Beveland.

On the 13th of October 1944, the Canadian regiment, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, was ordered to capture the German positions on the railway embankment at Woensdrecht. The assault ended in tragedy. Private John Dubetz survived, but 58 other Canadian soldiers were killed. Afterwards, the Canadians called this day: Black Friday.

Audiospot - Black Friday

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