Liberation Route Marker 146: Dramas surrounding liberation

Dramas surrounding liberation
After the liberation of Bergen op Zoom on the 27th of October 1944, the city remains under attack and there are casualties among both soldiers and civilians. Piet Hoedelmans, then 13 years old, talks about it.

On the 27th of October 27 1944, after the liberation of a section of Bergen op Zoom, the situation remained dangerous. There were still German troops north of the Zoom. They had blocked the roads, dug tank ditches and laid concrete anti-tank blocks. From behind this line, they fired artillery on the town, resulting in dead and wounded.

The Canadians attempted several times without success to cross the Zoom. But, eventually, they managed to build a Bailey bridge and blow up the concrete blockades on the Zoomdam. On the 31st of October, after heavy fighting, the Germans had to surrender the Zoom line. Among the Canadians were 135 dead, wounded and missing. There were also civilian causalities in Bergen op Zoom.

Audiospot - Dramas surrounding liberation

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: Liesbeth van Diggele