Liberation Route Marker 152: Flying Bombs

Flying Bombs
On the 28th of October 1944, Wouw is liberated after fierce battle. There is a lot of damage in the village and many casualties. But the situation remains tense after liberation. The Germans fire their flying bombs, V1's, towards Antwerp. One of them comes down in the centre of Wouw.

Heavy fighting preceded the liberation of Wouw. German troops had built a defence line, including a tank ditch, which Canadians and British tanks had great difficulty in crossing. When a breakthrough was forced on the 27th of October, a German demolition unit blew up the ancient Lambertustoren. On the 28th of October 1944, British troops from the 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers liberated the village.

After Germans were driven back behind the Hollands Diep and the Maas, they continued launching their flying bombs at Antwerp. Use the port of Antwerp was crucial to the Allies.

These flying bombs, the V1, also came down regularly in West-Brabant. On the 27th of February 1945, one caused a disaster in the centre of Wouw.

Audiospot - Flying Bombs

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