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The South Mill Groesbeek

Two plaques were placed on the mill (De Zuidmolen Groesbeek), one in Dutch and the other in English with the following text:

In the cupola of this mill was planned the spring offensive of 1945 by 400.000 British & Canadian soldiers, commanded by Canadian General Harry Crerar, that cleared the Rhineland up to Wesel & allowed irresistible Allied armies to cross the Rhine and end the war.
First, on Januari 21th, Corps Commanders Lt- Gen Simonds (2nd Cdn) & Lt-Gen Horrocks (30th brit) climbed to the cupola to relate the terrain to their maps and allot divisional objectives. Then came dozens of officers, from division commanders down to platoon leaders, to study the ground over which the attack would go forth on Feb 8 behind the heaviest barrage of Word War 2, the crucial role of this mill, as the prime observation post for guns in the Nijmegen Salient, has been immortalized in The Guns of Victory by George G. Blackburn, who as an artillery forward observation officer, spent much of the winter of 1944-45 in its cupola.

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Source

  • Text: Marcel Jans
  • Photos: Arjan Vrieze