Traces of War Overloon: 9. First Remembrance Day 14 October 1945

In the village of Overloon, a route has been set out with fifteen signs. It provides a picture of what happened in the village at fifteen different locations in the village. The route is called: "Traces of the war" and was made possible by the Overloon War Museum.

The Battle of Overloon from September 26 to October 14, 1944

For more than four years, the Second World War had more or less passed Overloon. But on September 26, 1944, the front reached this village in De Peel. The narrow strip of land liberated during Operation Market Garden between Eindhoven and Arnhem was slowly but surely widened. The advance of the Allied army went well up to Overloon. There the Germans had dug in to stop the enemy. On September 30, the Allies launched the attack with the US 7th Armored Division. After 9 days of very fierce fighting, the exhausted Americans withdrew and were relieved by British army units commanded by Major General L.C. Whistler. After a few days of relative rest, in which heavy rainfall had turned Overloon into one big mud pool, all hell broke loose on October 12 at 11 a.m. For an hour and a half the Allies bombarded the German positions with heavy artillery and air raids. More than 100,000 grenades flew around the Germans. When the village was completely in ruins, the advance of the British began. House by house was taken at the cost of huge losses. Fierce man-to-man fights also took place in the woods. On October 14, at four in the afternoon, the last stronghold, the church, fell in the village of Overloon. The Germans still present were taken prisoner. Overloon was left as a completely destroyed village.

9. First Remembrance Day October 14, 1945

On the other side of the road, the first commemoration of the dead took place on October 14, 1945, in which the residents of Overloon participated en masse. Here was one of the four temporary cemeteries in Overloon. This one was closest to the center. Mayor Jans, together with Jan van den Berg, laid a wreath on one of the graves. The English soldiers who died in the battle of Overloon would later be given a final resting place in the English cemetery on Vielingsbeekseweg.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar.nl
• Photos: TracesOfWar.nl
• Oorlogsmuseum Overloon