Devastation of Uedem

They are mostly women, children and elderly people who had so far remained in the Lower Rhine region. Kleve and Goch had already been destroyed during the bombing in October 1944. Now bombs are falling again and German soldiers are ready to fight, as on 8 February the Allies launched a ground offensive. People want only one thing: to leave! Eight-year-old Liesel lives in Uedem. Her parents run the inn Zum Mühlentor.

On 13 February, Liesel experiences the bombing of Uedem. Liesel: "When we crawled out of the cellar, there was a thick dust cloud, as if it was foggy. In this bombardment, four soldiers and 11 civilians died close to our house. We children packed our school bags, that stood near the cellar for weeks. They contained a shirt, pants, socks, a family photo and our home address. We climbed over the debris from the basement. In front of our house was a jeep on fire. And in front of it was something black. It was our neighbour Gertrud."

Two weeks later, Canadian soldiers take Uedem. From 10 March 1945, the entire left bank of the Rhine is in Allied hands. Another two weeks later, at Rees, Wesel and Dinslaken, they begin their major attack across the Rhine.