A perilous deployment on the church tower

Allied bombers brought death and destruction in October 1944. The 900-year-old St Martin's Church was also badly hit but its tower still rises above the rubble. German soldiers have orders to defend the abandoned city. A few men are stationed on top the church tower as observers. One of the soldiers keeps a diary and notes on 16 February: ‘I write these lines in the destroyed Martini church in Emmerich; observation on the tower, stay in the still existing sacristy. All day long, with interruptions, disruption fire on our own position. Around noon air raids with bombs and board guns. Emmerich was completely destroyed and dead.’ A month later, the Allies fire about 100 shells at the Martini church. With this, the Allies capture the right bank of the Rhine between Dinslaken and Rees and build pontoon bridges across the river. Canadian troops advance from Rees towards Emmerich. After three days of fighting, they seize the town. Pontoon bridges are built. This makes Emmerich the base for the Canadian army's further advance and is the ‘key’ to the liberation of the northern part of the Netherlands.