#Story

The bold actions of Donald Archibald Spence during the Battle of Otterlo

While the residents of Otterlo believe themselves to be liberated, they face an unexpected German attack on the Canadian positions in the village during the night of April 16-17, 1945. The Battle of Otterlo will be one of the last major battlefields on Dutch soil. Donald Spence and his tank find themselves surrounded by Germans.

With this attack, the Germans attempt to reach the Grebbe Line to secure their troops. The village becomes trapped between the Canadians and the Germans. An additional problem is the poor communication among the Canadian troops.

At the moment the Canadians believe Otterlo to be liberated, they take positions in the village and try to get some sleep. Lance Corporal Donald Archibald Spence is a gunner of a Canadian tank. He sleeps with his crew in a house on the east side of Otterlo. When the alarm of the German attack is sounded, the troop officer is absent to attend the commander's briefing. Spence immediately springs into action and takes command. He wakes his crew. As soon as they are in their tank, they are attacked by German machine guns from the building they have just left. Spence immediately aims the cannon of his tank at the building, which is close to his tank.

By that time, his own tank is surrounded by Germans, who call on the crew to surrender. Spence responds with grenades and manages to drive off the Germans. For the next three hours, Spence continues to attack the enemy, each time at a distance of ten to fifteen meters.

Spence is so determined to press his attack that he repeatedly drives his tank straight through intense fire from anti-tank weapons and machine guns, heading straight for the enemy. Although he has no previous experience as a crew commander and has not received direct orders, he takes charge. Is Spence responsible for preventing further infiltration into the village from the eastern end? Due to his cool determination to halt the enemy, he inflicts heavy casualties on the Germans. He receives a Military Medal for his actions in Otterlo in September 1945.

After the battle, the Germans mourn at least fifty dead and over seventy wounded, while more than twelve men are taken prisoner (estimates vary, but there are also reports of two hundred German dead). The remaining Germans manage to reach the Grebbe Line with their commander, Oberleutnant Tollbrugge. The Canadians lose seventeen soldiers during the Battle of Otterlo and have dozens wounded. The British mourn six dead. There are four civilian casualties

Dorpsstraat 15-1, 6731 AS Otterlo

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