Lichtmis under fire

"After being captured by the Grüne Polizei during a raid on 30 September 1944, we were forced to construct fortifications near Hasselt and Genne—trenches, gun emplacements, and shelters. In the spring of 1945, the German army kept retreating, including in the Netherlands. It was April, and the Canadians had already advanced to Hardenberg and Balkbrug, but the group of Germans supervising our work was still in Hasselt. By then, we had already built an extensive defensive line!"

"During that time, the German occupiers also sent us to the Lichtmis viaduct to bury large aircraft bombs and explosives that had been placed on the concrete bridge. This was to dampen vibrations and to hide the bombs from Allied fighter planes, which flew over the Zwolseweg every day. Every morning, I cycled to Lichtmis on an old women’s bike with solid rubber tires."

"I told my wife Geertje that after work, I would cycle to Den Hulst to see if her parents had any eggs or butter. We didn’t have much food left, and of course, we didn’t know when the war would end for us. That particular day, American fighter planes were flying over the road from Zwolle to Meppel. They were diving and firing almost everywhere—also a few times at the viaduct where we were working. Each time, we would all run for cover. Thankfully, they weren’t really aiming at us."

"After work, I cycled toward Den Hulst. Just near the point where the railway crosses the road, more planes arrived. They flew above the tracks—this time, they were what we called ‘double tails.’ They were larger than regular fighters and carried bombs. They tried to hit the railway bridge and then opened fire on the rail yard."

"On the way back from Den Hulst—where I had managed to gather a few eggs and half a pound of butter—the same thing happened again. Near the Lichtmis viaduct, a German truck was targeted and riddled with bullets, resulting in several casualties. Shaken by the experience, I quickly continued my way home and decided not to return to work for the Germans the next day. It had simply become too dangerous. It took several more days before we were liberated and the last German occupiers had finally withdrawn from our area."