#Story

A costly liberation for Vroomshoop

On 5 April 1945, Vroomshoop was liberated from German occupation. The battle for the Tonnendijk Bridge, the taking of dozens of civilians as hostage, and the sacrifices made by the resistance reveal just how high the price of freedom was.

On 5 April 1945, Vroomshoop found itself in the final, yet most dangerous, phase of the war. While the Canadian Manitoba Dragoons approached Vriezenveen, German Fallschirmjäger — elite paratroopers — resisted fiercely. The Tonnendijk Bridge served as a strategic obstacle, which the German forces attempted to destroy to slow the Canadian troops' advance. The Vroomshoop resistance group recognised the importance of the situation.

The Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten (BS, or Domestic Armed Forces) in Vroomshoop, made up of young men from the village, tried with limited means to keep the bridge intact. Many had gained experience in the resistance group that, since August 1944, had operated at the weapons drop site in Stegeren. Thanks to its remote location, this drop zone was one of the safest in occupied Netherlands, and fourteen secret weapon and supply drops were carried out there. Among those involved were radio operator and secret agent Jaap Beekman, along with local boys from the surrounding area.

These young men from Vroomshoop had learned to handle weapons, hide them, distribute them, and use them in sabotage actions. Thanks to this training and equipment, the resistance was able to act effectively on 5 April. During the battle for the Tonnendijk Bridge, they used weapons received at Stegeren, however they could not withstand the German superiority, and the bridge was ultimately blown up. German losses in the fight only fuelled their anger. In brutal retaliation, the German forces began pulling civilians from their homes. They went from house to house throughout Vroomshoop. Men, women, and children were driven together by the canal. It became clear that a mass execution was imminent. Panic spread quickly — people thought their final hour had come. At that moment, Jo Brouwer, a courageous civilian, decided to intervene. She spoke to the German commander, managing to stall the situation. Her calm demeanor proved vital. As she talked, the first Canadian vehicles arrived. The German forces withdrew, and the captured residents of Vroomshoop were released. Thanks to the resistance, the weapons from Stegeren, and Jo Brouwer’s timely words, a massacre was averted.

Liberation, however, came at a cost. That same day, resistance fighter Gerrit-Jan Kerkdijk from Daarlerveen was shot dead by German troops while trying to join the BS in Vroomshoop. Herman Zandbergen was struck by a stray bullet in his own home while looking out the window. Their names have since been engraved on monuments in Vroomshoop and Daarlerveen.

The resistance group centered on the Stegeren drop zone played a crucial role. Without months of preparation, weapons and equipment, and the courage of these men, Vroomshoop would likely not have been able to defend itself so quickly. And without the words of one woman at the right moment, the tragedy could have been far greater.

Puntbrug, 7681 DM Vroomshoop

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