#Battlefield

Battle of the Vosseboer

On 5 April 1945, as the Canadian liberators were approaching, a group of fifteen resistance members pursued retreating German soldiers toward Beerze. In an open field near the Vosseboer farm, three resistance fighters were fatally hit and several others were seriously wounded.

As liberation drew near, heavy fighting broke out at the Vosseboer farm. That day, a group of fifteen resistance members chased several Germans in the direction of Beerze.

In an open field, Geert Oosterveen and Gerrit Willem Nijboer from Beerzerveld, along with H.J. Schipper, were killed in a firefight. Several other resistance fighters were seriously wounded. A few Canadian armoured vehicles came to their aid. A short but fierce exchange of fire followed between the Canadians and the retreating German units, in which the enemy was defeated.

Bullet holes in the farmhouse wall keep the memory of the “Battle of the Vosseboer” alive. So does the bronze monument Mother and Child in Mariënberg. The stone plinth bears, among others, the names of local men Geert Oosterveen and Gerrit Willem Nijboer. The child seeks comfort from its mother, symbolising the deep human suffering of the war.

Vosseboerweg, Den Ham

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