Memorial plaque at the cemetery in Holtland

Since 2025, a memorial plaque located in the cemetery in Holtland commemorates four German soldiers who lost their lives in the final days of the Second World War between 26 April and 1 May 1945. The plaque was erected on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the war and is intended to give the dead a name and serve as a reminder of the importance of peace.

The historical events took place during a chaotic period when Polish, Canadian and British troops liberated the East Frisia region. Around 70.000 German soldiers retreated northwards as the front line advanced. At the end of April 1945, the situation was chaotic in the village Holtland, with rearguard actions, desertions and great fear of both Allied and German terror among civilians. High-ranking Wehrmacht officers such as Colonel Walter Gericke and Major General Gerhard Lindner had quartered their units in the village before defecting in the face of the Polish-Canadian attack on 30 April 1945.

Among the four soldiers buried in Holtland is 17-year-old sailor Horst Heinicke from Leipzig-Connewitz, who died on 1 May 1945 in a German ambush on Hasselter Heuweg north of the village. Peter Heinrich Schomaker, a farmer's son from Hammahermoor, was killed by shrapnel on 26 April 1945 while milking cows at the Hasselter Vorwerk. Wilhelm Nicolai, a baker from Brandenburg, died on 30 April near Brinkum during the fighting.

The fate of the fourth soldier, who remains unknown to this day, is particularly tragic. On 30 April 1945, he was sentenced to death for desertion by a summart court martial presided over by Colonel Gericke. He was subsequently executed in the churchyard near the bell tower. The bullet holes in an oak tree still bear witness to this execution today.

The ceremonial unveiling of the memorial plaque on 4 May 2025 included descendants of Horst Heinicke who had travelled to Holtland from the Brandenburg region. The plaque, designed by a local working group led by Pastor Sven Grundmann and historian Dr, Paul Weßels, contains a QR code that can be used to access further information about the fates of the soldiers. Its motto is “Remembrance is a mission for the future” and it sends a clear message of pacifism.