#Audiospot
Village in the front line
In October 1944, a 12-year-old boy witnesses the devastation wrought in his village after the Battle of the Mark Canal. Much to his surprise, his liberators are from Poland. Regrettably, there are many civilian casualties.
Along with Terheijden and Wagenberg, Den Hout was one of the villages that came to lie directly in the front line during the battle for the Mark Canal. The village was bombarded by a hail of grenades, launched by the Polish artillery. British fighters carried out air strikes. The devastation in Den Hout was enormous and there were many civilian casualties.
After the breakthrough at the Mark Canal line, Polish tanks advanced in the direction of Den Hout. There was some German resistance, but that was quickly overcome. Den Hout was liberated in the early evening of the 3rd of November 1944.