On April 11 at 4:30 PM, the first buffalo went into the IJssel, Operation Cannonshot had started. The crossing lasted 7 minutes without receiving enemy fire. After the battalions were transferred, pontoon bridges were started to build. At the same time, a ferry brought the first medium-duty Sherman tanks from the 1st Hussars to support the infantrymen. The infantrymen had already reached their first goal, “De Kribbe” and “De Weerd” farm.  At this stage the enemy easily withdrew. The situation changed at the villages of Klarenbeek and Voorst. The bridgehead in making came under heavy German artillery and mortar fire. Which, according to the Canadian reports, resulted in in 17 casualties among the engineers.
It did not take long to build the bridge. At 02:00 on April 12, the bridge and two pontoons were ready. This allowed brigades 1 and 3 and the heavy vehicles to cross the IJssel. The entire 1st Canadian Infantry Division entering the Wilpse banks was the sign that the liberation of the town of Voorst and Appledorn had started.
The pontoon bridge between Gorssel and Wilp was a so-called “Class 9” bridge. This was named “Can of Worms Bridge” as it was reminiscent of a jar with wriggling piers. Later one of the officers arrived with a sign with the text “Poco-Poco Bridge” or well the “Ietsie Pietsie” bridge. The builders could harly appreciate all of this and a riot arose. This riot went so high that the order from above came that both signs could remain. The first name was still removed on 13 April 1945. Therefore, the bridge that led to the liberation of the West Netherlands entered history as the “Poco-Poco” bridge
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The Netherlands

Operation Cannonshot

To put an end to the war, Field Marshal Montgomery planned the Rhineland Offensive, a huge operation that was meant to conquer the area west of the Rhine and subsequently to cross the river itself. The offensive was preceded by one of the largest build-ups of Allied forces during the Second World War. In the beginning of February 1945, 500.000 Allied soldiers were assembled in the area around Groesbeek and Nijmegen in the Netherlands, together with 1.000 canon and 34.000 vehicles. It was the largest offensive ever initiated from Dutch soil and the largest operation in the Northwestern part of Europe.&#13;
The Allies greatly outnumbered the German forces, but the German military had the advantage of unpredictable terrain and bad weather conditions. In the evening of 23 March Operation Plunder was set in motion: the crossing of the Rhine with amphibious armoured vehicles and improvised floating tanks of the Allied forces. At 07:00 the next morning Operation Varsity, the last major airborne offensive of the war began.&#13;
Two divisions of paratroopers were dropped behind German lines, east of the Rhine near Wesel in support of the crossing. After crossing the Rhine, Allied tank divisions reigned supreme on the wide open plains of Northern Germany. The German army had lost its ability to wage an effective defence.&#13;
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The Rhineland Offensive

In September 1944 the allied forces had reached the line from Luxembourg to Antwerp. Then Hitler decided to start a last counteroffensive in the Ardennes. He had to wait for bad weather conditions, with clouds and fog, to prevent the Allies from using their superior air force. Finally the battle was launched on 16 December 1944. The 6th Panzer SS Army, the 5th Armored Army and the Brandenberger’s 7th Army marched into the Ardennes.With this operation, codenamed Wacht am Rhein, Hitler wanted to split the allied armies by a surprise counteroffensive. He wanted to seize the bridges over the Meuse River in order to advance further via Liège to the port of Antwerp. On the American side the surprise was complete.But unlike the offensive campaign in May 1940, the Ardennes Offensive was no quick success. The wheather conditions were worse, the allied air force was much more powerful and the German fuel supplies went short. By 23 December the weather started to clear. The Americans brought their air power into force and started a counterattack. By mid-January 1945 a lack of fuel forced the Germans to simply abandon their vehicles, which was fatal to Hitler’s ambition. On 25 January 1945 the battle was over.The Battle of the Bulge was the costliest operation ever fought by the U.S. Army. 10,733 American soldiers were killed and 42,316 wounded. German losses totalled 12,652 killed and 38,600 wounded. About 2,500 civilians lost their lives in Belgium and 500 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Belgium

Battle of the Bulge

Operation Fortitude sought to mislead the German army and conceal the real location of the foreseen Allied invasion of Normandy (June 1944). Operation Fortitude North was designed to give the impression of an impending Allied invasion of Norway, while Operation Fortitude South was to develop a mock invasion at Pas-de-Calais, all working to divert German troops away from Normandy.For the Germans, Pas-de-Calais looked to be the obvious place for an Allied invasion into Europe, offering the shortest route across the Channel. A fictitious 1st U.S. Army Group (FUSAG) was placed in Kent, supported by the construction of roads, bridges, buildings, airfields and embarkation points where dummy airplanes and landing crafts were stationed. Even false radio transmissions were made.A decrypted transmission from the Japanese Ambassador to his government, recounting a conversation with Hitler, revealed that the Germans indeed expected an Allied invasion via the Straits of Dover. On 5 June 1944, a mock invasion was launched from Dover, while the real invasion on 6 June, Operation Overlord, successfully delivered 185.000 troops across to Normandy.Even long after the Normandy landings, Adolf Hitler retained his best troops in Pas-de-Calais, expecting an even larger invasion at a later date.

United Kingdom

Operation Fortitude South

Allied victory in Normandy and the success of Operation Dragoon sent German armies in headlong retreat. The rapid pursuit, however, consumed an inordinate amount of petrol and other supplies, which all had to be transported from the beaches of Normandy or from ports in Provence. In early September logistical difficulties forced general Eisenhower to prioritise, and he chose to target the Ruhr industrial area.Meanwhile, American and French forces met determined German resistance around Metz and in the Belfort Gap; the Allies were stopped short of their objectives in the Alsace. Only in mid-November 1944 did the Allies manage to break through the enemy lines. In the South the French liberated Belfort and reached the Rhine; in the North, the 7th U.S. Army penetrated German defences in the Vosges; the 2nd French Armoured Division exploited this success, liberating Strasbourg on 23rd November.Despite this success, general Eisenhower forbade general Patch’s 7th Army to cross the Rhine and attempt to outflank German West Wall defences. To the south of Strasbourg, around Colmar, the Germans managed to hold on to a large pocket on the western bank of the Rhine. Again, a stalemate ensued.On New Year’s Eve, 1944, German units began Operation Nordwind, the final German attempt to turn the tide in the West. After three weeks of bloody fighting, the German forces were stopped. From 20th January to 9th February the French 1st Army, reinforced by U.S. troops, cleared the Colmar Pocket, thus liberating the last large section of French land still under German occupation.

France

Liberation of Alsace

In May 1940 the German Army crossed the border into the Netherlands. The Dutch Army had to surrender after five days of fighting. The German occupation of the Netherlands had begun. It would take five years before the country would be freed by Allied forces.&#13;
The liberation of the Netherlands was remarkable in the sense that most of the Southern part of the country was liberated in September 1944 during Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Scheldt while the Northern part remained in German hands until the spring of 1945.&#13;
After the failure of Operation Market Garden the Allied forces decided to give the highest priority to a thrust eastwards towards the Rhine and the German heartland. The Northern part of the Netherlands would be liberated later on. This resulted in the strange situation that the final Allied drive to clear the Netherlands from German forces was launched from Germany. The fighting at this point of the war was sporadic and depended largely on the willingness of individual German commanders to continue offering resistance.&#13;
Meanwhile a food and fuel shortage, in combination with one of the harshest winters of the war years, led to the death of some 20.000 civilians in the Western part of the Netherlands. This winter would come to be known as the ‘Hunger Winter’.&#13;
In the first week of May 1945 the Germans were finally prepared to cooperate in Allied food transports but they were not yet willing to surrender. But when the news of Adolf Hitler’s suicide came out, the end of the war was near.&#13;
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Towards the German capitulation in the Netherlands

With the landing in Normandy in June 1944, the Allies opened the second front against Germany, which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had long demanded. The German troops suffered heavy losses, and gradually pulled out of France and Belgium, behind the fortifications on the border of the German Reich known as the ‘Westwall’, which the Allies, recalling a First World War structure, dubbed the ‘Siegfried Line’. On 12 September 1944, the first U.S. soldiers crossed the German border near the village of Roetgen outside of Aachen. But due to supply problems and the failure of the Allied ground-air offensive in the Netherlands known as Operation Market Garden, the Allied advance towards the Rhine was then halted.&#13;
The German forces which had to some extent fallen into disarray during the retreat, were able to regroup. The German ‘home front’ was mobilized and militarized, by means of terror and repression against the German population whenever necessary.&#13;
The Huertgen Forest consisted of thick woodland, bare hilltops and deep gorges. In the fall and winter, heavy rain and snowfall and a lack of roads made it extremely difficult to penetrate, either by foot or in vehicles. Nonetheless, the Allies pushed into the rough and unfamiliar terrain in order to secure their advance towards the Rhine. The battle proceeded from mid-September 1944 to mid-February 1945, and ended with an Allied victory which, however, cost numerous casualties on both sides. For the American G.I.s, the very name – with it’s first syllable, ‘hurt’ – became a byword for injury and death. To this day, hundreds of soldiers on both sides remain unaccounted for, and their remains continue to be found.&#13;
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Germany

Battle of Huertgen Forest

The 1st U.S. Army, on its way to Tournai, crossed the Belgian border in the morning of 2 September 1944 in the hamlet of Cendron (Hainaut). On the same day the German authorities and Belgian Nazi collaborators packed their bags, whereas the 2nd British Army at Douai, France, received the order to march on to Brussels. The British soldiers arrived in Belgium on 3 September and in the evening, together with the Belgian Brigade Piron, they entered the capital. On 17 September almost the entire territory was liberated. This rapid liberation was partly made possible by the Resistance Groups, that had been particularly active. They guided the Allied troops, prevented destruction by the fleeing Germans, such as at the Antwerp harbour, and hunted down collaborators.&#13;
The Allied troops received a hero’s welcome in Belgium. In town and country the streets were coloured by the American, British, French, Soviet and, of course, Belgian flags. They brought with them items that had become very scarce, like real coffee, chocolate, Coca-Cola, cigarettes, jazz music and much more. The legitimate authorities of Belgium were re-established. In the absence of King Leopold III, Prince Charles was appointed Regent on 20 September. Now that the occupier had left, it was time to punish collaborators. Sanctions were imposed and the citizens used a form of popular justice: women were shorn, lynchings were numerous, even though real executions were rare. But Germany had no intention to give up yet. On 16 December Hitler surprised everyone with a last offensive in the Belgian Ardennes, known as the Battle of the Bulge. It took another six weeks of fierce fighting until on 4 February 1945 the complete Belgian territory was liberated.&#13;
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Liberation of Belgium

After defeating the German forces in Normandy, Allied armies rushed through France, trying to catch up retreating German troops. The liberation of Paris didn’t have priority, also because the risk of damaging the town. On 19 August 1944 however, the French resistance caused an uprising in Paris against the Germans. The German commander of Paris, Lieutenant-General Choltitz, was ordered to crush the insurrection and to destroy the city, as the Germans did in Warsaw.To prevent this disaster, Charles de Gaulle insisted to interfere. Allied Command sent in Major-General Leclerc’s 2nd French Armored Division, supported by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division of Major-General Barton. A first group managed to infiltrate into the heart of Paris on the evening of 24 August.On 25 August, the French and American forces were warmly welcomed by the Parisians. Choltitz and his staff were captured at the Meurice Hotel. The capitulation was signed at the Police Department on the Île de la Cité. After that, Choltitz was taken to the Montparnasse train station from where he ordered his troops to surrender. The next day, cheered by countless people, de Gaulle led the triumphal parade on the Champs-Élysées. France regained its national unity and sovereignty.

The Liberation of Paris

As armies are vast consumers of fuel, there was a long recognised need for a guaranteed supply of fuel after a possible invasion of Allied troops in Europe. The transport of fuel through oil tankers proved to be risky because of possible attacks and unpredictable weather. Already in 1942 plans and preparations were made to lay pipelines beneath the ocean between Southern England and France. After secret and successful trial operations in Medway and Scotland, two pipelines were laid in the summer of 1944, from Shanklin on the Isle of Wight to Port-en-Bessin and from Dungeness to Ambleteuse.&#13;
In Dungeness, short pipelines that arrived via the railway were connected and wound around huge ‘conundrums’, towed across the Channel by tugs and laid in the ocean. Pumping stations were disguised as ordinary buildings to reduce the threat of enemy attack. Some of these buildings – ice cream parlours, garages and bungalows - still remain today, such as Pluto House in Dungeness.&#13;
After initial teething problems, around 4 million litres of fuel was being delivered per day and by the end of the war nearly 700 million litres had been delivered across to France - a feat of engineering deemed key to the successful invasion of Europe after D-Day.&#13;
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Operation Pluto

The end of the Second World War war had a different meaning in the East than in the West. Although the German occupiers were driven out, the liberating army did not bring freedom nor democracy. Stalin’s totalitarian Soviet Union brought about a new subjugation. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were annexed; other Eastern European countries, nominally independent, were forced to adopt Communism as its ideology. In Poland, as in 1939-1941, Soviets and their Communist henchmen established a harsh regime. Some groups attempted to find accommodation with the Communists. Ordinary people rejoiced at the end of the brutal German occupation and tried to rebuild their lives. However, the new government wanted total control. All those not adhering to the ideology were suspect; all those loyal to the legal Polish Government in exile could be targeted by the dreaded secret police. Despite their bravery, many members of the anti-German resistance were arrested, tortured, put to trial and sentenced to hard labour or even death. To add insult to injury, Communist propaganda labelled them as Nazi collaborators.&#13;
Thousands again took to arms, in desperate hope that Communist rule would soon collapse. Others genuinely believed in the new system, which ostensibly offered opportunities for the members of peasant and workers class.&#13;
The culmination of the subjugation in Poland were the elections of 19 January 1947. Despite the international agreements, the results of the elections were falsified, giving the Communists total control of the Parliament and starting a Communist dictatorship. Only with the advent of the Solidarity movement and the economic collapse of the Soviet bloc in the late 1980s did democracy return to Poland.&#13;
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Poland

Ambiguous liberation

On the evening of 6 June 1944, the Allied forces had established a foothold on all five landing beaches. There was still a long way to go, but the day’s operations, that took the German command by surprise, were successful. The next Allied goals were to join the bridgeheads into a continuous front and to bring in reinforcements faster than the Germans could.&#13;
In this deadly race, logistics played an essential role. Therefore the planned construction of a huge artificial harbour at Arromanches was vital, as was the capture of the deep-water port of Cherbourg.&#13;
After establishing land and air superiority, the Allies managed to break through the German lines west of Saint-Lô. This happened on 25 July, after long and dangerous treks across the hedgerow fields. The Battle of Normandy ended with the encirclement of the German forces in the so-called Falaise-Argentan pocket between 19 and 22 August, and the hasty retreat across the Seine river by the remnants of the German army during the following days, paving the way for the rapid liberation of the rest of France and Belgium.&#13;
The military cemeteries dotting the landscape of Normandy remind us of the heavy price that was paid for Europe to regain its freedom. A total of 80.000 soldiers died in Normandy. The country itself was devastated after the battle that also claimed the lives of around 20.000 civilians.&#13;
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The Battle of Normandy

Four years after the crushing defeat of France, Belgium and the Netherlands in the spring of 1940, the Anglo-American Allies launched Operation Overlord. The aim was to gain a foothold in Western Europe in order to defeat Nazi Germany, along with the Soviet Army on the Eastern front.&#13;
Normandy was chosen because of its close proximity to the British coast, thus allowing Allied aircraft to effectively support troops landing during the initial phase of the assault (Operation Neptune).&#13;
Above all, the German defences along this stretch of the coastline were less formidable than in the north. The German Command expected the Allies to land where the Channel was at its narrowest. A fleet of over 6.900 vessels was required to land the assault forces of more than 156.000 men on five beaches, that received code names (from west to east) Utah and Omaha (U.S.), Gold (British), Juno (Canadian) and Sword (British). About 24.000 airborne troops were also deployed in order to take control of strategic points and to prevent German attacks on the flanks of the assault forces ashore.&#13;
Despite poor weather conditions and fierce resistance from German units the operations were successful. On the evening of 6 June 1944, the Allies had gained a foothold on all five beaches. The German defenders were uncertain how to respond.&#13;
D-Day was mostly an Anglo-American effort: British, American and Canadian troops made up most of the numbers, but no less than 17 Allied countries participated on the ground, the sea and in the air. The landings of 6 June 1944 entered history under the now legendary name of D-Day.&#13;
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D-Day

By the end of December 1943 the advance of the Allied forces in Italy was hampered by strong German defences on the Gustav or Winter Line. The area around the town of Cassino with its heavily fortified mountain defences and difficult river crossings was the key position on the Gustav Line.&#13;
Four times the Allies tried to break through the Monte Cassino stronghold. The first battle took place between 17 January and 11 February 1944 with heavy losses and no success for the Allies. To relieve pressure on Anzio Beachhead where the allied were pinned down by heavy German resistance, a second battle was launched between 16 and 18 February.&#13;
On 15 February the famous historic abbey of Monte Cassino was destroyed by American bombers. Allied command was convinced that the ancient abbey was a German observation post. Ironically German troops occupied the ruins only after the air raid. The third battle was conducted between 15 and 23 March, again without success. The fourth battle began on 11 May. Finally the Germans retreated from the Gustav Line on 25 May 1944.&#13;
After five months of stalemate on the Gustave Line the road to Rome lay open. The costs were high. It is estimated that the Allies (Australia, Canada, Free France employing also Moroccans, Kingdom of Italy, India, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the U.S.) suffered about 55,000 casualties, Germany and the Italian Social Republic about 20,000.&#13;
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Italy

The Campaign of Monte Cassino

On 6 June 1944 the Allied forces crossed the English Channel to Normandy to begin their epic struggle to reclaim France and eventually gain victory against the German forces in Europe. Often overlooked, planning the invasion (codenamed Operation Overlord) was a mammoth task. A vast army of workers toiled on various elements of the campaign, from providing safe harbours for the travelling fleet to ensuring that fuel would be in plentiful supply. An array of sites linked to the planning, preparation and implementation of D-Day were located across Britain, from embarkation area headquarters along coastal regions, such as Quay House in Portsmouth, to the inland headquarters of the Allied commanders, such as Southwick House in Hampshire, the Cabinet War Rooms and St Paul’s School in London. Once the campaign was underway, Britain continued to provide troops and supplies to mainland Europe, while injured service personnel returned to the country to recuperate, many located in Haslar Hospital, Gosport. Once underway, the campaign was reported on by journalists such as the Daily Telegraph’s Fred Perfect, who travelled with the convoy, wiring back stories for publication.&#13;
The significance of Operation Overlord ensures that it is one of the most remembered campaigns of the Second World War and is prominent in remembrance events. In 1959 Cornelius Ryan published The Longest Day, based on interviews he undertook with Allied and German service personnel. Meanwhile the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire is home to a dedicated D-Day memorial, while the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth remains the only museum devoted solely to remembering the D-Day campaign.&#13;
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Preparations for D-Day

From June 1940 the Germans, wishing to invade Great Britain, contented themselves with coastal defences between Calais and Boulogne. However, from December 1941 they adopted an exclusively defensive strategy, perceiving the danger emerging from the West.&#13;
The construction of the Atlantic Wall began in March 1942 around the major ports and in the French region of Nord-Pas-De-Calais with the building of submarine bases, batteries, garrison bunkers and radar stations. Marshal Von Rundstedt, commanding the western German ground forces, had to defend almost 5,000 km of coast. The target of 15,000 concrete structures, including 10,000 between the rivers Scheldt (Escaut in French) and Loire, was far from being completed and by the end of 1943 only 8,000 structures had seen the light of day.&#13;
In January 1944, Rommel was tasked with inspecting the Wall along the French coast and quickly discovered the system's faults. In just a few months he had more than 4,000 structures and 500,000 assorted obstacles built on the beaches and in the interior zones. The work was carried out under the auspices of the Todt Organisation, but was of unequal quality; the submarine bases were the best fortified. Before June 1944, 2,000 structures, 200,000 obstacles and 2 million mines were installed along the beaches and inland Normandy. On the eve of D-Day 23 German batteries were operational, even if some were not entirely completed. Among these, the batteries of Saint-Marcouf, La Pointe du Hoc, Longues-sur-mer and Merville presented real obstacles to the Allied forces.&#13;
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Atlantic wall in Normandy

By the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, general Sikorski, on 25 February 1942 the 1st Armoured Division was established in Great Britain. General Stanislaw Maczek became its commander. It was deployed in Scotland to defend the coast in case of a German invasion. In June 1943 it was moved to southern England. In July 1944 it was made up of 885 officers and 15,210 soldiers. They were equipped with 381 tanks and 473 cannons.&#13;
After landing in France the Polish unit was tasked with breaking the German defence in the Caen-Falaise area. Polish soldiers entered the battle on 8 August. Ten days later in the Chambois area they closed the ring surrounding the German 5th Panzer Army. Under Falaise we locked the Germans like they were in a bottle, and the Polish Armoured Division was the cork in this bottle – wrote general Montgomery. The enemy attacked the Polish positions desperately and to no effect, losing 55 tanks and almost 250 other vehicles. After refilling losses, the 1st Armoured Division entered Belgium on 6 September 1944. In a week it liberated Ypres and Tielt, then regained Ghent. It entered the Netherlands on 16 September, in October Breda was liberated. Polish soldiers entering the city saw sheets of paper in the windows, reading in Polish “Thank you Poles”.&#13;
Since April 1945 the Division fought in Germany. Its battle trail ended in Wilhelmshaven on 5 May 1945, where the capitulation of commanders of, among others, 3 cruisers and 18 submarines was accepted. During the war the 1st Polish Armored Division lost 975 soldiers. After Germany’s capitulation, on 20 May general Maczek took command of the Polish I Corps in Scotland. The new commander of the Division was general Klemens Rudnicki. For two years veterans of the ‘black division’ occupied northern regions of Germany. In June 1947 they returned to England, where they were disarmed and demobilized.&#13;
Project realized with the support of the <a href="http://www.culturepolonaise.eu/" target="_blank">Polish Institute in Brussels</a> &#13;
<img width="170" height="120" src="/media/2679929/02-brussel-logo-eng-_170x120.jpg" alt="#02-BRUSSEL-LOGO-[eng]"/>&#13;
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The 1st Polish Armoured Division

In the early morning of 10 May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. The purpose of the 'Battle for The Hague' was to conquer the airports and the city and to capture both the Queen and the Cabinet. Thanks to fierce resistance, with George Maduro and others fighting against the invaders, the German attack failed. But euphoria over the victory was short lived as the Netherlands was eventually nonetheless occupied. Queen Wilhelmina, her family and the government fled to England. The Hague, with the Binnenhof and Plein, became the centre of German rule in the Netherlands. The German Reichskommissar, Dr Arthur Seyss-Inquart, moved into the Logement van Rotterdam at Plein 4.&#13;
In 1943, construction of German coastal defences commenced with the Atlantic Wall. This anti-tank trench, running through large parts of The Hague and Scheveningen, left a trail of destruction in its wake. Nor was The Hague spared the horrors of the war. Its Jewish community, the second-largest in the Netherlands, was almost completely exterminated; Sinti and Roma residents were also deported to Auschwitz and almost none of them returned.&#13;
From The Hague, Engelandvaarders braved the crossing to England. One of the best known was 'Soldier of Orange' Erik Hazelhoff Roelzema. But for those arrested in the resistance, the Oranjehotel was the place where the Germans passed judgement. Prisoners who were sentenced to death were executed on the Waalsdorpervlakte.&#13;
In autumn 1944, there was famine in The Hague. Around 2,100 people died of hunger in 1945 alone. In 1944, the Germans also launched a new weapon: the V-2, the first unmanned guided ballistic missile. An Allied attempt to destroy these V-2 rockets went disastrously wrong, leading to wide-scale bombing of the residential neighbourhood of Bezuidenhout on 3 March 1945.&#13;
On Saturday, 5 May 1945, the Germans capitulated, but the Allies' official entry into the Hague did not take place until 8 May. The procession was led by units from the Princess Irene Brigade, a Dutch army unit that formed part of the First Canadian Corps and fought alongside the Allies. Queen Wilhelmina returned to The Hague on 6 July 1945.&#13;
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The Hague in World War Two

The Military Transit Depot on Westerplatte was constructed in 1924 to enable Poland, that regained independence as a result of the First World War, to trans-ship military supplies within the Free City of Gdańsk. When the Germans invaded Poland on the morning of 1 September 1939, the Depot was their first objective and the attack is therefore considered to be the beginning of the Second World War. The small Polish garrison fiercely defended the Depot against infantry assaults and heavy bombardments by the battleship Schleswig-Holstein, Stuka dive bombers and land-based artillery. For seven days the defenders held out against overwhelming odds. Then they ran out of ammunition and their commander, Major Sucharski, was forced to surrender.&#13;
After the War, surviving defenders of the Depot placed a cross on the peninsula and created a small cemetery. At first the Communist authorities disliked this spontaneous veneration of pre-communist heroism, but since the late fifties they embraced it as useful propaganda for the People’s Republic. A monument to the ‘Defenders of the Polish Coast’ was erected in 1966. Five years later, in an emotional ceremony, Major Sucharski’s ashes were buried at the Westerplatte cemetery.&#13;
Westerplatte thus became a national monument for the Poles. Visiting heads of state and official delegations were often invited to Westerplatte, and mass military swearing-in ceremonies were held on its grounds. During the peaceful ‘Solidarity’ revolution in 1980, the cross which had been removed by the Communists was brought back. In 1987 Pope John Paul II chose Westerplatte for a meeting with young people.&#13;
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Westerplatte

Even though no shot was fired, it counted as a moment of victory over Nazi-Germany: On 4 February 1945 soldiers of the 9th U.S. Infantry Division occupied the Ordensburg Vogelsang without opposition. In the years before the war the huge complex served a prestigious training venue for an upcoming Nazi-elite.&#13;
But, as Time Magazine ironically pointed out, “no supermen strutted in Burg Vogelsang”. Though no major destruction took place, the U.S. soldiers could not refrain from emptying their guns on a number of statues and reliefs symbolizing the German master race. Built in the 1930s, the National Socialist Ordensburg Vogelsang was one of the largest construction projects of the ‘Third Reich’. Built in the style of a medieval castle on a spectacular spot overlooking Lake Urft in the Eifel Hills, it was obviously meant to overwhelm people with its architecture: Clearly, Vogelsang was intended to demonstrate power, and it became a stage for the triumphant, showy side of National Socialism. The mission of the place was to raise National Socialist leaders of the future: The young cadets called 'Junkers' trained in sports, military drills and a supremacist body of thought, and often participated in political and cultic rituals, Vogelsang gave its cadets a sense of belonging to a new elite, as well as a prospect of power.&#13;
With the outbreak of the war all courses were abandoned, Steeped in the ideology of Aryan superiority, hundreds of Vogelsang students and graduates volunteered for military service. Many of them got involved in the administration of occupied Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic States and consequently played their part in ethnic cleansing campaigns and other war crimes.&#13;
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National Socialist Ordensburg Vogelsang

During World War Two, The Hague was generally spared from major attacks causing widespread devastation. That is until the Allied air raid of 3 March 1945. In an attempt to destroy the V-2 launching pads that the occupying German forces had erected in Haagse Bos, the RAF Second Tactical Air Force deployed 56 bombers, Mitchells and Bostons, to launch an air raid from Belgium and northern France. It went very wrong. The bombs were dropped in several rounds, mostly above the Bezuidenhout district, and the Korte Voorhout was also hit. A strong north wind 'blew' the bombs to the wrong places and a navigation error involving the use of incorrect co-ordinates meant that they landed on Louise de Colignyplein, right in the middle of the residential Bezuidenhout area.&#13;
Due to low-hanging fog, the pilots were unable to see where they were and 67,000 kilos of anti-personnel bombs were dropped on the neighbourhood. More than 520 people were killed and over 250 ended up seriously injured. Thousands were made homeless, with lots of houses, shops, businesses, schools and churches left in ruins. Many people died in the intense fires. While emergency services arrived quickly, several factors, including a lack of firefighters and equipment as well as burst water pipes, meant that the fire brigade was unable to cope with the 'inferno', as some later described it.&#13;
Those who had managed to survive the bombs and flames fled en masse to Voorburg and Binckhorst. The Atlantic Wall in Haagse Bos meant that the road to Benoordenhout was closed. Panicking, people grabbed whatever they could lay their hands on, in particular the precious Swedish bread that had been distributed the day before. The desperate refugees were taken in by local residents. Although many now only had the clothes they stood up in and anything else they had managed to grab, the people were grateful to have survived at all.&#13;
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Bombing of the Bezuidenhout

Tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog hielp Miet al Belgische vluchtelingen ontsnappen naar het neutrale Nederland. Nu komt ze weer in verzet. Jongemannen die aan de verplichte arbeid in Duitsland willen ontsnappen, helpt ze aan een schuiladres. Ook ondergedoken Joden of neergestorte Britse en Amerikaanse piloten kunnen bij haar terecht voor hulp. Zo is ze een belangrijke schakel in een netwerk dat vluchtelingen van Nederland naar België en Frankrijk smokkelt.&#13;
Weinig dorpsbewoners weten dat Miet Pauw in het verzet zit. Zelfs de meeste van haar acht kinderen houdt ze in het ongewisse. Wanneer zoon Fons op een dag Engelstalige graffiti op hun toilet ziet, zegt moeder Pauw droogweg dat de smokkelaars die in de winkel komen niet goed Nederlands kunnen schrijven!&#13;
Verraden&#13;
De laatste oorlogsweken zijn fataal voor Miet. Ze weet niet dat de Duitsers haar ontsnappingsnetwerk al een tijdje hebben geïnfiltreerd. Nu de geallieerden naderen, besluiten ze om het netwerk op te rollen. Op 9 september 1944 vallen soldaten haar winkel binnen. Ze arresteren zowel Miet als <a href="https://brabantsegesneuvelden.nl/persoon/geert-gerritsen-arnhem-1917" target="_blank">Geert Gerritsen</a> en <a href="https://brabantsegesneuvelden.nl/persoon/adriaan-van-gestel-woensel-1916" target="_blank">Adriaan Van Gestel</a>, Nederlandse marechaussees die ook in de ontsnappingslijn actief zijn en bij haar ondergedoken zitten. De drie worden afgevoerd naar Breda. Daar executeren de Duitsers hen de volgende ochtend.&#13;
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 Toeristische informatie&#13;
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 <a href="http://www.baarle-hertog.be" target="_blank">www.baarle-hertog.be</a>, <a href="http://www.kempen.be" target="_blank">www.kempen.be</a>
Fietsroutes
Toerisme Provincie Antwerpen heeft bevrijdingsroutes langs het fietsknooppuntennetwerk gemaakt. Fiets en wandel langs de plaatsen waar het allemaal gebeurde, bijvoorbeeld monumenten, militaire begraafplaatsen en crash-sites. Ga voor de bevrijdingsroutes naar <a href="http://fietsroutes.provincieantwerpen.be" target="_blank">fietsroutes.provincieantwerpen.be</a>&#13;
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Miet Pauw, een verzetsvrouw vermoord 

Wanneer de Duitsers ‘s avonds de aftocht blazen, ligt het centrum in puin. Twee dorpsbewoners zijn gedood, net als tientallen Polen en Duitsers. Veel gebouwen zijn zwaar beschadigd. Twee dagen later schiet de Duitse artillerie bovendien nog de Sint-Rumolduskerk in brand. Ze ontnemen de geallieerden zo een waardevolle uitkijkpost.&#13;
Aan de slag&#13;
Hoe moet het verder met het vernielde dorpje? De Belgische regering heeft gelukkig al in 1941 maatregelen getroffen. Eigenaars van gebouwen die beschadigd of vernield zijn door oorlogsgeweld, kunnen aanspraak maken op een schadevergoeding. Die moet toelaten om hun woning of boerderij te repareren.&#13;
<a href="http://www.erfgoednoorderkempen.be/2017/05/moderne-kerken-kempen-rene-steenbergen/" target="_blank">De Beerse architect René van Steenbergen</a> speelt een sleutelrol in de heropbouw van Zondereigen. Hij helpt bewoners om schadedossiers op te maken en tekent nieuwe ontwerpen voor meer dan twintig woningen en boerderijen. Bovendien zorgt hij voor de restauratie van de Sint-Rumolduskerk. Voor de oorlog was Van Steenbergen een promotor van de art-decostijl. Maar nu laat hij zich inspireren door de historische architectuur van de regio. De nieuwe huizen die hij ontwerpt, laat hij bijvoorbeeld optrekken in de typische Beerse rode baksteen.&#13;
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Van slagveld tot bouwplaats

Bliksemsnelle bevrijding&#13;
Lier, 5 september 1944, 9.30 uur. Vanuit Mortsel naderen vier Britse verkenningsvoertuigen. Op de Grote Markt stromen inwoners samen om ze te begroeten. Stapvoets rijden de Britten door de uitbundige menigte. Ze verlaten Lier meteen weer richting Herentals. Lier is bevrijd! Of niet?&#13;
Nog niet alle Duitse troepen hebben Lier verlaten. Op verschillende plaatsen schieten terugtrekkende groepjes Duitsers op inwoners die soms al aan het vieren zijn. In de huidige deelgemeente Koningshooikt nemen de Britse bevrijders zelfs nog een groot aantal Duitse soldaten gevangen.&#13;
Niet alle Lierenaren maken de bevrijding mee. Net als in veel andere Belgische steden deporteren de Duitsers tijdens de bezetting de Joodse inwoners met hulp van het stadsbestuur. Via de Dossinkazerne in Mechelen eindigen ze in de uitroeiingskampen van het Derde Rijk. Het overgrote deel overleeft die kampen niet. Onder hen Dyszka Zolty en haar kinderen Berisch, David en de pasgeboren Mireille. Enkele weken voor de bevrijding worden ze uit Lier gedeporteerd en vergast in Auschwitz. Met hulp van de bevolking duikt vader Jakob Lemel onder in Emblem. Hij maakt de bevrijding jammer genoeg helemaal alleen mee.&#13;
Voor de inwoners die meegewerkt hebben met de Duitse bezetter – of daarvan verdacht worden – is de bevrijding van Lier allesbehalve een feest. Meteen nadat de Duitse troepen Lier hebben verlaten, sluit het verzet 322 zogenoemde ‘zwarten’ op in de Sionkazerne. Net als in Breendonk of andere plekken in België neemt het verzet wraak. Gevangenen worden mishandeld. Het stadsbestuur grijpt in. De collaboratieverdachten verhuizen naar een interneringskamp in Mechelen waar ze hun proces afwachten.&#13;
De oorlog duurt voort&#13;
De Britse bevrijders trekken snel door Lier. Niet lang daarna arriveren nieuwe soldaten. In de Rijksnormaalschool komt eind september een tijdelijk militair hospitaal voor 300 patiënten. Net als op andere Antwerpse plaatsen worden er soldaten verzorgd die gewond raken bij de verdere gevechten tegen het Duitse leger. Soldaten die overlijden worden begraven op de militaire begraafplaats aan de Mechelsesteenweg. Vandaag rusten daar nog steeds een veertigtal militairen.&#13;
De geallieerde troepen installeren ook luchtafweerstellingen in Lier en Koningshooikt. Om de oorlogskansen in het Duitse voordeel te doen keren, richt Hitler namelijk een geheim wapen op het bevrijde Antwerpen: de gevreesde vliegende bommen. De stad is vanwege zijn strategische belang voor de geallieerden een belangrijk Duits doelwit. Lier en Koningshooikt maken deel uit van een verdedigingsgordel rond Antwerpen die de Duitse voorlopers van de raket moeten onderscheppen.&#13;
Lier en Koningshooikt worden zelf ook het slachtoffer van V-bommen. Die projectielen zijn weinig betrouwbaar en storten vaak neer voor ze hun doel bereiken. Ook bommen die uit de lucht zijn geschoten, richten ter plekke heel wat schade aan. In totaal vallen er 55 V-bommen op Lier en 15 op Koningshooikt. Dat leidt niet alleen tot materiële schade, er laten ook 49 mensen het leven. Pas in maart 1945 houdt de Duitse terreur eindelijk op en eindigt het oorlogsgeweld.&#13;
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 &#13;
 Toeristische informatie&#13;
 &#13;
 Fietsroutes
Toerisme Provincie Antwerpen heeft bevrijdingsroutes langs het fietsknooppuntennetwerk gemaakt. Fiets en wandel langs de plaatsen waar het allemaal gebeurde, bijvoorbeeld monumenten, militaire begraafplaatsen en crash-sites. Ga voor de bevrijdingsroutes naar <a href="http://fietsroutes.provincieantwerpen.be" target="_blank">fietsroutes.provincieantwerpen.be</a>&#13;
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