Locations
1273 to 1296 of 2261 results
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Ny-Na
Ny-Na
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Rent to Enjoy - Houseboat Enjoy
Rent to Enjoy - Houseboat Enjoy
Direct boekbaar
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Hotel de Wijnberg
Hotel de Wijnberg
Direct boekbaar
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Gallery Aukje de Haan
Gallery Aukje de Haan
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FRIEStile
FRIEStile
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Zijda Yachting - Zuiderzee Elite
Zijda Yachting - Zuiderzee Elite
Direct boekbaar
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Friesland Charter
Friesland Charter
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Recreatiebedrijf de Koevoet
Recreatiebedrijf de Koevoet
Direct boekbaar
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Tusken de Marren - Vakantiehuis Sneekermeer 8p
Tusken de Marren - Vakantiehuis Sneekermeer 8p
Direct boekbaar
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Memorial stone for Fallen Canadians
Memorial stone for Fallen Canadians
Sunday 15 April 1945, Friesland's official liberation day, was also the day Sneek welcomed the Canadian liberation forces. It had been an exciting day, and the Dutch Domestic Armed Forces (NBS) had fought quite a battle with the occupiers.
A day earlier, German troops had begun to withdraw from Sneek and the NBS had tried to hinder their retreat along the Leeuwarderweg as much as possible. Until a column of German parachute troops had entered the fray and forced the NBS to retreat.
The Waag building in the middle of the city centre was used as a weapons cache by the occupying forces during the war. To prevent it from falling into Allied hands, the fleeing troops set it on fire at around three o'clock on Sunday. Loud explosions and bangs resounded throughout the city for half an hour.
Once the enemy had left the city, the NBS operatives gathered at the HBS school for instructions and the distribution of weapons and armbands. They went into the city to round up traitors. Then, rumour had it that hundreds of German soldiers were on their way to Sneek from Lemmer. Immediately, fortifications were built at the Water gate.
Canadian units were alerted. They were now in possession of the latest defence plans for Sneek thanks to NBS intelligence and were advancing from Joure towards the town.
In the evening around half past seven, the first patrol of the Canadian infantry battalion Le régiment De La Chaudière rode into town with flame-throwers and machine guns. The German troops stayed away, and the full Canadian battalion followed.
Sneek was liberated, but freedom was not yet guaranteed as German troops tried to escape via the Afsluitdijk towards Friesland. The Canadian Regiment of the Queens Own Rifles moved through Sneek to the Afsluitdijk and fiercely fought at Wons. Six Canadian soldiers were killed. They were temporarily buried at Sneek General Cemetery. In 1946, they were reburied at the Canadian Field of Honour in Holten.
Canadian guests
While waiting to return to their homeland, hundreds of Canadian soldiers were lodged with families in Sneek for about five months. On 1 June, the Perth Regiment arrived in the town, which they temporarily renamed Stratford. They were involved in the liberation of Groningen. A committee was set up to entertain the soldiers with various activities. From dances to sailing competitions and special church services.Cordial ties developed between the liberators and the people of Sneek. And sometimes more than that. For Gordon C. Compton and Atty Bouma, one could even speak of "love at first sight". When the last soldiers return home at the end of November, Gordon decided to stay in the Netherlands. On 9 May 1946, he married Atty in Sneek. Not long after, Gordon and his "war bride" left for Canada.
Several monuments in the city recall the special bond with the Canadian military, which remains very close to this day.
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Aqua State - Tureluur 13
Aqua State - Tureluur 13
Direct boekbaar
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Ankertsjerke Oudega SWF
Ankertsjerke Oudega SWF
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IJsboerderij Boereiis
IJsboerderij Boereiis
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Restaurant Zuiver
Restaurant Zuiver
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Broerekerk (church)
Broerekerk (church)
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Oldehove
Oldehove
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Antix Kiteboarding School
Antix Kiteboarding School
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Occupation of the Blesse bridge by the NBS
Occupation of the Blesse bridge by the NBS
On 8 April 1945, the words "The bottle is empty" sounded on Radio Orange. This code message was the go-ahead for the resistance to start putting bridges, roads and railway lines out of order thirty-six hours later. The Frisian resistance answered this call en masse.
As soon as the Allied vanguard drew near, the armed resistance was also deployed to support their advance. And that sometimes meant that there were also bridges that had to be occupied rather than deactivated. One such action took place in the municipality of Weststellingwerf.
On 12 April 1945, the Canadian vanguard approached the village of De Blesse. The local section of the Dutch Domestic Armed Forces (NBS) was instructed by the resistance leadership to scout the railway bridge and road bridge (the Blesse bridge) over the Linde and, if possible, to occupy them.These bridges were important for maintaining the speed of the Canadian advance. Partly for this reason, they were also often guarded by German soldiers. In most cases, the bridges were also fitted with explosives. This allowed the bridge to be blown up if the Germans eventually had to retreat.
The reconnaissance revealed that the Blesse bridge was guarded by a total of about 10 soldiers. The NBS then decided to attack the bridge from two sides in the evening. Thanks to several aerial arms drops, the resistance fighters were well armed. In the dark, the men set off and split up into three groups. They eventually took up posts north and south of the bridge. The plan was to storm the bridge at two in the morning from the south.To their surprise, their fire was not returned as they approached the bridge. The guards appeared to have disappeared. With that, the bridge had unexpectedly fallen into the hands of the NBS without bloodshed. Moreover, no explosives were found to be affixed to bridge. After the bridge was secured, it was guarded until the Canadians arrived.
News of the occupation of the bridge was reported to the section commander the same night. And through other means of communication, the news also reached the Canadians. Holding the bridge facilitated and accelerated the Canadians' advance later in the day.
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Camping Flapper - Blokhut 'Wylde Swan'
Camping Flapper - Blokhut 'Wylde Swan'
Direct boekbaar
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Sanzi Yacht Charter - Femke
Sanzi Yacht Charter - Femke
Direct boekbaar
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Getswerdersyl
Getswerdersyl
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Werf IJlst - Sinnehuske 4
Werf IJlst - Sinnehuske 4
Direct boekbaar
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Museum Dokkum
Museum Dokkum
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Sanzi Yacht Charter - Monique
Sanzi Yacht Charter - Monique
Direct boekbaar
