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Execution of ten Dutch collaborators near Oldeberkoop
Execution of ten Dutch collaborators near Oldeberkoop
On the afternoon of 12 April, Oldeberkoop was liberated by "D" Squadron of the Royal Canadian Dragoons. Later that day, they established a temporary headquarters in the village. The movements of "D" squadron were coordinated from the headquarters. This was also the place where prisoner of war from the immediate surroundings were gathered.
These prisoners of war were often Germans, but sometimes also Dutch who served voluntarily in the Waffen-SS, the NSKK (a paramilitary section of the Nazi party NSDAP) or the Dutch Landwacht. On this 12th of April, ten of these collaborators were brought into the encampment in Oldeberkoop amid great interest. Hatred of people who fought with or for the Germans was strong among most of the Dutch population. A resident of Oldeberkoop described the moment the men were brought in:
"The crowd booed and whistled, some spat, and some could not keep their hands off them. One of them got such a blow to the head that hit made his head spin."Not much later, these POWs were taken away again. Presumably with the aim of taking them to a real prison camp in Vledder. But the men would never get there. All ten of them were shot without trial in the Koepelbos just outside Oldeberkoop.
It was long thought that the Canadians were responsible for these unlawful executions. But by 1995, it became clear that Canadian involvement had been minimal. Stories about the involvement of two former resistance fighters were confirmed when one of them confessed to having fired the shots. In addition to himself, a colleague, a Canadian driver and some men who had dug the graves were present at the execution.
The exact reason for the murder of the Dutch collaborators and the exact role of the two Dutchmen and the Canadian have never been fully clarified. There are different accounts of the events leading up to the shooting. On 14 April, the bodies were finally buried in a mass grave on the side of the road. Later they were transferred to the German war cemetery in Ysselsteyn. The names of most of the victims also became known at that time:
Egbert Jan Hommes, Ordnungspolizei
Otto Frikken, Ordnungspolizei
Gerrit Jan Seevinck, Dutch Landwacht
Hendrik Dales, Dutch Landwacht
Heike Ham, Dutch Landwacht
Douwe Jonkman, Dutch Landwacht
Bernard Janssen, Dutch Landwacht
Arnold Pieter Post, Dutch Landwacht
The identities of two men from the Dutch Landwacht could not yet be ascertained.
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Attack on the port of Oostmahorn
Attack on the port of Oostmahorn
The liberation of the north-eastern part of Friesland was not achieved without a struggle. The Dutch Domestic Armed Forces (NBS) and Canadian troops fought fierce battles, partly side by side. It was mainly occupiers fleeing in panic who caused fights and shootings that claimed victims on both sides. A fierce battle was also fought over the port of Oostmahorn.
After the liberation of Dokkum, Kollum and Dokkumer Nieuwe Zijlen, the attention of the Canadian troops turned to the port of Oostmahorn. It was the gateway to the island of Schiermonnikoog, which was part of the German defence line, the Atlantic Wall. This bulwark ran along the coasts of France to Norway. During the war, and extensive occupying force was stationed on the Wadden Island.
The village of Oostmahorn was "relieved" by the Dutch Domestic Armed Forces (NBS) on Saturday, 14 April, after the German Grenzschutz (border control) left in silence for Schiermonnikoog. Meanwhile, a group of more than a hundred fleeing SS and SD men and a dozen women crossed the Lauwerszee from Groningen near Zoutkamp with three boats to the island. A number of them were high-ranking SD members of the infamous Scholtenhuis in Groningen. When the NBS saw them sailing past from the port of Oostmahorn, shots were fired back and forth.
The German occupying forces on Schiermonnikoog then wanted to take revenge. The village and the port of Oostmahorn were attacked from the island for two hours on Monday, 16 April. A convoy of three Dutch boats left for the port with the aim of landing there. Meanwhile, the help of the B-Squadron of the Royal Canadian Dragoons (1st Armoured Carrier Regiment) in Dokkum had been called in. The attack was narrowly repelled, but two Canadian soldiers from a reconnaissance group were killed. A defence line of foxholes and armoured vehicles was erected around the village.
Further reinforcements were called in that day from Leeuwarden, where C Company of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders were sent to the coastal strip to patrol for German landing attempts.
After a brief but heavy shelling from the Canadians as a warning, a mediator was sent to the island the next day. The highest-ranking SD officer refused to surrender. They were waiting for an escape with a Schnell boat that was to take them to the German Wadden island of Borkum on 3 May. That turned out to be in vain, but in the meantime they kept the island occupied, even after the general capitulation of the whole of the Netherlands on 5 May.It was not until 11 June that two boats, the MS Waddenzee and the MS Brakzand, transported the last occupiers of Schiermonnikoog to the port of Oostmahorn. A column of army trucks packed with prisoners of war left the port under the guard of the Allies. From there they went to the POW camp in Beerta (Groningen).
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Oostmahorn Beach and Play Area
Oostmahorn Beach and Play Area
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Oostmahorn (De Skâns)
Oostmahorn (De Skâns)
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Het Raadsel van de Wadden
Het Raadsel van de Wadden
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Landal Esonstad
Landal Esonstad
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Camping De oude trambrug
Camping De oude trambrug
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The WasWadPad
The WasWadPad
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De 4 Elementen
De 4 Elementen
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Freulevijver Pond
Freulevijver Pond
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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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Lanterfanter
Lanterfanter
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Natuurlijk Kollumeroord Groepsaccommodatie De Vlinderbalg
Natuurlijk Kollumeroord Groepsaccommodatie De Vlinderbalg
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Opende Blotevoetenpad Barefoot Trail
Opende Blotevoetenpad Barefoot Trail
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Farm shop Uitland
Farm shop Uitland
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Frieschepalen Fort
Frieschepalen Fort
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Frisian Water Line
Frisian Water Line
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Iezumasyl
Iezumasyl
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Recreatie Tolbrugschans
Recreatie Tolbrugschans
Direct boekbaar
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Recreatie Tolbrugschans - Grote Schans
Recreatie Tolbrugschans - Grote Schans
Direct boekbaar
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Fruithof De Struikrover
Fruithof De Struikrover
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Varen met Sil
Varen met Sil
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Ambush at Oldeholtpade
Ambush at Oldeholtpade
On 12 April, the bridge over the Tjonger in Mildam fell into the hands of the Royal Canadian Dragoons reconnaissance regiment. Because the occupier had blown up many other bridges, the Canadians attached great importance to preserving this bridge for the crossing of other Canadian units. That is why dozens of armoured cars, mobile artillery guns and numerous other vehicles were sent to Mildam that day to reinforce the bridgehead over the Tjonger.
In one of those armoured cars, a Staghound, was 24-year-old Trooper Wilfred Robert George Berry from Ontario. The young Canadian had volunteered for military service in Europe. And had already fought with the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Italy. At the end of February 1945, they were transferred to Northwest Europe.
For Berry, the war ended in Friesland. In Oldeholtpade, on the road to Wolvega, his vehicle drove into an ambush along with at least one other Staghound. In the vicinity of a broken-down German car, German soldiers had hidden with Panzerfausts. The Panzerfaust was a very powerful and easy-to-use anti-tank weapon. The first shot missed, but the second projectile hit the front Staghound, on the side where driver Wilfred Berry was sitting at the time.2 The Staghound went off the road and overturned. The three other crew members got injured, but were able to leave the vehicle and took cover behind the second Staghound. One of them stated:
"[…]Flames burst through the turret, where the officer and I were half in and half out of the hatches. Any skin surface not covered was burned and the flames badly singed our eyebrows, eyelashes, moustaches and hands, sending me and the officer both wounded to the field hospital."3
Immediately after the first Staghound was hit, the second Staghound opened fire on the Germans. Seriously injured, Wilfred Berry remained in the vehicle. After about fifteen minutes of shooting back and forth, the other Staghounds retreated towards Oldeberkoop. The exact reason for this remains unclear. Berry was already dying and was briefly cared for by the elderly Andriesje Dekker-Oosterhof in the vehicle when the shooting had stopped. The tragedy had unfolded right in front of her house. He died in the wreck shortly afterwards.
Berry's remains were eventually transferred to the farm on "De Bult" in Oldeberkoop and buried there. After the war he would be reburied at the Canadian war cemetery in Holten. The other crew members were eventually able to return to their units after receiving medical treatment. The commander only had burns on his face.
The event made a deep impression on the inhabitants of Oldeholtpade. In 1945, a monument to Berry was erected. And in 1965, a street was named in his honour.
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Wijnjeterperschar Nature Reserve
Wijnjeterperschar Nature Reserve
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