Liberation battle on Frisian soil | Liberation Route
During the liberation of Friesland in World War II, Canadian troops played a crucial role in freeing the region from German occupation. In April 1945, Canadian forces led the charge as part of the Allied campaign to liberate Friesland. They faced fierce resistance from the German troops, including intense battles at the creek Tjonger, where Canadian soldiers fought to secure vital bridges and defeat the enemy defenses. In the meantime, the Dutch resistance launched an attack on two bridges near De Blesse where they managed to occupy and hold both bridges.
Despite challenging terrain and heavy enemy fire, th…
During the liberation of Friesland in World War II, Canadian troops played a crucial role in freeing the region from German occupation. In April 1945, Canadian forces led the charge as part of the Allied campaign to liberate Friesland. They faced fierce resistance from the German troops, including intense battles at the creek Tjonger, where Canadian soldiers fought to secure vital bridges and defeat the enemy defenses. In the meantime, the Dutch resistance launched an attack on two bridges near De Blesse where they managed to occupy and hold both bridges.
Despite challenging terrain and heavy enemy fire, the Canadians demonstrated unwavering bravery and determination, eventually crossing the creek and gaining ground in Friesland. The local population welcomed the Canadians as heroes, and their efforts paved the way for the restoration of freedom and democracy in the region. Today, the Canadians' role in the liberation of Friesland is commemorated and honored, and their contribution remains a proud and significant part of the region's history, symbolizing the enduring friendship between Canada and the Netherlands.
Liberation Route Europe is a transnational memorial. A route that connects memorial sites and stories from all over Europe. For more information, visit www.liberationroute.com
Sights on this route
8471 Wolvega
Sacrifice for freedom
In Wolvega's general cemetery, Allied honorary graves remind residents of the seven fallen crew members of the Lancaster JB 545 that crashed in the fields on the Sas (below Sonnega) on 16 December 1943.
Sacrifice for freedom
Near the crash site, the "Monument to Allied Airmen" was unveiled by the sister of one of the crew members in 2004 as a tribute to the fallen crew. A boulder with a plaque and a panel with background information on what happened keep the memory alive. Â
Of seven soldiers killed, five were British, one Canadian and one Australian. They were buried side by side. Identical white natural stone tombstones with an embossed emblem and cross have been placed at each grave. The cross is not only a symbol of the Christian faith, but also a reminder of the sacrifice made by war victims for a life of freedom.Â
Occupation of the Blesse bridge by the NBS
On 13 April 1945, the resistance in Weststellingwerf launched an attack on two key bridges near De Blesse over the Linde, including the Blesse bridge. Holding the Blesse Bridge facilitated and accelerated the Canadians' advance later in the day.
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. Â
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.Â
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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. Â
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. Â
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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. Â
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.Â
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. Â
Noordwolde the first village to be liberated by land
On 12 April, the Royal Canadian Dragoons were the first Canadian ground units to enter the province of Friesland near Noordwolde. This reconnaissance regiment would play a very important role in the liberation of the province.
Noordwolde the first village to be liberated by land
In the evening of 11 April 1945, units of the Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment Royal Canadian Dragoons arrived at Dwingeloo, just before the so-called Frieslandriegel. This line of defence had been constructed shortly before by the work of many Dutch forced labourers. However, the line was hardly occupied and eventually turned out to be incorrectly constructed. Â
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The Dragoons' task was to scout the road well ahead of the rest of the Canadian units. And they noted that the Germans in this area were barely able to defend themselves effectively. Partly for this reason, it was decided on 11 April that units of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and supporting units would make a jump to Leeuwarden in the following days. If the Frisian capital and possibly the rest of Friesland could be taken, the Germans would be trapped in the western part of the Netherlands. After all, large parts of Overijssel and Gelderland had also been liberated at this point.Â
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The infantry had to advance through Zwolle, Meppel, Steenwijk, Heerenveen to Leeuwarden. To get them to Leeuwarden as soon as possible, all kinds of extra vehicles had been arranged. Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and not much later another reconnaissance regiment, the Duke of York´s Royal Canadian Hussars, would enter Friesland to scout the planned main route there. And to create as much chaos as possible among the German defenders.Â
Thanks to the citizens of Dieverbrug in Drenthe, an emergency bridge was built over the Drentse Hoofdvaart canal so that the Canadian vehicles could advance to Friesland. Then, on the morning of 12 April, the Dragoons were the first Canadian land unit to enter the province of Friesland. The village of Noordwolde was the first to be liberated. Â
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Although this first Frisian village could be taken without a fight, there was brief fighting immediately north of Noordwolde. About twenty Germans and Dutch accomplices tried to delay the Canadians. After a short fight, the Germans fled the scene, leaving all their equipment behind. Others, including ten Dutch accomplices of the Landwacht and Ordnungspolizei, were captured.Â
But the very first liberators to set foot on Frisian soil were French SAS paratroopers from the 3e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes. Just over 700 of them were dropped over Drenthe and south-east Friesland on the night of 7 to 8 April. Their mission was to support the Allied ground operation. They did so by creating chaos behind German lines, capturing bridges, and carrying out all kinds of operations together with the resistance. They had to keep this up until the Canadian ground units reached them. A small proportion ended up at Appelscha and Haulerwijk and carried out their assignments there. In the performance of these assignments, 21-year-old Chasseur de 2e Classe (Private 2nd Class) Henri Pintaud was killed on 8 April.
Execution of ten Dutch collaborators near Oldeberkoop
On 12 April, ten captured Dutch collaborators were shot without trial just outside Oldeberkoop. It was long thought that the Canadians had shot the men.
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.Â
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: Â
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"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."Â Â
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. Â
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. Â
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:Â Â
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Egbert Jan Hommes, Ordnungspolizei Â
Otto Frikken, Ordnungspolizei Â
Gerrit Jan Seevinck, Dutch Landwacht Â
Hendrik Dales, Dutch Landwacht Â
Heike Ham, Dutch Landwacht Â
Douwe Jonkman, Dutch Landwacht Â
Bernard Janssen, Dutch Landwacht Â
Arnold Pieter Post, Dutch Landwacht Â
The identities of two men from the Dutch Landwacht could not yet be ascertained.
Ambush at Oldeholtpade
On 12 April, a Staghound of the Royal Canadian Dragoons drove into an ambush at Oldeholtpade. Private Wilfred Berry was killed. The rest of the crew were able to exit the vehicle with minor injuries only. Oldeholtpade still honours Berry.
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. Â
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. Â
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:Â
"[…]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."3Â
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. Â
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. Â
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. Â
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Doorsteek Noordwolde | Stellingenpad: etappe 15
Doorsteek Noordwolde | Stellingenpad: etappe 15
(10.5 km)Vledderveen -
Leeuwarden-Dokkum | Liberation route: section 6
Leeuwarden-Dokkum | Liberation route: section 6
(38.5 km)Leeuwarden -
Afwisselende wandeling tussen Burgum en Noardburgum
Afwisselende wandeling tussen Burgum en Noardburgum
(9.0 km)Burgum -
Uitwaaien in Anjum en Nationaal Park Lauwersmeer
Uitwaaien in Anjum en Nationaal Park Lauwersmeer
(18.8 km)Anjum -
Firdgum - Koehool | Klooster Claercamppad pilgrimage trail: Circular walk 3
Firdgum - Koehool | Klooster Claercamppad pilgrimage trail: Circular walk 3
(14.1 km)Firdgum
