In the autumn of 1944, Canadian forces of the First Canadian Army played a key role in the liberation of North Brabant during the Allied advance through the southern Netherlands. Following the fighting in Zeeland, Canadian troops moved eastward into Brabant, liberating towns and villages after years of occupation. The landscape here shifted from open polders to higher sandy grounds, rivers, and urban centres, presenting new challenges but continued resistance.
This walking route traces the Canadian advance through North Brabant, passing through work camp Vught and historic cities such as Bergen op Zoom, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Oss and Grave. Along the way, the route connects former front lines, river crossings, and urban areas where fighting, resistance, and liberation shaped everyday life in the final months of the war.
Memorials and markers along the route commemorate the Canadian soldiers who liberated this region and the civilians who endured occupation and conflict. As part of the Canadian Trail Netherlands, this Brabant section forms a vital link between Zeeland and the wider national route, tracing the path of the Canadian liberation across the Netherlands.
