In September 1944, the Allies entered the province of Limburg, with American front lines being established at the Vloedgraaf, near Susteren. This static front line led to the evacuation of residents from November 1944 to January 1945. By the winter of 1944-1945, a large part of the municipality was still under occupation.Susteren was liberated on 17 January 1945, as part of Operation Blackcock, led by the British Army, which took over from the Americans. This operation aimed to liberate the area from Susteren to Roermond. On 18 January 1945, Echt was also liberated during the same operation. From Echt, the British advanced further northeast and east toward Roermond and Waldfeucht, threatening to cut off the German troops at Susteren. At the same time, the British launched another attack on Susteren. Following these actions, German resistance quickly collapsed.This operation marked the liberation of the current municipality of Echt-Susteren after almost four years of occupation by German forces. This 15km hiking route invites you to explore the liberation of the municipality and the wartime heritage, from the remarkable act of resistance in Roosteren to the impact of the war on local residents, such as the railway workers in Susteren.Discover the Limburg landscape near the Meuse River and learn about this compelling local history.

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Liberation Route Echt-Susteren

First Americans in RoosterenIn the early morning of 30 September 1944, several American tanks drove into Roosteren from Illikhoven. There were only eighteen American soldiers, yet all German troops withdrew without resistance across the Julian Canal to Oud-Roosteren. A remarkable situation arose, as this American presence was merely a reconnaissance mission.Resistance group becomes OD (Orde Dienst)Earlier in the war, in 1943, four people from Roosteren had formed a resistance group. This group grew to more than forty members. When it became clear on 30 September that the Americans could not adequately defend the area due to a lack of manpower, the leader of the resistance group, Jan Peters, offered support with his men. Although this was in fact insufficient, the offer was accepted. Two days later, the resistance group was transformed into an Orde Dienst (OD), tasked with front-line duties. The group was assigned six machine-gun positions. The air-raid protection service was also reorganised into a Red Cross group, and measures were taken to restore basic village functions.Guard troops of the Binnenlandse StrijdkrachtenAs of 1 November, the group was incorporated into the Guard Troops of the Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten (Dutch Internal Forces). From that day on, they were also issued military uniforms. The group defended the village itself, while the Germans still had considerable freedom of movement in the surrounding countryside. For example, they blew up the windmill on the edge of the village.Resistance group prevents the abandonment of RoosterenBefore Christmas, the British took over the American positions, including those in Roosteren. The British considered the defence of Roosteren hopeless and decided to withdraw. When the former resistance group stated that they were willing to defend Roosteren themselves, the British commander agreed, and British support for the OD continued.Figurehead of the resistance group Jan Peters becomes Member of Parliament and receives the Military Order of WilliamOn 16 and 17 January 1945, Baakhoven and Dieteren were liberated, and the front line near Roosteren disappeared. The OD was therefore officially disbanded on 1 February. Jan Peters, a schoolteacher in Roosteren, was put forward as a candidate for the House of Representatives by the Catholic Teachers’ Association and the former resistance, and was ultimately elected. In 1951, he was awarded the Military Order of William by Prince Bernhard for his achievements during the war.

Resistance group from Roosteren

The railway yardDue to coal transport from the South Limburg mines, Susteren acquired a railway yard in the first quarter of the twentieth century. It was built for shunting trains—reorganising train compositions for destinations elsewhere in the Netherlands.Bombings and shellingIn order to disrupt the transport of weapons for the Germans, the Allies carried out their first attack on the shunting yard on 1 September 1944. This was still weeks before the Americans reached southern Limburg. The Allied bombs were most likely aimed at disabling a Flak (anti-aircraft gun). However, this weapon had already been relocated and was therefore not hit. One railway worker from Susteren was killed and two others were wounded. The damage to the railway infrastructure was extensive: switches, signal boxes, turntables and water pumps were destroyed. As a result, the yard was rendered almost completely unusable.The railway yard as part of the battlefieldHeide was the last part of Susteren that still needed to be liberated. The main obstacle was the railway yard itself, which was 2.5 kilometres long and approximately sixteen tracks wide. The tunnel—the only connection between Susteren and Heide—had flooded and was therefore unusable. The British had no choice but to cross the railway yard. This was extremely dangerous, as the open terrain made the advancing troops easy targets for German marksmen positioned on the Heide side. Close combat followed, with bayonet fighting man to man. The British gained the upper hand and were ultimately able to liberate Heide as well.

Railway yard: bombardments, death and battlefield

The advancing British in SusterenIn the early hours of 17 January 1945, an English company set out from Dieteren under cover of darkness, crossing snow-covered fields toward Susteren. They crawled across the ground toward the German positions. At a distance of about thirty metres, they suddenly began to run forward, screaming and shouting while firing their weapons. In this way, thirty Germans were taken prisoner. The British continued their advance. With the support of snipers, they captured additional German positions in the corner houses at the Feurthstraat/Louerstraat crossroads. Everything proceeded according to British plans—until daylight broke.Ambushed by German Tiger tanksOut of nowhere, the British suddenly encountered German Tiger tanks. Together with German soldiers positioned in the surrounding orchards, the tanks opened fire on the British troops. The British had requested tanks for their own defence, but that support did not arrive. The situation became untenable and the British suffered heavy losses. Even so, the company had orders to hold Susteren and did not give up.Western bombardmentAt last, help arrived. The British were ordered to withdraw to safety within twenty minutes. Then a western barrage of reportedly eighty thousand shells was unleashed. This brought an end to the final attempt by German forces to defend and retake ground in Susteren. At the same time, it rendered many homes that had nearly survived the war uninhabitable after all.Relieved by British tanksLate in the afternoon, the long-awaited British tank column arrived from the south. German troops were driven back across the railway line, and the British soldiers were relieved from their perilous positions. In the aftermath, forty British liberators were found to have been killed or wounded, and thirty British soldiers were missing. Just over twenty British soldiers survived the liberation.

A final ambush, just before the liberation

Susteren seemed liberatedIt was September 1944. In just a few days, the Americans advanced from Maastricht to Sittard. The people of Susteren could hear the fighting taking place in a forest between Nieuwstadt and Susteren. For days, residents watched columns of German and Belgian troops pass through the town on their way toward the German border. At one point, all German forces had left Susteren, and the town appeared to be “liberated.” Yet it did not feel like liberation. Where were the Americans?Liberation was still far awayThe Americans did not advance beyond the area of three major streams. They established a front line along the Vloedgraaf, near Susteren. Because the Americans failed to arrive and the borders with Germany remained closed, German troops returned to Susteren. They built an even stronger defensive position than before and prepared for battle with the Americans. As a result, the inhabitants of Susteren left their town in early November and spread northward across Limburg.The front began to move againIn mid-January 1945, the moment finally arrived. The Allied front began to move again. Susteren was initially attacked from the west, but after heavy bombardment, British tanks entered the town late in the afternoon.The price Susteren paidWhen the damage was assessed, a large part of Susteren was found to be heavily destroyed or damaged. Fortunately, the centuries-old Amelberg Basilica (with walls up to one and a half metres thick) remained relatively well preserved. As a result, the church could be brought back into use shortly after the war. The seven-hundred-year-old sacristy next to the church, however, was completely destroyed. Despite all the damage and destruction, some parts of Susteren were still habitable. Gradually, the residents of Susteren began to return home.

A long awaited liberation

Susteren was in the frontline from the end of September 1944 until mid-January 1945. The devastation caused by shelling was immense, and the inhabitants who stayed behind went through hell. When the Germans evacuated the village on 16 January 1945, they left the cannon behind. Major Evans, commander of the British liberators, donated the cannon as a permanent reminder of Susteren.The village community still cherishes the war trophy with pride today. A councillor recently put it as follows: "London has the Tower Bridge, Paris has the Eiffel Tower. And we, we have this cannon."The cannon weighs about 6,000 kilograms. The four white rings on the barrel represent direct hits and prove that the Susteren cannon was deadly effective. The cannon was restored and given back its original sand colour and markings in 2001.

Liberation Route Echt-Susteren

Miejsca i historie wzdłuż trasy

Resistance group from Roosteren

Railway yard: bombardments, death and battlefield

A final ambush, just before the liberation

A long awaited liberation

PAK cannon