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75 years ago this week, the province of Limburg the Netherlands was liberated

Peter King

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And the liberators were the Old Hickory division.

After landing in Normandy, the brave soldiers of the 30th infantry division moved through France and Belgium until on the 12th of September 1944 they came across the Belgian Dutch border and on the 13th the city of Maastricht was liberated by the US army.

In honor of it being 75 years ago, a lot of celebrations and remembrances are being organized. A group of Dutch runners is as we speak running in a relay manner the route from the beaches of France until they liberated the first part of the Netherlands. They will be wearing a torch to remember the US soldiers whose sacrifice made it possible to liberated the Netherlands/Limburg.

In the coming weeks, there is almost no city or town who does not have a remembrance event/liberation event to remember the Old Hickory Division and their courageous sacrifice to liberate my part of the Netherlands.

And with the American memorial cemetery and the fact that US troops remained in Limburg until the war in the West was truly over and done with.

My mother can remember how her parents had US soldiers lodging in their house as a thank you for them kicking the nazi's out of our region.

So thank you again, all the brave soldiers of the 30th infantry division for your brave battle to liberate the Dutch and defeat Adolf and his cronies.

If I can score pictures or video's from these remembrances/memorials I will post them, even if the language is Dutch LOL.
 
And the liberators were the Old Hickory division.

After landing in Normandy, the brave soldiers of the 30th infantry division moved through France and Belgium until on the 12th of September 1944 they came across the Belgian Dutch border and on the 13th the city of Maastricht was liberated by the US army.

In honor of it being 75 years ago, a lot of celebrations and remembrances are being organized. A group of Dutch runners is as we speak running in a relay manner the route from the beaches of France until they liberated the first part of the Netherlands. They will be wearing a torch to remember the US soldiers whose sacrifice made it possible to liberated the Netherlands/Limburg.

In the coming weeks, there is almost no city or town who does not have a remembrance event/liberation event to remember the Old Hickory Division and their courageous sacrifice to liberate my part of the Netherlands.

And with the American memorial cemetery and the fact that US troops remained in Limburg until the war in the West was truly over and done with.

My mother can remember how her parents had US soldiers lodging in their house as a thank you for them kicking the nazi's out of our region.

So thank you again, all the brave soldiers of the 30th infantry division for your brave battle to liberate the Dutch and defeat Adolf and his cronies.

If I can score pictures or video's from these remembrances/memorials I will post them, even if the language is Dutch LOL.

Did any of the U.S. troops settle there?
 
Peter King:

Hongerwinter was about to grip the Netherlands in its cruel talons. Your region was comparatively lucky compared to the northern, eastern and western regions of Holland/the Netherlands. The US 30th Infantry Division along with the 7th and 2nd Armoured Divisions spared you from the worst of the misery of starvation. Well done, men of the Old Hickory.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
 
Peter King:

Hongerwinter was about to grip the Netherlands in its cruel talons. Your region was comparatively lucky compared to the northern, eastern and western regions of Holland/the Netherlands. The US 30th Infantry Division along with the 7th and 2nd Armoured Divisions spared you from the worst of the misery of starvation. Well done, men of the Old Hickory.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

You are right, the hunger winter was a terrible time of which we were spared. And the rest of the Netherlands could possibly have been saved if not for Monty and the bridge too far/operation Market Garden.

That is why we in the South celebrate liberation a lot earlier than the North and why we celebrate the American liberators while the rest of my country thanks the Canadians (mostly).
 
Did any of the U.S. troops settle there?

I would not know, but I doubt it. To be honest we were just a blip on their radar. They were in and out of the Netherlands on their way too Aachen.

We do however have a US presence with an Army base less than 10 miles from where I live and a NATO headquarters too (about 15 miles away).

And in the neighborhood I used to live, a few US families lived in the street where the backyard of our house came out onto. And when I was a barkeeper at a hard rock (and not the brand but a real hard rock/heavy metal bar) we have a few US customers.
 
I would not know, but I doubt it. To be honest we were just a blip on their radar. They were in and out of the Netherlands on their way too Aachen.

We do however have a US presence with an Army base less than 10 miles from where I live and a NATO headquarters too (about 15 miles away).

And in the neighborhood I used to live, a few US families lived in the street where the backyard of our house came out onto. And when I was a barkeeper at a hard rock (and not the brand but a real hard rock/heavy metal bar) we have a few US customers.

I've read accounts of U.S. toops returing to communities that they served in during the war and putting down roots, starting families. That's why I ask. Wondering you knew of any in your area.
 
A few years ago we had a side trip to Nijmegen. We took in a trip to a museum dedicated to the US forces that liberated the area in 1944. The US is still held in high regard for the actions during that winter. The curator of this museum had been a young girl during the “hunger winter.” One of the stories that stands out from that visit was one of a farmer that had returned to his fields after the hostilities. As he plowed his land, he ran across unexploded ordnance, he was advised to store it in an unused portion of his land. As the munitions stacked up the farmer looked for guidance as to what to do with the ever expanding amount of explosives. The local authorities recommended that he set the ordnance off in a controlled manner. This would have been in late 1945, early 1946. The day of the big event was approaching and the locals made preparations.

When the day came the explosion was so massive that the recently installed glass windows were blown out and created much ill will until the event faded into memory.
 
A few years ago we had a side trip to Nijmegen. We took in a trip to a museum dedicated to the US forces that liberated the area in 1944. The US is still held in high regard for the actions during that winter. The curator of this museum had been a young girl during the “hunger winter.” One of the stories that stands out from that visit was one of a farmer that had returned to his fields after the hostilities. As he plowed his land, he ran across unexploded ordnance, he was advised to store it in an unused portion of his land. As the munitions stacked up the farmer looked for guidance as to what to do with the ever expanding amount of explosives. The local authorities recommended that he set the ordnance off in a controlled manner. This would have been in late 1945, early 1946. The day of the big event was approaching and the locals made preparations.

When the day came the explosion was so massive that the recently installed glass windows were blown out and created much ill will until the event faded into memory.

Rexedgar:

Proof that UXBs are a right shattering pane!

Apologies.
Evilroddy.
 
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