Six Word Saturday:
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They Came To Reclaim Our Freedom
In the Netherlands, Liberation Day (Dutch: Bevrijdingsdag) is celebrated each year on May 5th, to mark the end of the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II.
The nation was liberated largely by Canadian troops, with the assistance of the British and American Armies (see Operation Market Garden) and French airborne (see Operation Amherst).
THANK YOU!!!!
On the 5th of May 1945, the Canadian General Charles Foulkes and the German Commander-in-Chief Johannes Blaskowitz reached an agreement on the capitulation of German forces in the Netherlands in Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen. One day later, the capitulation document was signed in the auditorium of Wageningen University, located next-door to the hotel.
After the liberation in 1945, Liberation Day was commemorated every 5 years. Finally, in 1990, the day was declared to be a national holiday, when the liberation would be commemorated and celebrated every year.
On May 4th, the Dutch hold the Remembrance of the Dead for the people who fought and died during World War II, and in wars in general. There is a remembrance gathering in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam and at the National Monument on Dam Square in Amsterdam. Throughout the country, two minutes of silence are observed at 8 p.m. On May 5th, the liberation is celebrated and festivals are held at most places in the Netherlands.
Photo © Legermuseum
Information: Wikipedia
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Figments of a DuTchess 
I just hit on this site by accident… and was taken with the emotionality of the photo. Looking at the joy on the people’s faces makes me proud that my Father had some part in creating their smiles. (He was a Canadian infantry soldier that fought in the Netherlands).
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Fred, thanks so much for sharing your story, your Father’s story. Without him and his comrades, we would have been lost.
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From what I heard from the Canadians who were there… it was the Dutch people who were the real heros. They were the ones who carried on day after day under unimaginable oppression for years. Canadians helped win your freedom… but your people’s continued strength was the real author. Salute.
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Freedom is worth fighting for. I have the greatest respect for these courageous warriors who would not back down.
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My mother and grandmother told me a lot about the war and I’m so grateful that I was born 13 years later. Love the picture, it says so much 🙂
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Their faces are so happy, so free. I loved the picture the minute I saw it and had to do something with it.
Let’s hope we never find ourselves in a war.
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One of the things that has always intrigued me about these wars and murderous activities we human beans commit against each other from time to time is that often within a generation’s length of time afterwards, old enemies become friends.
I frequent the blog of a US veteran of the Vietnam War who recently mentioned the efforts of other such veterans to return to the scene of conflict to help rebuild that country and make former enemies safe from unexploded bombs.
http://rangeragainstwar.blogspot.com/2012/04/same-same-but-different.html
Veterans of former US allies in that war effort, and non-veterans too, have helped in similar work.. Many of these people have described this work as a healing effort for themselves.
Another interest I have wrt times of war is the machinery of war itself, especially ships and aircraft. Some of the most beautiful things we have ever made, for some of the most atrocious and cruel actions we do.
Four crewman of a German bomber fly towards England to destroy property and people, but are shot down. Two survive, are captured and are sent to Canada to sit out the rest of the war.
Seventy years later, the British are requesting funds to raise this bomber from the sea, restore it and keep it safe in a museum for anyone to see. Seventy years earlier, British airmen and their allies died to stop this bomber and its companions from their deadly mission. Money spent and lives lost and families losing the ones they love to kill these machines of death and destruction.
And now, the British want to save this beautiful machine of death.
Human beans are crazy, are we not? I support them doing this, it’s the only survivor of the hundreds made that is in such good condition.
The two dead German crewmen? The earth of England covers one, the earth of Holland covers the other.
http://www.aircraftconservation.org/aircraft-restoration-projects/dornier-17-conservation-project
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The crew link at the last site above didn’t work, so here’s the crew information.
The German crew details were as follows:
Pilot: Feldwebel (Flt Sgt) Willi Effmert, wounded (POW), age 24.
Observer: Unteroffizier (Sgt) Herman Ritzel (POW), age 21.
Wireless Operator: Unteroffizier (Sgt) Helmut Reinhardt, killed (buried Ysselsteyn, Holland – block BQ, row 6, plot 136), age 27.
Bombardier: Gefreiter (Cpl) Heinz Huhn, killed (buried Cannock Chase – block 1, row 1, plot 405), age 21.
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They were so terribly young to rule over life and death…
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Crazy human beans we are, Michael. If a person has great charisma with good intentions – like Ghandi – it is great. If (s)he has bad intentions though, they could lead to suppression and war. I wish Hitler had used his talent for a good cause, in stead of leading so many people to their death.
Those airplanes can’t help it that they were used to bomb, it’s just a machine. No harm in trying to save it. Perhaps it will become a reminder to never let this happen again.
Thank you so much for this additional information, I really appreciate it all.
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I am sure it was a joyous day when it happened! Thanks for the info about it! I hope your Sunday is a great one!
betty
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Nice of you to drop in! Another Sunday coming up, enjoy 🙂
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Very nice piece of history, thanks for sharing!
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And thank you for reading, Karen 🙂
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Well done, Mar…you packed a lot of history into this short post, and educated me 🙂
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My pleasure, Roxie. It is important to remember the past and learn from it. But I don’t know if we succeed in that: there are still wars.
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Love it! Did you hear the poem that was read @ De Dam yesterday? It was so breathtaking. Impressed how young people still can translate the feeling that comes with this day.
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No, I didn’t. Could you perhaps post it here? I’d love to read it 🙂
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