Unlike Roermond, the Venlo bridge was not hit. The beautiful historical centre, the Blerick district and various neighbourhoods did not escape the damage. Hundreds of civilians lost their lives. Famine was also a threat. The Germans took advantage of the food shortage to evacuate the city in January 1945. The inhabitants of Venlo began a long evacuation journey on foot and under harsh weather conditions. Several monuments and memorials recall the great suffering of war.

The Netherlands

Rundbogenhalle Fliegerhorst Venlo-Herongen/Nordkomplex

Venlo, city on the front line in need 

The liberation monument reminds Venlo's inhabitants of the victory over the occupying forces of 1945.After a successful advance through northern France and Belgium, the Americans of the 30th infantry 'Old Hickory' had succeeded in liberating most of South Limburg. Then, on 17 September 1944, the Allies wanted to capture a bridgehead over the major rivers in the Netherlands from Belgium by means of a major offensive (operation 'Market Garden'). Airborne troops had to secure the bridges in North Brabant and Gelderland in a lightning-fast attack. From Belgium, ground troops had to advance over the captured bridges to the IJsselmeer.Three complete divisions were dropped: the 101st U.S. Airborne Division at Eindhoven and Veghel, the 82nd U.S. Airborne Division at Grave and Groesbeek and the 1st British Airborne Division at Arnhem and Oosterbeek. For the Americans, everything went pretty well. The bridges over the Maas and the Maas-Waal canal near Heumen as well as most bridges near Eindhoven fell into their hands. After a hard battle, the Waal bridge near Nijmegen was also a success. But the Rhine bridge near Arnhem turned out to be one bridge too many. The British paratroopers were surprised by German armoured troops and had to retreat to the Betuwe after heavy losses.On 19 September, the American advance also stagnated in South Limburg, a few kilometres north of Sittard. The front line now ran right through Limburg. In the following months, a heavy and bloody battle ensued in this area, from which the civilian population suffered greatly.&nbsp;Venlo was also at the front line. The Allies fought their way from the Peel to the Maas. As the occupiers were pushed further backwards to their own imperial border, they became increasingly tough and fanatical. The bridge over the Maas between Venlo and Blerick was bombed repeatedly between 13 October and 19 November 1944, because of its strategic importance. The population suffered greatly from these constant bombings. 4 and 5 November were particularly bad.In the autumn of 1944, Martien Blondel (pseudonym for Gijs Bertels) kept a diary. His account of the events during the autumn of 1944 is recorded in the publication Die swaere noodt (The great need). Blondel wrote in his diary: “Sunday, 5 November 1944. The heart of Venlo is crying out. From one side to the other, unwieldy flames stagger over the city. Our sweet home burns, and in the restless breath of the night wind, the reddish glows stretch so far along the clouds that the whole of North Limburg should know: the city of Valuas is burning. The god of war has thrown his torch into the heart of Venlo. [...] The bombs missed their target once again and instead came down in the inner city, close to the Sint-Nicolaaskerk (Church of Saint Nicholas). The girls' schools in the Grote Kerkstraat collapsed above the cellars, where dozens of nuns became trapped. The city centre started burning in various places. The storm swung sparks through the destroyed windows of the Klaaskerk (Nicholas Church). The water pipes were broken. Extinguishing water had to be pumped up from afar. The glow of fire fanned into a roaring and seething hell. A hurricane of sparks roared over a city, while its windowless houses and shattered roofs lay open to every seed of fire. This could be the complete demise.But the wind died down and heavy rain put an end to the conflagration. Approximately 16,000 people from Venlo had fled to villages north and south of the city. Looting broke out and Venlo fell into a state of upheaval and anarchy. Additionally, the lack of food was dramatic. The last and heaviest bombardment hit Venlo on Sunday 19 November 1944. Twenty civilians were killed. On 25 November 1944, the occupying forces blew up the Maas bridge. The official death toll as a result of the bombings had now risen to 333. On 3 December 1944, the Blerick district was liberated after a heavy battle between the British and the occupier. The British continued to lick their wounds in Blerick. Venlo would still remain occupied for months. Because North and Central Limburg were on the front line, the occupier decided to issue an evacuation order for this area. Venlo was also evacuated. Trains full of evacuees left for Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, where the Limburgers were housed with private individuals. After all the misery endured in Limburg, they were liberated almost silently by the Canadians in the far north in the course of the month of April.

Venlo Liberation Memorial

The former Venlo-Herongen Air Base was built between October 1940 and March 1941 as a German Fliegerhorst on the Groote Heide (Large Heathland) near Venlo. It was given the name Fliegerhorst Venlo. The complex had two runways of 1,450 and 1,200 metres and was equipped with the most modern safety installations, radio equipment and night lighting. It was expanded several times in the following years. The runways were on Dutch territory and the other buildings were divided between Dutch and German territory. A road network with a total length of approximately 48 kilometres ran through the Fliegerhorst between the hangars, shelters, workshops, casinos, football and tennis courts. Between January 1943 and August 1944, approximately 75 to 100 attacks were carried out on the airbase, with many bombs landing outside the airbase. On 3 September 1944, the base was attacked by a 114 RAF aircraft, causing the take-off and landing area to be decommissioned. German equipment was taken off the base on 5 September. Almost everything that was still standing, was blown up by the German army in the following days. After the Americans liberated Venlo on 1 March 1945, they renamed it Y-55 and used it from 10 March 1945 to 20 September 1945. On Dutch territory, most of the remains have been thoroughly cleaned. On German territory, almost everything is still in the state it was left behind.<iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wp_8g_K9szw?showinfo=0"></iframe>﻿

Fliegerhorst  

'The Guards' in Venlo warn against aggression, violence and war. They serve as symbolic guardians of the city of Venlo.After a successful advance through northern France and Belgium, the Americans of the 30th infantry 'Old Hickory' had succeeded in liberating most of South Limburg. Then, on 17 September 1944, the Allies wanted to capture a bridgehead over the major rivers in the Netherlands from Belgium by means of a major offensive (operation 'Market Garden'). Airborne troops had to secure the bridges in North Brabant and Gelderland in a lightning-fast attack. From Belgium, ground troops had to advance over the captured bridges to the IJsselmeer.Three complete divisions were dropped: the 101st U.S. Airborne Division at Eindhoven and Veghel, the 82nd U.S. Airborne Division at Grave and Groesbeek and the 1st British Airborne Division at Arnhem and Oosterbeek. For the Americans, everything went pretty well. The bridges over the Maas and the Maas-Waal canal near Heumen as well as most bridges near Eindhoven fell into their hands. After a hard battle, the Waal bridge near Nijmegen was also a success. But the Rhine bridge near Arnhem turned out to be one bridge too many. The British paratroopers were surprised by German armoured troops and had to retreat to the Betuwe after heavy losses.On 19 September, the American advance also stagnated in South Limburg, a few kilometres north of Sittard. The front line now ran right through Limburg. In the following months, a heavy and bloody battle ensued in this area, from which the civilian population suffered greatly.Venlo was also at the front line. The Allies fought their way from the Peel to the Maas. As the occupiers were pushed further backwards to their own imperial border, they became increasingly tough and fanatical. The bridge over the Maas between Venlo and Blerick was bombed repeatedly between 13 October and 19 November 1944, because of its strategic importance. The population suffered greatly from these constant bombings. 4 and 5 November were particularly bad.In the autumn of 1944, Martien Blondel (pseudonym for Gijs Bertels) kept a diary. His account of the events during the autumn of 1944 is recorded in the publication Die swaere noodt (The great need). Blondel wrote in his diary: “Sunday, 5 November 1944. The heart of Venlo is crying out. From one side to the other, unwieldy flames stagger over the city. Our sweet home burns, and in the restless breath of the night wind, the reddish glows stretch so far along the clouds that the whole of North Limburg should know: the city of Valuas is burning. The god of war has thrown his torch into the heart of Venlo. [...] The bombs missed their target once again and instead came down in the inner city, close to the Sint-Nicolaaskerk (Church of Saint Nicholas). The girls' schools in the Grote Kerkstraat collapsed above the cellars, where dozens of nuns became trapped. The city centre started burning in various places. The storm swung sparks through the destroyed windows of the Klaaskerk (Nicholas Church). The water pipes were broken. Extinguishing water had to be pumped up from afar. The glow of fire fanned into a roaring and seething hell. A hurricane of sparks roared over a city, while its windowless houses and shattered roofs lay open to every seed of fire. This could be the complete demise.'But the wind died down and heavy rain put an end to the conflagration. Approximately 16,000 people from Venlo had fled to villages north and south of the city. Looting broke out and Venlo fell into a state of upheaval and anarchy. Additionally, the lack of food was dramatic. The last and heaviest bombardment hit Venlo on Sunday 19 November 1944. Twenty civilians were killed. On 25 November 1944, the occupying forces blew up the Maas bridge. The official death toll as a result of the bombings had now risen to 333. On 3 December 1944, the Blerick district was liberated after a heavy battle between the British and the occupier. The British continued to lick their wounds in Blerick. Venlo would still remain occupied for months. Because North and Central Limburg were on the front line, the occupier decided to issue an evacuation order for this area. Venlo was also evacuated. Trains full of evacuees left for Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, where the Limburgers were housed with private individuals. After all the misery endured in Limburg, they were liberated almost silently by the Canadians in the far north in the course of the month of April.&nbsp;The Maas bridge was completely destroyed during the last bombardment on 25 November 1944. The bridge was rebuilt in 1957.

The Guardians Memorial

Initially, Jewish worship services were held in the attic of a building at the Keulsepoort, but in 1827 the makeshift synagogue moved to the former protestant institute for the poor on the Helschriksel. The Jewish community flourished like never before, which led to the opening of a brand-new synagogue on the Maasschriksel in 1865. The construction was realised thanks to financial contributions from private individuals, King William I, the city of Venlo and the Province. The synagogue was heavily damaged during the intense bombardments in October and November 1944. Some of the Torah scrolls and ritual objects were spared.Until 1947, the religious meetings took place in a small room of the Protestant church and during the 1960s Venlo had a liberal Jewish community for a short time.In 1965, the final decision was made not to restore the damaged and dilapidated synagogue, the building was demolished. The local Jewish community was dissolved in 1975.At the foot of Venlo's liberation monument on Monseigneur Boermanstraat, a memorial plaque has been attached in memory of the deported and murdered Jews.

Former synagogue 

Since 1941, the German Luftwaffe has been using Venlo Airfield as a major support base in the air war. Fliegerhorst Venlo-Herungen, as the Germans call it, grows into a large and important airfield from which German night fighters operate.&#13;
On September the 3rd 1944, the airport is severely damaged by Allied bombing. On September the 5th, the Dutch Prime Minister Gerbrandy implies in a radio broadcast that the Allies have reached Breda. Many German troops panic including the Luftwaffe personnel at Venlo Airfield. They depart in haste. The Allied advance actually takes a few months.&#13;
During the liberation of Venlo on March the 1st 1945, the Allies take over the airfield and rename it ‘Yankee 55'. The airfield has to be rebuilt from scratch. When they abandoned the airfield, German demolition units have blown up virtually all the buildings and hangars and disabled the runways. A tented camp then arises where all the officers, junior officers and men are accommodated. Life during those first weeks is very primitive with trenches dug at the edge of the tented area for toilets and upturned helmets used as washbowls for shaving. Mockingly, the tented city is called the Venlo Hilton.&#13;
In the meantime, the pilots make life as pleasant as possible. After all, they are aware that every day could be their last. If they are not flying or sleeping, they ride around on captured motorbikes, plunder and trade goods from the abandoned houses in the area. Or flirt with German frauleins and Russian and Dutch girls and imbibe in homemade distilled spirits.&#13;
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Venlo, une ville en première ligne et dans le besoin

Photos

Sites et histoires le long de la route

Venlo Liberation Memorial

Fliegerhorst

The Guardians Memorial

Former synagogue

Venlo Hilton