On the Home Front

 

 

"...At ten o'clock in the morning we heard the noise of horses and wheels and we saw the Germans soldiers with cannons and soup kitchens on wheels passing by our house. They were greeting (us) kindly, but we did not greet (them) back. We ignored them..."

 

 Jozef Verheggen

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  • Status: Civilian
  • Dates: 1940 - 1945
  • Location: Grevenbicht, The Netherlands
  • Birth Year: 1931
  • Location of Birth: Maastricht, The Netherlands

 

 

A few memories of war 1940 - 1945 by Jozef Verheggen, born on August 1, 1931 in Maastricht.

 

    I was 10 years old when in 1940 the Nazis came in our little village, Grevenbicht, situated at the border of the river Maas, 25 kilometres north of Maastricht. This area has the smallest distance in the Netherlands between Belgium and Germany (12 kilometres). I was the eldest boy of seven children.

    The night before we slept in the cellar of our house because there had been gun- and shell-fire during the night.

    At ten o'clock in the morning we heard the noise of horses and wheels and we saw the Germans soldiers with cannons and soup kitchens on wheels passing by our house. They were greeting (us) kindly, but we did not greet (them) back. We ignored them.

    We were told that the Dutch soldiers had resisted a few hours; but, that the supremacy of the Germans was too great. Many Dutch soldiers were killed in action.

    A few days after the invasion we heard that Rotterdam was totally devastated by German air raids. After two weeks the Netherlands capitulated.

    After one or two years food was distributed and there was a pro Nazi group of Dutch civilians (Nationaal Socialistische Bewegmg) who sympathised with the Nazis. They were spying for the enemy and we had to take care for them, because they were betraying the people.

    We listened to the radio secretely and circulated the information from London BBC (sometimes in Dutch language) People put hope and courage on it.

    Resistance and sabotage groups were formed and attacked railways and post offices to destroy the registers of birth.

    My friends and I went by bike to high school in Sittard, near the border of Germany, nine kilometres from Grevenbicht. One day we were told that our favourite teacher was killed by the Nazis in Putten (Middle of The Netherlands) as a retaliatory measure for a deadly attack on a High German officer. The teacher had offered his life as a stand in of his friend. His friend had two young children and his wife was pregnant. Nearly two hundred boys and men had been executed.

    We all began to weep and went home in silence.

    After some weeks we came at school and saw our teachers moving out. We saw the Nazis entering the building with beds and quilts and we understand they had confiscated our school.

    The students had to be dispersed over the little town in private houses. We got a verv fine contact with our teachers and learned also a lot about war and repression.

    One day in 1943 we heard a big noise in the air. We saw a lot of airplanes with a red circle on their wings. People shouted and said, "They are airplanes of England and America." They went bombing the factories in Germany. After a few hours they came back. The raids of the bombers became more frequent and the drone sounded like music. Sometimes the whole sky was filled with planes. During the night we could see the anti-aircraft missiles exploding near the airplanes. We hoped always they were missing.

    American and British aviators, that had escaped after the crash of their airplanes, were hidden by inhabitants and were - mostly during the night or dawn- transported over the German and Dutch borders to Belgium. From Belgium they returned to England so soon as possible.

    The resistance was growing. One of the finest events was that Cardinal de Jong, Archbishop of the Netherlands, in public denounced the Nazis. He sent letters to each community and asked to read them out loud in the churches. In Grevenbicht the priest read them out loud with such a great conviction and pleasure that some farmers brought him their finest meat and chicken because they were grateful for the nice lecture. The occupier was powerless against this.

    One night we were told that the Allies had landed in Normandy. People were very glad to hear this and whispered the good news to their neighbors.

    A few weeks later on we heard the noise of gun and shellfire coming closer and we stayed a few days in the cellar of our house.

    One night there was a terrible noise of shells which exploded nearby our house. The house was shaking and clouds of dust came in the cellar. By daylight my father went outside and inspected the house. He came back and told us the third floor had been destroyed by shells.

    When it was calm we went out the cellar and saw two American soldiers. They went carefully along the houses with a gun and watched left and right.

    As I saw it I knew that we had been liberated.

    The time after was full of joy.

    We went to the army base of the Americans and got rice with prunes and bars of thick chocolate. For us it was a delicacy after 4 years.

    During war we had enough food. Each year my mother raised a pig and when it was grown up it was slaughtered. We had also chickens and eggs. My mother baked bread. My father cultivated vegetables in the garden. So we had enough basic food.

    During the winter we had the Ardennes offensive. We were afraid that the Germans would come back but the soldiers who had been billeted in our house (very cosy) reassured us.

    I remember this all very clearly and I will I will never forget what the Allies have done to give us back our freedom.

    Thanks to all of you.

 

 

 

Story By: Jozef Verheggen, The Netherlands

The above story was sent to Mr. Edward L. Souder on January 5, 2009. Mr. Souder was stationed with Co. F., 406th Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division. His unit was stationed near Masstricht in the winter of 1944.

Years later, Mr. Souder returned to visit the area around Masstricht. He had been severly wounded by German 88mm fire on Thanksgiving, 1944. He went back to try and retrace his steps. He met and befriended Mr. Jozef Verheggen during one of these trips back to Europe.

Story originally submitted on: 5 January 2009
Story Added to Website on: