The 290th Infantry, 75th Infantry Division Combat Diary written and edited by Technician 4th Grade Cecil J. Bond is a primary source of information for the World War II cities I made every effort to sketch. He noted that on March 3, 1945 the regiment moved to an assembly area near Venlo Netherlands where the battalions were almost immediately alerted to a further move to the forward division assembly area near Westerbrock Germany. This was the first time the 75th would be advancing into Germany. They were advancing to relive elements of the 291st Infantry.
As I sat at dinner at Gasthause Luthermuhle, I was searching for Westerbrock Germany on Google Maps on my phone. For the life of me, I could not find the town. There was a Westerbrock Netherlands far to the north which was the site of a major Nazi transit camp, it served as a gathering point for over 100,000 Jews, Sinti, and Roma before their deportation to concentration and extermination camps in German-occupied Poland and Germany. That town was way too far north, so that could not be the assembly area I was looking for. I assumed it had to be pretty close to where I was, but there was no Westerbrock Germany.
My waiter spoke English, so I asked him if he knew where Westerbrock Germany might be. He was stumped as well. As I was paying for dinner, he said to me, “you might be looking for Westerbroek Germany.” I returned to the maps and sure enough there was a Westerbroek Germany close by. An 80 year old typo had almost made me skip this World War II assembly area.
The next morning I drove to Westerbroek. It isn’t a town, it is just wide open fields. I drove to the spot that Google maps identified as Westerbroek and sketched. A woman on her horse was walking by, and I asked her if this was Westerbroek. She wasn’t sure. No wonder the Americans in World War II were confused by all the tiny German hamlets, even the Germans are not sure which is which.
The farmhouse I sketched was flying the German flag. The family was getting ready for a weekend escape. They were packing their camper and drove off before I finished my sketch. I was parked in their field on the side of the road, and they did look at me with some suspicion. They let me be. I wondered what the crop might be that they were growing, it was a strange blue green color.
The assembly area must have just been in a field in this area. The 290th Infantry was providing a northern screen for the advancing 9th Army. Units of the First Canadian Army were contacted by members of the Headquarters of I Platoon and R platoon north of the 290th so they would be aware of the screening activity. I imagine this would be to avoid friendly fire.