March 7, 1945: Heidhausen Germany

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On March 7, 1945bas part of OPERATION GRENADE, the 1st Battalion of the 75th Infantry Division assembled in Heidhausen Germany, south of Venlo Netherlands. The 2nd Battalion assembled in Bruch Germany and the 3rd a battalion assembled in Hulst Germany. I kept my focus on 1st Battalion since my father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thospecken was in charge of C-Company in the 1st Battalion. They were assembling to prepare to clear Venlo, Roermund and Leutherheide Germany.

OPERATION GRENADE involved crossing the flooded Roer River and driving the Germans back across the Rhine River to the east. The Rhine River was the last natural barrier keeping American troops from sweeping towards Berlin Germany.Rhine

Troops were billeted in the finest homes in town. For 3 days they screened the surrounding towns for prisoners of war, weapons and to clear any remaining pill boxes. Once this area was cleared they would push east to the Rhine River.

Today, Heidhausen is very much a small rural community. I parked the rental car on a small suburban street and then hiked out onto the long expanses of farming dirt roads. The community church in Bruch Germany can be seen in the distance.

March 1945: Kaldenkirchen Germany

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Gasthause Luthemuhle was the Inn I stayed in as I explored and sketched Kaldenkirchen Germany. It was a really nice place right on a lake and there were two horses who grazed right outside my window as the sun set. It was a quiet peaceful retreat which is the polar opposite of the 80 year old war zone I was trying to find evidence of.

The quick sketch is of the dining room. The Inn was far from the town of Kaldenkirchen, so I at here several times.

There was little resistance when 8th Armored Division first took Kaldenkirchen on March 1, 1945. My father, 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken and the men of C-Company of the 75th Infantry Division were in this area from March 8th to March 11, 1945 clearing isolated pockets of German resistance. They did the same in Venlo Netherlands and Roermund Netherlands which are both close to Kaldenkirchen Germany.

XVI Corps command post, was located in Kaldenkirchen Germany in early March 1945. The 75th Infantry Division was assigned to the XVI Corps for OPERATION GRENADE. That Operation had the troops advancing across the Ruhr River  which had been flooded by the retreating Germans, to the western side of the Rhine River. The British and Canadians were to the north as the troops advanced towards the Rhine River.

 

March 8, 1945: Kaldenkirchen Germany

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The 8th Armored Division passing through Kaldenkirchen Germany on March 3rd with little resistance. March 6, 1945 the 75th Infantry was ordered to move to an assembly area south of Kaldenkirchen Germany. That troop movement was completed by March 7, 1945. On March 7th there was small arms fire near the 75th Infantry Command Post. The Headquarters and Service Companies were alerted but no enemy troops were found in the area.

On March 9, 1945, a jeep patrol from the 75th Infantry division hit an anti-tank mine just east of Kaldenkirchen in farm country, resulting in several casualties, including one killed in action. The night of 10 March 1945, the 75th Infantry Division relieved Task Force Murray of the 35th Infantry Division working with the 8th Armored Division. The bridges to Wesel across the Rhine River had been blown by retreating Germans and the movement across the Rhine, halted.

From March 8-11 1945 the 75th Infantry Division was involved in clearing the area around Kaldenkirchen Germany as well as Venlo and Roermund Netherlands. The 35th Infantry Division had accomplished a breakthrough in this area but did not have time to completely eliminate all the enemy installations in the area. It fell to the 75th Infantry Division to take out each installation one at a time. German prisoners were taken, suspected were processed, mine fields were marked to keep troops from injury and for future clearing and large quantities of weapons and ammunition were confiscated.

From March 13 to March 23, the 75th patrolled a sector along the west bank of the Rhine from Wesel to Homburg.

 

Heinsberg Germany Jewish Memorial

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just to the south east of Roermond Netherlands, across the border is Heinsberg Germany. This memorial was placed in a quiet park setting next to a busy intersection. When I started to sketch, school children were making their way home from school, shouting and playing along the fence that borders the memorial space. The memorial was placed in honor of the Jewish citizens of Heinsberg who are victims of the holocaust.

When Hitler came into power, the Jewish citizens of Heinsberg Germany suffered. Anti Jewish leaflets circulated in the town stated: “Whoever still has honor and pride, does not buy from Jews”. All Jewish goods were boycotted. A tannery in Heisenberg was used to supply food to Jewish residents after krystalnacht (night of broken glass), when Jewish businesses had store windows broken and stores destroyed. The Heisenberg Synagogue was burned on krystalnacht. The Jewish cemetery was desecrated and destroyed. It is not possible to establish how many Heisenberg citizens helped Jews escape across the border into the Netherlands. One midwife paid for her efforts to help with her life. Despite a few citizens trying to help, the Jews were deported east where they  disappeared. Few Jewish residents ever returned home.

Heinsberg was heavily damaged during World War II particularly during the Battle of the Bulge and then OPERATION BLACKCOCK,  which cleared Germans from the area around the Netherlands border. The fighting involved fierce combat between German and British troops. The 75th Infantry Division was not involved in these battles but did operate along the Rhine River near the area in February-March 1945 after crossing from the west bank. The division’s combat actions included a patrol of the Rhine from Wesel to Homburg, a rest period in Luneville, and then moving to patrol a defensive front along the Maas River near Roermond, Netherlands, which was just west of the German border. 

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Roermund Netherlands: Munster Church

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It seems everyone is riding bikes in the Netherlands. There are dedicated bike lanes in every city and through the countryside. It is a culture I rather like. In Orlando Florida I know of several people who lost their lives because they were hit by cars while biking. Biking in Orlando is a hazard.

There were dozens of bikes lined up in this Roermund inner city square. Bikers came and went while I sketched. I sat down at a spot under a tree, but always felt I was a little in the way with all the comings and goings.

The Munster Church was first built in the 13th Century. It was one part of a huge Abby most of which was demolished in 1924. Between 1863 and 1869 the church underwent a large renovation. The church name comes from the Latin word, monasterium, meaning monastery.

Roermund was occupied by Germany from 1940 to 1945, and liberated by the 35th US Infantry Division on March 1, 1945 which would be shortly before the 75th Infantry would set up a command post in the city. The liberation came about as part of Operation Blackcock. This military offensive started in January of 1945 to clear the area between the Meuse and Roer rivers. The German paratroopers put offered considerable resistance in the areas south of Roermund. Allied troops in particular the 52nd Lowland Division suffered serious losses.

Munster Church was slightly damaged during the fighting to liberate Roermund in March of 1945. Roermund suffered from up to 90% of its buildings being destroyed.

Roermund Netherlands

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Roermund Netherlands was a 75th Infantry Division Command post sometime between February 21 and March 11, 1945. The 75th Infantry Troops secured a 24 mile front on the west shore of the Maas River. There were nightly patrols where a squad of men would cross the river to find out anything possible about German defenses. While the troops dug in along the river the big brass got to enjoy this gorgeous historic city.

During the winter of 1944-45 Roermund was a frontline city when the initial Allied advance stalled. The city was heavily shelled by the Allies while it was under German occupation, and most of the civilian population was evacuated. The Germans occupied the city since 1940 but in February 1945 the Allies pushed their way into the city.

Construction first started on theSaint Christopher Cathedral in 1410. It has been the backbone of the Catholic faith in Roermund since then. The retreating Germans blew up the Cathedral tower on the day before the cities liberation. The tower was restored after the war.

Since I knew of this historic photo of the destroyed bell tower, I decided to find the spot where the photographer took the shot. There is a sweet little foot bridge that crosses over a Roer River tributary. It was a glorious hot day as I sketched. I was afraid I might get a sun burn. Occasionally people would stop and watch me work. If they commented, I would assume it was a compliment and say “Bedankt”, which is the one Dutch phrase that came in quite handy.

One couple turned out to be Urban Sketchers from England who spoke English. They were riding their bicycles over the bridge and they suggested I go to a war memorial site. I also got to flip through his sketchbook to see his wonderfully loose and spontaneous sketches. It felt so good to discuss art with them.

This WWII sketch project has had me living in complete isolation for several months now. It turns out I crave a little conversation in my native tongue now and then. The only conversations I have now are with my iPhone Google Maps navigator lady. She is usually quite reliable but tends to go stone silent when I need her help the most. She tends to tell me to tun to early and several times sent me down walking trails. We argue a bit. Or rather I argue and she ignores me as I get mad.

So, was 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken in Roermund, probably not. He would likely send a messenger to the command post if communication was needed. Or better yet radio communications back from the front lines. Then again if granted a few days leave, he might just explore the city which at the time was 90% destroyed.

March 2, 1945: Venlo Netherlands

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After a solid day of hiking through the woods of Groote Heide in search of the elusive Luftwaffe airport, I decided I should go into the city of Venlo and see the central market. This is tourist central so it would be very different that how it would have looked in February of 1945.

Venlo was liberated by the 35th Infantry Division on March 1, 1945. Immediately after the city’s liberation efforts were made to feed the starving population of the war torn city.

During the month of March the 772 Tank Destroyer Battalion was attached to the 75th Infantry Division. March 3rd the 75th Infantry, 3rd Battalion was moved to an area near Venlo Netherlands. It doesn’t sound like they went into the city itself for sight seeing. The Battalion was almost immediately alerted for a further move to Westerbroek Germany. The 290th Infantry entered Germany for the first time to relieve elements of the 291st Infantry providing a screen for the division sector. 290th Company’s I and R contacted the First Canadian Army to let them know the 291st was being relived. 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken was in the 75th Infantry’s 1st Battalion, C-Company. I am not sure of their exact position at this time but it would have been close to the movements of the 3rd Battalion.

From March 8-11 the 75th Infantry Division was occupied with clearing Venlo – Roermund and Kaldenkirchen of isolated German strong holds. A few days earlier another unit had accomplished a breakthrough and they didn’t have the time to thoroughly reduce all the enemy installations in the area. Prisoners were taken, suspects were processed and coal mines were marked that had large quantities of weapons and ammunition.

“At Venlo, C-Company was on the left flank of the American troops, next to the British, to the north. This was a holding semi-reserve position with only some shelling by the Germans and reconnaissance probes by us out in front of the dikes. Here we learned that the British fought a relatively civilized war, with no shelling at “tea-time”. Naturally, the Americans ruined this sort of short truce by shelling the Germans during this wonderful peaceful time and they retaliated, as one would expect. At Venlo my platoon lived in an old Brick Factory. We had found German carbide lamps that give good light but left us looking very black with soot, sort of like negative raccoons especially for these with glasses. Living in the ovens gave us, finally, a relatively safe, quiet place to relax.” – 1st Lieutenant Joe Colcord.

Windmill near Weert Netherlands

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Weert Netherlands was a command post and headquarters for the American 75th Infantry Division after the Battles of the Colmar Pocket in South West France. It is possible that 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken could have reported here before joining his C-Company troops in Panningen Netherlands. The 75th Infantry was to set up- a defensive line along the West Bank of the Maas River. German troops were on the East bank of the river and the 75th needed to keep them from advancing back into the Netherlands. The Netherlands surrendered to Germany in May 15, 1940, after a five day invasion. The entire country of the Netherlands was liberated by Allied forces by May 5, 1945.

1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken would have arrived 9n the Netherlands shortly after February 17, 1945. That means German forces still occupied some areas of the country. Weert managed to escape-e major bombing destruction, although areas around the city were a battlefield. The most fighting the 75th saw in the Netherlands was in Roermond.

I like that in the Netherlands they train trees to grow only in tight horizontal Boxes. It started to rain very lightly as I sketched. I leaned over the drawing and waited for the rain to stop.  A fellow walking his dog stopped to see how the sketch was going. He asked if he could take a picture of me holding the sketch and l was happy to pose. This particular windmill has been around for 150 years, so it would have been here in 1945.

I walked towards the entrance of the mill, but it was not open. A pear tree had dropped ripe fruit next to the mill. The tree was on a neighbors property, but the fruit had dropped over a fence by the mill. I picked up a few pears since Seacoast Bank was still denying me access to the finds I had put aside for this trip.

when I went back to my car, I was about to get in and the fellow who had been walking his dog waved and called my name. I had parked right in fr0nt of his home. He invited me into the back yard for a coffee and we talked politics and about his job selling medical equipment. His home was lovely and they had a gorgeous garden. That is true of most homes in the a Netherlands, they love have lush gardens.

It is hard to imagine that this was a war torn country back in 1945.