March 3, 1945: Westerbroek Germany

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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.
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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.

 

Margraten Netherlands: Morning Woman

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The Morning Woman stands at the end of a long reflecting pool in the court of honor at the Margraten Netherlands American Cemetery. The statue represents a woman who had suffered loss due to the war. She was sculpted by Joseph Kiselewski and he considered this statue to be his finest work. kiselewski was born to Polish immigrants in Minnesota. His first language was Polish and he was the 4th of 9 children. He was trained in Minnesota, New York Paris and Rome. He had a studio 9n NYC from 1929 to 1980.

On the walls on either side of the Morning Woman are long 8 foot high granite walls with the names of the missing. 1722 names are on those two walls. On a few names there are rosettes which mark the names of those who have since been recovered and identified. The names of the cities where the men lost their lives were engraved behind the Morning Woman. Cities where The 75th Infantry fought were in Venlo, Rheinberg, and the Ruhr. I now know the Dean Bergeron lost his life somewhere between the Rhine and Dortmund Germany.

Behind the Morning Woman is a tall memorial tower. Engraved 0n it is the following, “Each for his own memorial, earned praise that will never die, and with it the greatest of all sepulchers, not that which his mortal bones are laid, but a home in the minds of men.” Inside the tower is a chapel. The government of the Netherlands donated dozens of lights which seem to float high above in the setting.

Beyond the chapel is the burial area covering 65.5 acres divided into 16 plot sections. To get to the headstone of Dean Bergeron, I walked past thousands of white crosses. Once I found the right section, then I had to find the right row. It truly is overwhelming. The fall leaves were just beginning to fall. The maintenance crews were out mowing the lawn. I feared I might get in the way while I was sketching, but one of the staff approached and respected what I was doing.

Unique to this cemetery, the Dutch people have a program where families can adopt a grave site of one of the fallen. There is a waiting list of families and individuals who want to adopt a soldiers grave site. They bring flowers to the grave sites and research the soldier as a way to honor their sacrifice.

The visitor center at the cemetery had an amazing exhibit about the campaigns where these soldiers lost their lives through narrative text photos artifacts and a film. One woman from the office saw that I was trying to locate a particular soldier and she came 0ut to help me. With her help I located a Dean Bergeron quickly. Not all the soldiers from C-Company who died are buried at Margraten. Some were sent back to the states. I didn’t research all 24 of the men killed in action under the command of 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken. My goal for the day was just to identify one of the soldiers who rest at Margraten.

One of the museum panels at Matgraten was quietly removed by the Trump Administration. The panel detailed the contributions of black soldiers who converted an orchard into the cemetery it is today just using pick aces and shovels. When the cemetery was first initiated the bodies of white soldiers just kept coming and the black soldiers worked hard to keep up with the incoming dead. These black soldiers fought on two fronts. At home in America they faced racism and in the Netherlands they faced the grueling demands of keeping up with the bodies that had to be buried. The soldiers shed tears as they lowered their American brothers in arms into the ground. Now the memory of their service is quietly being erased.

March 2, 1945 Holtum Netherlands

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On March 2, 1945, the entire 75th Infantry Division  was moved 33 miles by motor troop carrier trucks from Helden Netherlands to new assembly areas at Buchten Born and Holtum Netherlands. These small villages are near Venlo Netherlands which had just been liberated on March 1, 1945. After a few hours on Buchten Born and Holtum the troops were again moved to an area near Venlo. They were being moved into position to help clear out any last German resistance in Venlo and Roermund Netherlands.

At a camp of the American troops the Museum44 director found holes, craters that were full of glass. Much of the glass was from broken Coke a Cole bottles. Most were broken, a few were complete and some were still full of Coke. The Americans always had more than enough supplies.

After the Netherlands was liberated, the American government printed Dutch currency. The bills were printed using American plates so in some ways they resemble American currency. Other money was printed because there was a fear that Germans would counterfeit the money, which was indeed a problem. Germans printed British pound notes in an effort to disrupt the economy. Each time America liberated a country they printed this liberation currency.

Officially there were three divisions on this area of the Netherlands. Soldiers used poisoned wood alcohol to clean their boots. The alcohol wasn’t actually poisoned it was just given that name so the soldiers would not drink it. While exploring the top floor of Museum44, there were wasps buzzing at the insides of the windows. The director became very quiet. 8There was a display that resembled an American encampment. I figured if I didn’t disturb the wasps, they would ignore me. It is hard not to swat at a wasp when he buzzes by your ear. I finally shouted “retreat!” and made my way quickly down the ladder to the floor below.

The Saint Martin’s Church which I sketched in Holtum, dates back to about 1200 when an aisle less church was built next to a feudal lord’s home. The tower was added in 1460. The ancient medieval structure is largely intact to this day.

March 2-5, 1945: Buchten, Netherlands

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On March 2, 1945, the 290th, 75th Infantry was moved by motor convoy to an assembly areas in  Buchten, Born and Holtum, Netherlands. They only spent a few hours in these locations before being moved again by motor convoy to an Area near Venlo, Netherlands. They didn’t get comfortable in Venlo, because they were then almost immediately alerted that they were to move forward to another assembly area in Westerbrock, Germany. This is where the 75th infantry entered Germany for the first time. Troops were anticipating a final push into Berlin to end the war.

While doing this drawing, a woman asked if I would like a coffee. She lived across the street behind where I was sketching. Before she came back with the warm drink, it started to rain, so I decided the sketch was done. I ran for the cover of a building awning and packed up my art supplies in my day bag. I was debating if I should wander off, but then heard the woman shouting, “Come inside”. It turns out she is an artist as well. She works somewhat abstract with patched of gold leaf in the paintings. She was working on a floral mural in the hallway of her home which will look amazing when done.

Then I met her husband and her son and his friend who were maybe around 10, or 12. I had actually seen these two several times as I was sketching, but they were always playing off to my right, so I didn’t include them in the sketch. I explained my project as we had coffee. Thankfully the woman and he husband spoke English. Then there was a video call to the daughter who is getting married soon and is living in NYC and planning to become a lawyer. It was fun talking to her since ai lived in NYC for 10 years. Then the daughter said, “Alright mom, I’m going to leave you to your new bestie.” It was endearing to see mom test up after the video call was over.

Then outside in the distance I could hear a band playing with snare drums and brass, and the marcking music got closer. Mom shouted that I had to see the parade. It was a celebration for the master marksman in town. He wore a vest of large golden metals and was escorted by a mysterious woman all in black. Behind the marksman marched a phalanx of men all holding rifles. The rifles were just carved pieces of wood. This tradition has been going on since long before WWII so I was told I had to see it. There was no time to set up and get a sketch. I took 2 quick iPhone photos and the moment was gone.

After the parade was over, mom took me in her car to see the local military cemetery where some British soldiers are interned. I took a photo of the cemetery entrance so I could return. The woman told me she had recently met a rather famous magician who did sleight of hand tricks. He offered to do a performance for her and her friends and they were all amazed. I wondered if it was an amazing sleight of hand magician I had met at the Orlando International Fringe Festival, but I doubt it. She couldn’t recall his name. She felt that she h as started meeting more talented people, but that is what happens when you are curious and open to what the universe throws your way.

March 2, 1945: Venlo Netherlands, Groote Heide

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When in Venlo Netherlands, I decided I would hike into the woods at Groote Heide and search for the remains of a former German Luftwaffe airport. Called Flieglerhorst Venlo-Herogen, the air strip is right at the border of the Netherlands and Germany. The Germans liked the position of the airport because it was so far  west and therefore within striking distance of England.

When the Americans took over the airport on March 1, 1045, they renamed it “Yankee 55”. The airport needed extensive restoration because of all the demolition the a Germans did before they retreated. The Germans started retreating on September of 1944 because they feared that the allies were much closer than they actually were.

Translated, Groote Heide means large heath in Dutch. In German, Heide means heap. Every coal mine in Germany had large Heides or heaps of refuge which is the rock that did not contain coal.

I didn’t find an exact location of any of the airfield remnants online, so I drove to the Heide and decided to hike the trails in hopes that I might stumble across some former airfield buildings. The main tower is used by climbers as a training site. On the hike I did find five foot wide craters which must have been fox hole or bomb impact craters. I decided not to sketch since they were just holes filled with tall grass. I didn’t consider it an interesting sketch opportunity.

I hiked all around the woods on all sides of this large open field. The field is used to launch hang gliders. The truck uses a very strong winch which lifts the glider off the ground and when it is directly overhead, the line is released. The gliders can stay airborne for quite some time. I lost sight of one in the clouds and it didn’t land for a longo time. A skilled pilot can ride the air currents rising repeatedly.

I decided this was as close as I was going to get in my quest to sketch the Luftwaffe air field. Those hangers and now overgrown building are out there somewhere, maybe I will return to search and sketch another time.

Herbert Thorspecken served in the Luftwaffe in WWII. Herbert and 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken are distant cousins 4 generations removed. Arthur’s great, great, great, great Grandfather , Augustus, came to America in the 1830s where he became a doctor during the Civil War. His brother stayed behind in Germany, and Herbert is a 4th generation descendant of him. Herbert and Arthur probably never came close to one another in the war, because Herbert was in the air and Arthur was boots on the ground.

 

February 20, 1945: Panningen Netherlands

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February 20, 1945 was the beginning of the VENLO, LIMBURG + NETHERLANDS CAMPAIGN. The 75th Infantry was sent to an assembly area near Panningen Netherlands to relive the British 6th Armored Division. I am fairly certain that 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken would have joined C-Company here or the next town they were moved to.

1st Lieutenant Dick Sassin explained the move this way, “ We’re going to move in at night. They are going to move out. We aren’t under fire.” The 75th infantry division was to operate under the command of the British Second Army’s VIII Corps, 21st Army Group under Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery. The division was to take up a defensive position along the West Bank of the Maas River. German troops were well entrenched on the East bank. The river is about 100 yards wide at the location I saw. Germans would often fire harassing mortar rounds to the far shore of the Maas River.

Panningen played a significant role in the closing stages of World War II. It became a defensive position for the Allies along the West Bank of the Maas River. Nightly patrols across the mass were a critical cactivity for the troops stationed in Panningen.

I decided to sketch the Monument Deportation Everlo. It is a memorial in remembrance of the fallen and missing residents from Panningen. In the autumn of 1944, over 1,000 boys and men in the region between the Maas and Peel rivers were rounded up by the Nazis in raids and deported to Germany for forced labor. These events cost the lives of 120 men and left lasting scars on survivors and those left behind.

There were also three metal plaques that had engravings of the names of Canadian and Royal Air Force Pilots who had crashed in the area. Also listed were names of soldiers who had died from the 15th Scottish Division, the 49th West Riding Division, the 51st Highlands Division. In all, the names of 54 soldiers were listed as fallen hero’s to the town of Panningen Netherlands.

The trip to Panningen Netherlands for the 75th Infantry troops was accomplished in weather that had turned for the better. The box cars were not a hellish ride. 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken would have been taking a similar ride on his own or with other replacements to join the 75th Infantry troops in the Netherlands.