Monument The Causeway - Arnemuiden

During the liberation of Zeeland, the Sloedam played a crucial role as the entrance to Walcheren. In May 1940, French troops offered fierce resistance to the advancing Germans, even after the Dutch capitulation. Eventually, the French had to retreat, suffering heavy losses, including 19 dead. The strategic location of the Sloedam, a narrow dyke with limited passage, made it an important but vulnerable point in the region, both during the German advance and in the later Allied liberation.

In October and November 1944, the Sloedam was again the scene of intense fighting during the Allied liberation. Canadian troops of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division carried out four frontal assaults, with limited successes and high losses. Flanking Operation Mallard, carried out by the Cameronians via a night crossing from South Kraayert, caused the German lines on the eastern side of Walcheren to weaken. Finally, the Sloedam was captured on 3 November and the liberation of eastern Walcheren followed on 5 November, at a cost of 45 Canadian and 19 British lives.

The Memorial Site at the Sloedam commemorates the sacrifices of the Allied troops, with monuments to both the liberation struggle and the French soldiers who died in 1940. A plaque, placed by the Support Liberators Foundation, pays tribute to the soldiers who fought and lost their comrades in this fierce battle for freedom. The grounds around the Sloedam, with information boards and symbolic monuments, offer visitors an insight into the important and bloody role this dam played in the fight for the liberation of the Netherlands.