Mook, Milsbeek, Gennep

The liberation began in Limburg. Still, it would take until early 1945 before the entire province was liberated. That’s when the Allies launched Operation Grenade, aimed at recapturing the area west of the Rhine.

Mook was taken by American troops on 17 September 1944. Three days later, the Germans managed to retake Mook, but that same day Mook was cleared again with the help of British troops. Eric Holmes of the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment was killed in the process. His parents were notified of his death, but his grave remained untraceable. For more than 40 years, his family searched for it, until it was finally discovered at the foot of the Catholic church.

The hunting lodge Mookerheide was occupied by the Waffen-SS in 1940. After the Americans recaptured the castle in September 1944, they discovered a massive ammunition depot. More than twenty train wagons were needed to transport the ammunition away.

The residents of Gennep were evacuated at the end of September 1944, with the exception of the inhabitants of two sanatoriums for TB patients. In Gennep, a Bailey bridge over a kilometre long was built across the Meuse in early 1945. Thanks to this bridge, Montgomery was able to push further towards the Ruhr area. It marked the beginning of the major Rhineland Offensive.

Along the route you’ll pass audio stones of the Liberation Route that share more stories about war and peace in this area.