Liberation Route Location 3 - Operation Mallard Schoorbrug

As part of the large Operation Mallard (about 180,000 men) planned along the canal from Nederweert to Wessem, the Scottish 51st Highland division was commissioned to launch the attack in Nederweert and to make a crossing at Schoor. The Scots were also instructed to secure the lock at Hulsen and the island and to make a crossing towards Nederweert-Eind over the Noordervaart and the Wessemkanaal.

With this, the Allies wanted to realize the capture of Heythuysen and Roggel and expel the German troops further east. The attack began on November 14, 1944 at 4 p.m. 1,500 grenades per minute were fired through the channels for an hour and a half.

The biggest challenge for the Allies was to cross the various waterways in Central Limburg, in particular for heavy vehicles and supporting equipment. Characteristic of these operations was the high concentration of genius resources (bridges) in order to ultimately be able to carry out the assignments. The fighting in Central Limburg is also known as the Battle of the Canals.

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Source

• Text: Bevrijding Nederweert, Niek Hendrix en Jermain Nichols
• Photos: Bevrijding Nederweert