In preparation for the liberation of the northern part of the Netherlands, Operation Amherst was launched on the night of 7 to 8 April 1945. This last airborne operation of the Second World War was carried out by 702 French (SAS) paratroopers. The fighting developed quickly after the landings in the province of Drenthe and a part of southeast Friesland. Canadian and British forces would then engage in the liberation of Groningen and the Westerbork concentration camp, and the elimination of the Delfzijl Pocket. AUTHORS: Joël Stoppels is a battlefield guide and founder of the company Battlefield Tours in the Netherlands. Stoppels is member of the The International Guild of Battlefield Guides, badge number 70. He works as a project manager for the Liberation Route Europe foundation. Liberation Route Europe is an international remembrance network linking the main regions impacted by the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation in 1944-1945. The Route connects important historic sites of the Second World War in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom. Harold de Jong is a career officer in the Dutch Army. He's led extensive investigations into the circumstances of Dutch soldiers who were killed during WWII. He has spent years researching the stories behind the fighting and the sacrifices made by the units that liberated the Northern Netherlands. His research pays tribute to the fallen of the Belgian, French, Polish and Canadian liberators. 40 b/w illustrations, maps
