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from 'Letter from the Aloysius Tower' by Br. De Wit
Brother Leonides de Wit kept a diary around the Oudenbosch liberation of 30 October 1944, from which he later wrote large sections in a letter to his parents, brothers and sisters. Some excerpts from it:
25 October: We hear the machine guns. Great attacks with Typhoons on roads, railways and locomotives. Three trains in two days halted in Oudenbosch. Bombardment of a few downed trees (on the Heinsberg). They thought they were German guns! Using rocket bombs, St Louis is shaking. German infantry line up around Oudenbosch. Day and night the bombing and shelling continues, we expect a push through to Oudenbosch at any moment.
October 28: Saturday. Land army machine guns clearly heard. Where are the British?
29 October: Sunday. After Roosendaal was almost reached by the Allies yesterday, we expected a busy night, but ... hardly a shot was fired. Then it became Sunday. Oudenbosch was one infantry fortress, German shells whizzing from more than 20 guns over Oudenbosch, towards Roosendaal and the surrounding area. Around 15:00, things slowly quieted down. Has the artillery moved? And in which direction are the allies moving? At 16:00 it has become deathly quiet. At 17:20 firing, towards Roosendaal. Suddenly a long-snorting car. Germans. They must be on the dome, the chapel must take to the air. Brother Christofoor goes to fetch Brother Superior. He comes running fast. A moment later we hear from him, "It's not going ahead, no English artillery can take it." Because Brother Egbertus let the German officer climb outside the dome... With grateful hearts we enter the chapel. 22:15: At rest. Sleep didn't go much... then, just before 11:30pm a signal whistle and at 11:30pm it began. A great bang, everything was ringing, thumping and shaking. Was that the station? Then, at 2:30 a.m., a screeching sound, a terrific bang, another clink of glass; two shells smashed in. Also in the village several hits; basilica in the upper left near the clock one hit and in front near the steps two. Behind the basilica a house collapsed and in front of the basilica also one.
30 October: Checking damage after breakfast; about 700 windows broken and the roof of the front house hit. Gunfire again in full swing. Grenades whistle and burst, it is all-out. 14:00 - 15:00. The Germans drop several points in the air. Divers across the wide ditches and near the access roads to Oudenbosch, take to the air. 15:30, German shells towards the railway station. 15:50: "They're coming!", from three directions, Canadian-Americans. They are given biscuits, peppermint and apples. We admire their calm, their equipment, their rubber shoes, their tanks, telephone and radio communications. There is jubilation, singing and dancing, Orange everywhere. Immediately they start hauling sleepers to repair the culverts for the passing troops. 21:30, German shells around Oudenbosch, English artillery in operation, throughout the night.
31 October: In the bright light of the guns (as many as 50) we go to the chapel. English shells whistle over Oudenbosch. American guns on Albano. Aula darkened, at the first shot all the darkening flies off. 11:00, loading sleepers for the Gastelseweg culvert. 13:00, St. Louis hangs out all flags. Oudenbossche underground goes armed to get our NSB. Some Canadians come to eat in the front house. Two officers on inspection to a German transmitting station that should still be in Oudenbosch. This transmitting station was in a culvert near the Standdaarbuiten bridge. 14:00, preparing beds for hospital. One German sweetheart cut bare. 20:30, Radio Oranje: "Oudenbosch liberated".
After Oudenbosch is liberated almost without violence, the Germans offer much resistance when the allies want to liberate Standdaarbuiten and later Klundert and Zevenbergen. The mainly American liberators had to drive out the Germans with heavy force. This is done from the air and especially with artillery positioned around Oudenbosch (about the height of today's Albano). Brother Leonides de Wit writes about this later in the letter to his parents, brothers and sisters:
During the shelling of Standdaarbuiten, 2 November 1944 from 20 to 21:30, I stood on the courtyard. Alone. All the shells from as many as 100 guns flew over St Louis. The thunder of firing 50 kg shells, from about 100 guns at once, for about an hour at a time, got me over everything. Since then, explosions don't scare me.
The American soldiers stood on our front porch watching Standdaarbuiten burn, during the shelling. Some were crying, so terrible was it.
When we were in Standdaarbuiten the next day, Americans themselves said it was like the Normandy landing. A tweed Caen, in smaller size, so terrible was the barrage. But the Germans had to get out and got out. The radio said, "The bridgehead across the Mark north of Oudenbosch, expanded." We now know what such a message means....
When we came home from Standdaarbuiten, we naturally got to answer all the questions, yet you feel little inclination to tell everything, you have seen too much suffering of evacuation, dead, wounded and debris everywhere. The Standdaarbuiten secretariat had received but not yet passed on the Americans' warning to shelling Standdaarbuiten, so people had to flee to the cellar under the church during this appalling barrage. Fifteen dead, so considered, is actually very little
4 November: To the nurses' hospital, blacked out. A shell hit a few rooms, again a lot of glass damage.
Evacuation from Klundert and Zevenbergen to Oudenbosch. St. Louis opens its gates wide. All classrooms of boarding school and external school are in use. About 4,000 men in Oudenbosch. Basilica cleared for evacuees. Troop transport.
Watching, at St Elisabeth Guest House, with three more brothers, over the elderly and sick. TB patients shifted in corridors. Burning in Klundert. Slept some on a chair, restless night, incredibly heavy gunfire all night, encouraging the sick, et cetera.
November 5: Sunday. Klundert in. 13:00, first aid post under the church, what a misery. Americans provide corned beef, biscuits and coffee for 4,000 men. Working all night, bandaging wounded, many burns, blisters et cetera. Mr Buys looks for his children. Parents miss their children
6 November: Klundert a blaze. Many refugees leave, sick transported to hospital, new refugees arrive. Providing food again at 17:30, dressing et cetera. A short rest at 20:00 at Red Cross headquarters. Then back to St. Elisabeth Hospital. Slept a bit on a chair.
7 November: Back to the cellars under the church, bandaging wounded and transporting the sick. Heavily wounded are brought in. Mines explode in Oudenbosch (at the site where the Baarlebossche - Ste. Bernaertsstraat junction is now), several dead and injured. All windows at Sancta Maria broken, also all stained-glass windows of the chapel. Obscured, 19:00 to St Elisabeth Guest House, last watch.
8 November: Cannons have left, so have evacuees, except for about 60 on the externship. Slept that day from 10am to 4pm and went to bed again at 8pm in the evening. Peace returned.
