| Original caption: “Rooftop view of canal and road used by army vehicles.” Allied vehicles are parked, along with a Dutch horse-drawn wagon, along the Nassaustraat in Winschoten, with the famous monumental mills of Winschoten visible. Closest to the camera is Edens Mill, built between 1704 and 1717, and relocated to its present position in 1763, at Nassaustraat 14. In the middle is the Dijkstra mill, built in 1862, at Nassaustraat 63. In the distance is the Berg Mill, built in 1854, at Grintweg 61. At the time of this photo, these mills were still operable, but there was little grain during the Hongerwinter (“Starvation Winter”). The Nazi Germans stopped the Allied advance south of Winschoten in mid-April 1945. The Polish 1st Armored Division, with Belgian Commandoes, broke stubborn Heer (“Army”) resistance with air bombardment. The hated Nederlandse Landwacht (“Netherlands Land Guard”) fled Winschoten on April 12, 1945. The paramilitary Landwacht was feared and hated by the population, because during the Hongerwinter, the Dutch famine in the winter of 1944-45, the Landwacht confiscated food parcels from Dutch civilians. They carried out arrests, house searches, and raids. Many tried to flee to Germany, but the Nazi Germans turned them back at the border. Meanwhile, the Heer mined the bridges in anticipation of the Allied ground attack, preparing to blow them when the Poles advanced. The Heer had light artillery just south of Winschoten at the village of Winschoter Hoogebrug. An artillery duel commenced between the Nazi Germans and the Poles that began to damage Winschoter Hoogebrug. Nazi German artillery on Beertsterweg and dug-in positions near Zuiderveen joined in to hold up 1st Polish Armored Division for 48 hours. Casualties, not only among the combatants but among Dutch civilians sheltering in basements from artillery fire, began to mount. On April 14, 1945, the Dutch Tricolor was hoisted in Oude Pekela, 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) south of Winschoten. 1st Polish Armored Division advanced to the Zuiderveen bridge in Winschoter Hoogebrug. But the Poles and their Belgian Commandoes did not storm Winschoten. Assuming a strong Nazi German garrison, Polish-manned Allied aircraft laid waste to Winschoter Hoogebrug. The Nazi German artillery was silenced. Fleeing into Winschoten, Heer troops stole bicycles and commandeered horses and wagons. The retreating Nazi Germans set fire to the Shell office building, many of the grand Winschoten houses along the Nieuwe Haven (“New Harbor”). Polish artillery began to rain down on the city. In a sleepless night in their basements, the Dutch residents feared Allied artillery and rowdy fleeing Germans. When the news spread that the last of the Heer soldiers were gone, the Dutch quickly marched to the Polish lines in the pouring rain to get the artillery to cease and to welcome their liberators. Soon after the Nazi Germans left, the OrdeDienst (“Order Service”) resistance group began arresting Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (Dutch National Socialist Movement) members, traitors, and collaborators. City government functions were maintained with the new Allied military authority. All the mills ceased operation in 1953-1960, as Asian mills took over and priced out Dutch ones. The city took over the mills as museums. Edens Mill was renovated in 1985 and raised 3 meters (10 feet) in 2006 so it remains operational to catch the wind despite surrounding buildings; it is the highest mill in the Netherlands. Dijkstra Mill was renovated in 1983 and 1996 and is operational. Berg Mill was renovated in 2000 to operational use; various buildings added to the Mill over time were demolished. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0528.jpg |
| Image Size | 4.57 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 9367 x 6988 |
| Photographer | Donald I. Grant |
| Photographer Title | Royal Canadian Army |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 21, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | Winschoten |
| State or Province | Groningen |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Archive | Library and Archives of Canada |
| Record Number | 3191502 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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