Generaal Maczek Memoriaal

Nice tribute to the liberators of Breda. The volunteers will show you around in 3 languages. Dutch, English and Polish.

Like Poland, the Netherlands suffered a lot during World War II. During the German invasion of the Netherlands on May 14, 1940, German troops bombed Rotterdam, the largest port city in the Netherlands. After the raid, the Dutch naval and air forces went to Great Britain, and the rest of the army surrendered, except for soldiers from the province of Zeeland, which lies in the south-west of the Netherlands, on the border with Belgium. The price Zeeland paid for the fight was very high. Germany separated the densely populated province from the rest of the country by cutting off energy and confiscating food. In the winter of 1944, called the famine winter in the Netherlands, over 20,000 people lost their lives in Zeeland alone. residents. At the end of the war, the Netherlands was a place of fierce fighting. Polish military units, incl. The First Armored Division under the command of General Maczek took an active part in the liberation of this country. The first place in the Netherlands which Polish soldiers entered was the town of Baarle. Next on the way was the Teenruzen port, but to get it, you had to attack the nearby towns. One of them was Axel. The very location of the city on the hill was a natural defensive stronghold. In addition, it was a strong defensive point of the German troops, which tried to prevent the enemy from reaching the nearby port, important for strategic and transport reasons. Thanks to the maneuver of surprise, speed of action and bravado, on September 19, 1944, the city was captured. After this fight, the Germans called General Maczek's soldiers "black devils". On October 29, another Dutch city was liberated - Breda. After its capture, fights were fought in Moerdijk. Difficult terrain made it impossible to attack quickly. First, the German fortifications had to be destroyed to make the terrain passable by tanks. After several days of fighting, on November 9, the city was liberated. After winning the Moerdijk Polish troops went to the defense. This time was characterized by constant patrols, reconnaissance of the area, replenishment of people, equipment and supplies. The 1st Armored Division was very famous for capturing Breda, a city of great historical importance. Thanks to the innate military talent of the general who did everything to save the city, Breda was captured with virtually no damage, with minimal losses to the civilian population. The unit under the command of General Maczek thus deserved the unpaid gratitude of the inhabitants. The city council honored the soldiers with the Silver Medal of the City of Breda and the Honorary Citizenship of the City. After the war, many Polish soldiers settled in Breda permanently. General Maczek himself moved to Great Britain, where he died at the age of 102 (1994, Edinburgh). According to the general's will, his body was transported to Breda and deposited in one of the Polish cemeteries. The 1st Armored Division became a symbol of victory and freedom in the Netherlands. For his services to this country, General Maczek's unit was also honored with the Military Order of William, the oldest and highest order of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. General Maczek was also granted honorary Dutch citizenship. Breda is the most Polish city in the Netherlands, thanks to the memory of Polish soldiers. For many months after the end of the war, Polish-language inscriptions "Thank you Poles" did not disappear from the windows of houses and shop windows. In the city itself, there are many places resembling Polish liberators. There is a museum here, now located in the military barracks, commemorating the 1st Armored Division and its commander. In the reception hall of the town hall, there is an entry on the board of honor in honor of General Maczek's 1DP.