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Westerbork Liberation - Hans Colpa


Action near the Oranjekanaal  (photo provided by Sgt. Peter Maulé, Victoria, B.C.)


       Hens Schonewille, correspondent for De Telegraaf wrote in the paper on Wednesday, 15 September 1993, the following:

       "Acting Director of the Westerbork Remembrance Center Hans Colpa was not taken by surprise by the seemingly contradictory statements. 'More than likely the soldiers whom Mol and the others encountered were indeed unaware of the existence of the camp.' According to Colpa 'the commanding officers were better informed, of course.'

       He (Ed.: Colpa) categorizes the sequence of events as follows: 'The last prisoner transport leaving Westerbork for the east was in September 1944. When in March 1945 the Royal Air Force made aerial reconnaissance photographs of the camp, only the barracks and the German guards could be identified. I take it that the Canadian Higher Command just did not want to take any risks and thus ordered the bombardment. In Allard's explanation therefore 'shell and destroy' is spoken of.

Aerial view of camp Westerbork  (photo provided by Sgt. Peter Maulé, Victoria, B.C.)


       The confusion at the frontline was intensified on the 11th of April when Canadian reconnaissance troops as well as the infantry that followed encountered German resistance near the Oranjekanaal - Orange canal. The 8th Reconnaissance Troop and the 2nd Infantry division of which Allard's 6th brigade was a part, could have gotten mixed up, according to Colpa. 'That was the reason that some people in the province of Drente were liberated by the scouts while other were liberated by the infantry.'

       According to official historical documents were the carrier scouts of Lt. Sheppard, a.k.a the Terrier-platoon, the first to approach the camp. They were immediately followed by the South Saskatchewan regiment of the 2nd Division (Ed.: to which the intelligence officer Capt. Morris was attached). Colpa: 'The Canadian artillery did not bombard the camp that day. In stead, they directed their fire in the direction of Hooghalen where German troops had dug in. That exchange of fire was clearly heard in the camp. We are going to investigate this matter more thoroughly, but it would appear that in the nick of time a disaster was averted".

Last deportation train leaves the camp (photo camp Westerbork)




 





 










































 

 

 


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