In the final days of the occupation when the inner city was under direct attack, many fires broke out.  The Germans destroyed most of the heart of Groningen.   This was April of 1945 we heard firing for 3 days and nights.

     Our house and street was spared from destruction, but only 5 houses away whole streets burned.  A tank exploded in the Storlarnar street causing everything to be leveled on both sides of the street.  I don’t know about casualties, maybe there were none.  I remember the sky being blackened from the fires.  We were still only blocks away from it.  The smoke was so thick it choked, everyone was coughing.

    Shortly after this we were free, the German army was defeated!  I watched as soldiers stood on the street corners, emptied their guns and put their hands over their heads.  They were arrested seconds later.  Final liberation came on May 10, 1945.  Everyone took out their orange clothes, which was totally forbidden by the Germans during the occupation, and went partying!  (Orange is the last name of the royal house and the national color of Holland.)

From the memoirs of Hendrika Janny Guikema

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