WWII Then & Now: The Forgotten Americans in The Liberation of the Netherlands

duda-wsm • April 4, 2021

The 104th Infantry Division 'Timberwolves'

The US 104th Infantry Division, known as the Timberwolves, is one of the most unknown US units that took part in the liberation of The Netherlands. In this episode, WWII researchers & battlefield consultants Joey van Meesen and Florent Plana will walk in their footsteps and discover their courageous and heroic stories.

Market Garden Failed

After the breakout of Normandy in August 1944, it took the allies less than a month to reach the borders of Germany and The Netherlands. On September 17, 1944, Operation Market Garden took place which was planned in order to bypass the German West Wall Defensive line, and encircle the German industrial hearth in the Ruhr area. Up to that point it was the largest airborne operation in World War II. However, the operation failed and the hope to end the war before Christmas was over. All this time access to the Belgian port of Antwerp had not been secured and so the allied armies planned a series of operations to make this happen. This series of operations is also known as the Battle for the Scheldt and started on October 2nd , 1944

The Scheldt
In order to support the ongoing battle for the Scheldt, the allies launched Operation Pheasant to clear the German troops from the Province of North Brabant in The Netherlands. The majority of Operation Pheasant was conducted by British, Canadian and Polish troops, but there was one American unit that took part in it as well. That unit was the US 104th Infantry Division nicknamed Timberwolves.

104th Infantry Division Then & Now in Holland 1944:

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Bastogne December 1944 101st Airborne Noville

Battle of the Bulge: Bastogne WWII Then & Now

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BASTOGNE 2020 - For this year's anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge the team of SNAFU DOCS produced sevaral Then & Now videos. The Battle of the Bulge is a term for history buffs that is inseparable with the German Counter Offensive against the US frontlines in Belgium and Luxembourg that started on Decemeber 16, 1944. The offensive was intended to stop the Allied use of the Belgian port of Antwerp and to split the Allied lines, allowing the Germans to encircle and destroy four Allied armies and force the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis powers' favor. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the US Army in World War II. In this episode of WWII Then & Now we travel around the city of Bastogne to take several Then & Now comparison photographs to cover the story of the 10th Armored Division and the 101st Airborne Division. Many thanks to WWII Researchers: Bob Konings , Joey van Meesen and Florent Plana for helping to produce this video.