Almost nothing remains of Hattert Castle. Between late September and mid-October 1944, an unprecedented tank battle takes place near it. First, an American armoured division engages the Germans. The weather is atrocious. Rain turns the battlefield into a quagmire, in which large tanks can poorly manoeuvre. The Americans suffer heavy losses. A British armoured infantry division relieves them. During the battle, the castle is totally destroyed.
After the failure of Operation Market Garden, the Allies attempted to widen the corridor they had conquered from Belgium to Nijmegen. In the east, they encountered very fierce German resistance around Overloon. The area was difficult to access due to the many canals and streams and incessant rainfall made manoeuvring the heavy tanks more difficult.
Faced by the 107th German Panzer Brigade, the 7th U.S. tank division came to a halt here. A tank battle raged for days. On October 8, the Americans suffered so many losses, they had to be relieved by the British 11th Armoured Division and the 3rd Infantry Division. The Battle of Overloon continued. The nearby castle, Hattert Castle, was completely destroyed during this battle.
The free Venray Remembers app shows the past as you have never seen it before. Download the app, take the car or bicycle or go on foot and follow a beautiful route in De Peel. Follow the instructions in the app to project an augmented reality video at the indicated locations and become part of the story that happened there.
View the war past from a different perspective and through this unique app. A modern way to let young and old relive the past in a positive way. Let’s keep remembering!
