Empel Land mine 1947
Empel Land mine 1947
Image from the family archives. My grandfather called "Huub" had a farm in Noord-Brabant ( A southern province in The Netherlands). This farm was located between Eindhoven and Nijmegen. He survived the war like many others, and received an Case Tractor from the Marshal Plan (USA).
The German army controlled the north part of the river "Maas" in 1945. They placed many mines.
At the end of the war (1947), alot of mines were forgotten, and my grandfather was plowing with his tractor. He was plowing all morning, with him, his young cousin (5-8 years old). The boy went home at 1 PM, and my grandfather continued. A few minutes later he drove on an Anti-Tank mines. The tractor exploded. He was lucky it was a Tri-wheeled tractor.
Otherwise he would have hit the tank mine with his plower, and scrap would hit his head. He barely survived and till his death in 2002, so now and then there were pieces of metal comming out of his body form the accident.
A few years later he found an British rifle, and tried to load it with Wehrmacht ammo. It went of in the living room
Just wanted to share that.
Regards,
Dave