Operation 'Market Garden'
After a prosperous advance through northern France and Belgium, the Americans of the 30th Infantry 'Old Hickory' had succeeded in liberating most of southern Limburg. Then on 17 September 1944, in a major offensive (operation 'Market Garden'), the Allies aimed to capture a bridgehead across the major rivers in the Netherlands from Belgium, using airborne troops to secure bridges in North Brabant and Gelderland in a lightning-fast attack. From Belgium, ground troops were to march across the captured bridges to the IJsselmeer.
A bridge too far
Three complete divisions were dropped: the 101st US Airborne Division at Eindhoven and Veghel, the 82nd US Airborne Division at Grave and Groesbeek and the 1st British Airborne Division at Arnhem and Oosterbeek. For the Americans, everything went quite well. The bridges over the Maas and the Maas-Waal Canal near Heumen and most of the bridges near Eindhoven fell into their hands and, after hard fighting, also the Waal Bridge near Nijmegen. But the Rhine bridge at Arnhem proved a bridge too far. The British paratroopers were surprised by German armoured troops and had to retreat into the Betuwe under heavy losses.
The Ruhr Triangle
On 19 September, the American advance in southern Limburg, a few kilometres north of Sittard, also stalled. The occupying forces had taken positions at two bridgeheads: both on the western bank of the Meuse in northern and central Limburg and in the area between Roermond and Susteren, bordered by the Roer and the Meuse (the 'Roer Triangle'). The front line now ran straight through Limburg. In the following months, heavy and bloody fighting ensued in this area, under which the civilian population also suffered greatly. The German defences had concentrated around Montfort and Sint-Joost, turning these villages into ruins. Montfort also housed around 6,500 evacuees from the surrounding villages in those days, who mainly stayed in silos and chicken coops. As the occupying forces kept taking new positions, the Allies decided to bomb the region. On 23 January 1945, the occupying forces evacuated Montfort for good. The number of war dead in the village was almost 200 people, including many evacuees.
Funeral monument for the victims of the bombardments
The grave monument in Montfort consists of several parts. 186 war victims are buried in a mass grave. The grave made of ceramic and sandstone is overgrown with Swiss moss. On the grave is a heavy oak cross and a tombstone. Walkways have been laid out around the grave. Behind the grave is a memorial wall made of white brick with two lanterns on the front pilasters. There are 12 bronze plaques in the niches. In front of the wall is a statue of Christ, depicted as 'The Good Shepherd'. The statue is placed on a brick pedestal. The mass grave is 5 metres 70 wide and 15 metres 75 deep. The cross is 5 metres 50 high and 2 metres 90 wide. The stone is 1 metre 50 high and 2 metres wide. The ring wall is 8 metres wide and 3 metres deep. The statue is about 2 metres 80 high.