Marthalager

As in many other places in the Netherlands, the German occupiers in the east of the country looked for remote, well-hidden places to build an ammunition store. The choice fell on a wooded area at the foot of the Paasberg. Construction began at the end of 1942. Debris was brought in from bombed Hengelo to pave the access roads. Ammunition was stored underground in earthen ramparts, but also in so-called bunkers. The ammunition was transported to and from Oldenzaal. For the Allied aircraft spying from the air to targets, the transports from the Oldenzaal station to the 'Lager' were not to be noticed. That is why farmers were called in by horse and cart for transport. Russian prisoners of war did the further work. The command post was housed in farm De Elzahoeve on the Denekamperstraat. The site was heavily guarded.
On December 19, 1944, a heavy explosion occurred. Roof tiles flew off the houses far and wide. As it turned out, an above-ground storage had flown into the air. An accident? No one knows. Many Russian prisoners of war are said to have died. The Germans cleaned everything up in the greatest secrecy. Nothing is known about the burial of victims. As the end of the war approached, the Germans destroyed their supplies. Ammunition was blown up on the Marthalager, but not everything was detonated. On 8 May 1945 there was a liberation ball on the Grote Markt in Oldenzaal. The youth, with the help of gunpowder and fire plates captured on the Marthalager, provided fireworks. It was crammed not only into boxes but also into shells. Just after midnight, things went wrong and a huge explosion took place. Eight mostly young Oldenzalers and an Allied soldier lost their lives.

Stichting Historische Kring Losser