Queen Beatrix, Prince Philip Commemorate Dutch City Liberation

In 1944, the Dutch university town of Nijmegen was liberated from Nazi German forces. It was a brutal battle to set the town free, but in the end, it was worth it since it was a step to the end of World War II.

Reuters

65 years later, Holland’s Queen Beatrix presided over the anniversary of Nijmegen’s liberation. She was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, himself a WWII veteran.

The two royals began the ceremony by inspecting the Guard of Honor, and laying a wreath at the Monument of the Resistance.

Queen Beatrix and the Duke then watched the military parade.

Also in attendance was the German ambassador to the Netherlands. The crowds of several thousand people cheered as he laid a wreath at the Monument.

The battle for Nijmegen began with Allied soldiers parachuting in and fighting over a three day period.

The liberation of Nijmegen was the only time the Germans pulled back from the Netherlands. The rest of the country – the north and central parts – remained under Nazi control until the end of the war in May 1945.