Assen was close to being liberated, but German defences stubbornly held out at the Groningerwegse bridge. It was not possible to advance to Groningen until this job was done. Canadian war volunteer Clem Ervine were sneaking with his mate towards the bridge, until a machine gun from a boat in the canal hit his companion. 

Clem went blind with rage. 'That German must die' he must have thought to himself. He rushed towards the boat, shouting for the gunman to surrender. The latter did not budge, but Clem noticed two Germans ducking near the corner building by the bridge. He emptied two clips of his Sten gun at the building and shouted at the enemy to surrender. 

As many as 15 Germans came out with their hands up, happy that it was over. Fifteen more emerged from elsewhere and, with Ervine's Sten gun in their backs, the defence marched off the bridge towards captivity.  

The road to Groningen was open, and the flags in Assen could be unfurled.