The liberators
Heusden Vesting is liberated on Sunday 5 November by the 5th Battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. During the morning, A Company, led by Major Eric Mainwearing marches into the town.

Observation point
One of his soldiers, Sergeant Baxter, walks with two comrades to the remains of the town hall. He sees dead bodies of civilians lying there. But this is -unfortunately- not an unusual sight for the Scots. Moreover, the Camerons are relieved the same day and so they leave without any idea of the disaster that took place in Heusden. What happened? To deprive the enemy of observation points, it is common practice to blow up high points such as church towers during a retreat. Several buildings were also undermined in Heusden in the days leading up to the Allied attack. Such activities are the responsibility of the German engineer unit, the pioneer battalion 159. The 2nd Company under Oberleutnant Pfühl is active in Heusden.

The town hall
One of the undermined buildings in the fortified town is the town hall dating from 1461. Since 30 October 1944, parts of the ground floor have been crowded; about 170 citizens have sought protection behind the thick walls. On the day Guy Fawkes begins, they are in the ‘Big Room’ and the storage room behind it. The Heusden people become anxious when they see German soldiers lugging baskets and crates. Nevertheless, they feel safe, especially as a German Red Cross post is established on the same floor. When Heusden residents ask if they are safe, the German doctor reassures them. But when the post is evacuated towards midnight and there are no more Germans in the town hall, a feeling of unease again creeps up on those present.

Murder
At ten past two in the morning, all buildings in Heusden shake; the Roman Catholic waterfront church is blown up. Ten minutes later, the west side and tower of the Dutch Reformed church follow. Again, people sheltering in the town hall wonder what to do: stay or leave? As the streets are also dangerous, everyone stays inside. Ten minutes later, three German pioneers arrive at the town hall. Two Heusden citizens are sitting at the bottom of the spiral staircase,. One of them follows the Germans upstairs and asks what is going on. The Germans reassure him and walk back down soon after. Two minutes later the explosion follows. The results are terrible. The tower of the city hall has been blown up and as it collapses it has taken with it all the floors, inner walls and the outer walls on the east side. A day later, the last of about 30 survivors is recovered from the rubble and the bodies of 134 people found. A tragic misunderstanding? No, a war crime. This event has been commemorated in Heusden every year since.