On September 27, 1944, because the Germans were expecting an Allied attack, they order the population of Overloon and the villages to the east to evacuate immediately. A stream of refugees begins. This village, Holthees, has 420 inhabitants. It provides approximately 1.500 refugees with friendly shelter. But on September 30, Holthees is also bombed. The inhabitants and the refugees are forced to move on. Among them is Jan Henckens.
