#Monument
Monument French paratroopers
The commemorative monument for French paratroopers can be found in Assen, Drenthe in the Netherlands. The monument was built in memory of Operation Amherst, the dropping of paratroopers from the 2nd and 3rd Régiment de Chasseurs on 7 April 1945. Assen was liberated on 13 April 1945.
On the night of 7 to 8 April 1945, 700 French parachutists were dropped in Drenthe for Operation Amherst. The mission of these parachutists was to make contact with the resistance, secure bridges and above all cause confusion and unrest among the German Army. This to make sure the Canadian troops could liberate the northern part of the Netherlands quickly.
The Monument for French Paratroopers was built in Assen in 1985 to commemorate the 33 fallen soldiers who died during Operation Amherst. The monument consists out of a bricked wall including a breach. It symbolises the breach made at the time in the German defence.