Elmpterwald Border Stories - In the Footsteps of Forced Laborers

The hike begins in the parking lot at Lüsekamp. There is a large sign providing a good overview of the route. A few steps further, there is a memorial stone. It commemorates 14 men who were shot by German soldiers there on December 26, 1944. They came from the neighboring town of Roermond and Poland. The men had not followed an order from the commander in Roermond.
The path continues past large tank and small trench remains. Today, tall pines surround the area - in 1944, the landscape was wide open. Around 40 hectares of forest had been cleared so that the German artillery could have the widest possible view. There is also a sign at Border Stone 411 at Station 7. The text tells the story of an Eastern European forced laborer who was shot by German soldiers there.
MG pillboxes and bunkers along the way show how the Allies were to be stopped. At one point, a bunker entrance is exposed in the forest floor.