By 13 April 1945, the last German occupiers had left Muntendam. Hewever, they had still tried to stop the Polish force's advance north through the Netherlands by blowing up the bridge near the brickworks. As a result, five ships arriving could not proceed, and the German troops sank the ships with hand grenades. Some of the ships were loaded with food supplies, a godsend for the Muntendammers, and once the soldiers had disappeared they plundered the ships that had not been completely sunk. Flour, sugar and meat were desirable items for the Muntendammers, however the bulk of the goods were stored by order of the Internal Armed Forces and later distributed as best they could.

News that Veendam had been liberated also reached Muntendam. However, the Muntendammers, who anxiously awaited the arrival of the Allies, had to be patient. On 14 April, the Ordedienst (Order Service) therefore decided to take matters into their own hands and acted openly. The first person they captured was the Mayor Heikens, who was from the Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (NSB), the Dutch National Socialist Movement. He surrendered saying: 'I bet on the wrong horse.' Throughout the day, most of the NSBs from Muntendam were arrested, along with the so-called 'Lüneburgers'. Although there were no Allied soldiers present in Muntendam on 14 April 1945, this day is considered general Liberation Day.

Lüneburgers

On 5 September 1944 - known as Dolle Dinsdag - it was rumoured that the Allies were about to liberate the Netherlands. Afraid of vengeful compatriots, members of the NSB and other collaborators fled en masse to the eastern Netherlands and the northern German countryside. There, they ended up in farming villages or stayed in refugee camps on the Lüneburg Heath.

The housing in the refugee camps was awful, and when NSB leader Mussert visited in late 1944, he promised his comrades that they could soon return to (Northern) Holland. From March 1945, the first were sent back to Groningen. On the transport lists, they were called 'antisocials' and 'Lüneburgers'.