​​During reconnaissance missions by the Canadian Scottish Regiment, it was discovered that Hattem was still being defended by German troops. On 17 April 1945, Sergeant J.E. Dodd took a bold step. Accompanied by just two soldiers, he crossed the river around 13:30 and entered Hattem. To their surprise, the German forces had already retreated. The residents of Hattem greeted their first liberators with overwhelming joy. However, Sergeant Dodd faced a challenge: finding someone in the town with authority to help restore order in the newly liberated area. 

​During the night of 16 to 17 April 1945, German forces withdrew from Kampen. Early the next morning, four Canadian soldiers crossed the IJssel River from IJsselmuiden to scout the town. They were met with cheering crowds, eager to welcome freedom after years of occupation. 

​Later that day, Major J.O. MacArthur arrived and was formally received at City Hall by Mayor H. Oldenhof, who gave a speech to mark the occasion. Surprisingly, the Canadian troops left the town shortly afterward—for reasons that remain unclear to this day. Their departure did not stop the Dutch resistance. The Internal Forces (Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten) sprang into action, arresting Dutch collaborators (Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging, Dutch National Socialist Party members) and detaining them in the old dairy factory on Kampereiland. 

​However, it took another two days before Kampen could truly consider itself free. On 19 April 1945, it was not Canadian, but British troops from the 49th Reconnaissance Regiment who formally entered the city and completed its liberation. 

​To honour these events, several liberation monuments have been erected in Kampen. One marks the spot where the Canadian forces crossed the IJssel River on 17 April 1945, becoming the first Allied soldiers to set foot in the city.​