From Leeuwarden, one of the Canadian battalions rushed west to liberate Harlingen. They did not get any further than Franeker that Sunday afternoon, April 16.
The Canadian vanguard turned around at Franeker, giving the approximately 500 remaining Germans in Harlingen the opportunity to wreak havoc on a large scale. Several bridges and vessels were destroyed.
On Monday morning, the advance guard of the Canadians reached Midlum, just outside Harlingen. Early in the evening Harlingen was bombarded with artillery fire from Herbaijum. Later in the evening, the Canadian soldiers of the Highland Light Infantry battalion entered the city and were able to capture the inner city around midnight. The Canadians took 400 prisoners.
The Germans who had escaped from Harlingen tried to reach the Afsluitdijk via Zurich. But they were intercepted in time by the Canadians who liberated the village on April 17. A plaque has been placed on the wall of the public primary school on Schoolstraat in memory of the liberation.
