The evacuated areas around Nijmegen were hit hard by the presence of the Allied soldiers. Looting, the act of soldiers plundering goods, took place often. In Ubbergen, Groesbeek, Gennep, and Ottersum, out of the 4757 houses and farms, 4200 (88,29%) were looted from September 1944 until March 1945. What this meant was that houses were broken into and completely emptied. Out of the 1057 houses and farms in Ubbergen, around 900 were looted during the evacuation.

The image of the list gives some insight into what sort of items were looted. When thinking about looting, one might think that the soldiers looted things such as clothes and food, as those were sparse during the war. This did happen, for example, in Ubbergen: American soldiers would shoot cows for food. Other necessary items that soldiers would loot were items to create and support trenches, such as doors and curtains. However, as this list shows, various items that one would not necessarily need in war, such as a clarinet, a woman’s purse, irons, and various decorative items made from nickel and copper, were taken. There are various explanations as to why ‘useless’ items were taken. First of all, many soldiers were looking for souvenirs, such as small windmills, bracelets, and flags, to bring home or to use as lucky charms for protection during the war. Secondly, soldiers looted items that they could sell on the black market or that they could use to pay for the company of ladies. This is the explanation as to why the letter from the mayor of Ubbergen contains expensive items from nickel and copper to women’s items. Thirdly, soldiers would loot for thrill and relief, which is why a lot of liquor was taken and a lot of random items were destroyed. Lastly, in Germany, the soldiers would destroy and loot out of revenge, and take those items back to the area of Nijmegen to sell them.