Memory Route World War ll Heavy Aerial Gun Placed in Molenschot

In the Municipality of Gilze and Rijen is a memory route created in memory of the Second World War.
In a number of places there is a sign with a description of what happened at that place in the Second World War.


HEAVY AERIAL GUN PLACED IN MOLENSCHOT

Between 1940 to September 1944, a battery of heavy anti-aircraft guns or FLAK (Fliegerabwehrkanonen) stood between the Veenstraat, the Heideweg and the Heiningen in Molenschot. These were four cannons, each 88 millimeters in diameter, surrounded by various ammunition storage bunkers, buildings and shelters for the troops.

During the Second World War, a lot more belonged to the German Fliegerhorst or - as it is now called - Gilze-Rijen airfield. There were not only a few runways with some buildings. The 1944 overview map shows that there were activities at various places around the airport that were directly related to the airport. Due to a spread of all these activities, the vulnerability during attacks was a lot less. The book Five Years Air Front discusses these activities in detail. To defend against Allied planes, the Germans placed heavy anti-aircraft guns around the airport in a few places. An 88mm Flak (Fliegerabwehrkanone) was set up in Molenschot and in the immediate vicinity of it bunkers for soldiers and ammunition.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Peter van Hoek (1), Heemkring Molenheide (2)
• www.heemkringmolenheide.nl