Monument Bridgehead Rijkevorsel

Monument for the bridgehead of Rijkevorsel where the British could cross the Schoten-Turnhout canal on the night of 24 to 25 September 1944. They were assisted by men of the Secret Army of Turnhout, Beerse and Rijkevorsel.

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In the night of 24 to 25 September 1944, the British 146th Brigade, part of the 49th Infantry Division, was able to cross the Schoten-Turnhout canal here at Sint-Jozef-Rijkevorsel, break through the German positions and construct an emergency bridge.
As a result, the Allies left the door ajar for the liberation of the Noorderkempen. To eliminate the bridge head Rijkevorsel at all costs, the Germans launched a series of violent counter-attacks for three days. However, with the help of the Canadian 27th Panzer Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusiliers) the battalions of the 49th Infantry Division managed to hold their own. After that, the bridgehead was used by the divisions of the 1st (British) Corps for further operations in the neighboring municipalities. However, it would take until 23 October 1944 before the last hamlets of Rijkevorsel could also welcome their liberators. This month in the front line, about 20 residents were killed, several were injured and the material damage was considerable. After the murderous fighting, 105 Allied and 142 German graves were also counted.
We should not forget that quite a few injured people died elsewhere from injuries sustained in the Rijkevorsel region.

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Plum Bridge
Once the Allied troops were able to leave the Albert Canal behind them for good, Rijkevorsel soon appeared in the plans concerning the crossing of the next major obstacle, the Schoten-Turnhout canal. Originally, it was thought of the formation of a bridgehead at the blown up Bridge 8 on the N14, an important north-south connection through the Kempen. After thorough explorations, however, Sas 1 near Sint-Jozef was chosen for the daring crossing. The lock walls formed a solid basis for a metal temporary bridge, the road to Vlimmeren provided a vital supply line and the bend in the canal provided some flank coverage in the west. Moreover, the German positions there proved to be relatively easy to circumvent. A total of five crossing attempts were made across the canal between 24 and 26 September 1944, including at Sint-Job and Turnhout. Only the action of the British 49th Infantry Division near Saint Joseph was successfully completed. In the short term, two Bailey bridges - for heavy traffic in both directions - were constructed by the engineers. They happened to be code-named "Plum I" and "Plum II" (plum means plum or raisin). The emergency bridge that was built a few days later at Bridge 8 was called "Apple". Many thousands of men, hundreds of vehicles and tons of material and supplies advanced through the bridgehead Rijkevorsel.

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Source

• Text: Jhonny Bastiaensen
• Photos: Jhonny Bastiaensen