Winters Bridge Memorial The Battle of Brecht

This memorial commemorates the Battle of Brecht that took place here between September 24, 1944 and October 20, 1944. The memorial consists of elements of a Bailey bridge.

Text info board:

Antwerp was liberated on September 4, 1944, but the German Wehrmacht stubbornly held on to our region because they could continue to threaten the important port from here. At the end of September, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division (2CID) liberated, among other places, the south of Sint-Job-in-"t-Goor. However, the Dessel-Schoten canal became a formidable obstacle. On September 24, the 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade, part of 2 CID, tried in vain to form a bridgehead at Lochtenberg (Sint-Job). Because of vigorous German counter-attacks, they had no choice but to withdraw after a long fight of twelve hours. The entire endeavor had cost the Canadians 113 dead and wounded.

During the night of 24 to 25 September 1944, the British 49th Infantry Division near Sint-Jozef crossed the canal successfully. On September 28, the 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade (2 CID) began a laborious advance from Rijkevorsel to the Southwest. With the support of tanks of the Canadian 10th Panzer Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse) they managed to expel the Germans from the village center of Sint-Lenaarts on September 29, after heavy fighting. Brecht was partially liberated on October 1. The next day, the 6th Canadian Infantry Division advanced further along the canal and again reached the ravaged Lochtenberg. The circle was complete. However, it would take until October 20, 1944 before the last pieces of the merged municipality of Brecht were liberated during a large-scale breakout of the British 49th Infantry Division and the 34th Tank Brigade. The residents of Overbroek could then finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Brecht was on the front line for almost a month and during that period a battle was fought here that can be counted among the toughest battles in the liberation of our country. An important role was played by the Allied engineer forces who, among other things, constructed the necessary emergency bridges across the canal. In the night of 2 to 3 October 1944, a Bailey bridge was built near this location. It was named "Winters Bridge" after the Canadian soldier First Class Winters who died during the preparatory weeks. He can symbolize the many sacrifices made for our freedom. On those dramatic days, dozens of houses were destroyed and 32 citizens of Brecht were killed. The Canadians and British had 122 and 16 deaths respectively. On the German side, it is presumably about 180 dead. However, the many victims were not in vain. After all, the battle for Brecht was a vital step towards the liberation of the port of Antwerp and thus also towards the final victory.

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Source

• Text: Jhonny Bastiaensen
• Photos: Jhonny Bastiaensen