Info board 75 Years Liberation WWII Beerse

Theme Beerse: Hiding in the brick ovens

Brickworks battle

At the end of September 1944, the Dessel-Turnhout-Schoten canal forms the last German line of defense before the border. Beerse Centrum on the other bank was quickly liberated but the German troops are waiting for them on the other side. On September 24, the battle starts in all fury. A battalion of the 49th Infantry Division moves towards Beerse Den Hout after they succeeded in crossing the canal in Sint-Jozef Rijkevorsel via an emergency bridge. But their advance on Den Hout comes to a halt. The Germans dug themselves in around the brickyard in Kwikstraat. They manage to overthrow the British battalion and days of fighting ensue. After the British deploy a flamethrower tank, some Germans eventually surrender.

Poland forcing breakthrough

The population of Kwikstraat is terrified during the battle. British and German guns damage their homes. They seek shelter in cellars or factory buildings. On September 29, reinforcements of the Polish 1st Armored Division will arrive and succeed in expelling the Germans.

More than 20 British and Polish soldiers are killed in action. In 1946 a monument to the fallen was erected here and this street was named Heldenweg.

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Source

• Text: Jhonny Bastiaensen
• Photos: Jhonny Bastiaensen
• Tekst infobord TPA