Route of Commemoration No.15: Dam of Bütgenbach

In war confrontations, dams generally are important points of attack.
For that reason, like many other strategic points, the dam of Bütgenbach was guarded by the Belgian army before the outbreak of war. Roger Coppenolle, powder man of the first bicycle battalion stationed at Stavelot, was part of the command that guarded the dam in 1940, which got the order to bomb the sluices in case of emergency. The mission was worded as follows: "Before the dam falls into enemy hands, the sluices have to be blown up". In the early morning of May 10th, 1940, the Belgian guards were attacked by Germans, among which members of the "Brandenburger Baulehrbatallion" from Bad Münstereifel. These had an excellent knowledge of the place. The guards were seizured and captured before they got the chance to blow up the sluices.
During the German occupation, the dam was contantly guarded by air-defence, hence it remained undamaged during World War two.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Hans Tasma

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