Princess Irene Brigade Viaduct Waalre

The Princess Irene Brigade viaduct is in memory of the fallen of the Princess Irene Brigade in World War II. The viaduct is located on the road that the Princess Irene Brigade followed in the night of 20 to 21 September 1944 from Bergeijk to Eindhoven.

German blockade at Aalst
On September 18, at 5:30 a.m., the Household Cavalry departed from Valkenswaard in the direction of Aalst and Eindhoven. Lieutenant David Tabor rode ahead with his No. 3 Troop. Even before they reach Aalst they see three Sturmgeschütze from the Schwere Heeres Panzerjäger-Abteilung 559. The reconnaissance units stopped the advance and asked for assistance from the tanks of the Irish Guards. The German antitank guns, however, were the first to see the advancing infantry and then retreated to Eindhoven with the Household Cavalry in pursuit. A little further on, at the Valkenswaardseweg (N69) / Koningin Julianalaan junction, another of the Sturmgeschütze was seen, again the Irish Guards were sent for it. After five shots of the Sherman Firefly by Lance-Sergeant Bertie Cowan there appeared to be little movement in the vehicle. It appeared to have been abandoned by the German crew because one of the tracks of the Stug III was broken. Just to the north of Aalst the reconnaissance units were stopped again by one of the Sturmgeschütze, after a brief firefight it also withdrew.

Again the advance continued, but at the bridge over the Tongelreep the British encountered defensive fire of two 88mm and four 2cm guns of the Flak-Abteilung 654. These guns were erected around the Eikenburg, about where now the Princess Irene Brigade Viaduct is where the A2 crosses the N69. The German troops here were under the command of Kampfgruppe Köppel and had the objective of blocking the advance to Eindhoven.

Meanwhile, other units of the Household Cavalry were looking for alternative routes to Eindhoven. The unit to the east soon got stuck on the Tongelreep. No. 5 Troop, under the command of Lieutenant Michael Palmer, managed to reach the north of Eindhoven via a detour and found the American paratroopers there around half past twelve.

In the meantime Eindhoven was taken by the paratroopers at 3:30 PM. The Germans on the positions around the Eikenburg decided to withdraw. It would take until 17:00 for the vanguard of the Household Cavalry to reach the blown bridge at Son.

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Source

• Text: Jeroen Koppes
• Photos: Jeroen Koppes
• DIDDEN, J. & SWARTS, M., Kampfgruppe Walther and Panzerbrigade 107, 2016.
• MARGRY, K., Operation Market-Garden, 2002.