Liberation Route Marker 106: A new haircut

A new haircut
The British Army is again halted beyond Aalst on September 18. A battery of German guns fires on the column. There is no air support due to fog at the airfield. The narrow road is difficult for the big guns to move forward quickly. During the artillery duel, a few British officers find the time to visit the barber.

On Monday September 18 1944, the Household Cavalry, a reconnaissance section of the British XXXth Corps, advanced to the bridge over the river Tongelreep at Aalst. Once there, the British column came under fierce fire from 88mm guns, which were set up in the sports park in Eindhoven. The Irish Guards arrived too. They asked headquarters for air support. But none could be had at the time, due to fog at the airfields in Belgium. Meanwhile, a number of soldiers also found time to visit the hairdresser.

This new hold-up meant Operation Market Garden had been delayed by 24 hours, which gave the Germans every chance to regroup. The success of Operation Market Garden was severely endangered.

Audiospot - A new haircut

Liberation Route Europe is a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. With hundreds of sites and stories in nine European countries, the route links the main regions along the advance of the Allied Forces in 1943-1945.
The entire route consists of themed routes that can be travelled by by hiking, walking, cycling and car. These routes pass numerous historical and interesting sites and tell stories from a multitude of perspectives that were important in the final phase of World War II.
Many routes feature listening spots, offering the opportunity to listen to a historical story at a location. In addition, many ‘Vectors of Memory’ have been placed, indicating that the passer-by is on one of the Liberation Routes.
The routes can be found on the Liberation Route Europe website or in the app through which many stories can also be listened to.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Liberation Route Europe
• Photos: Jeroen Koppes