Memory Route World War ll Verhoven Bombed

Omloop 6, Verhoven

Netherlands, the North Brabant Verhoven

Memory Route World War ll Verhoven Bombed #1

Memory Route World War ll Verhoven Bombed #2

In the Municipality of Gilze and Rijen is a memory route created in memory of the Second World War.
In a number of places there is a sign with a description of what happened at that place in the Second World War.

VERHOVEN BOMBED

The air raid alarm went off on Monday, August 7, 1944. To begin with at half past nine in the morning. In the south, many bombers flew by, accompanied by hunters. The sky was clear with scattered clouds. The alarm was raised again at ten to eleven. A formation of about fifteen Liberator bombers approached from the southeast. A wide strip of condensation streaks passed across the sky in the direction of Gilze. Suddenly a few dozen bombs fell; they came down to the Rielse Baan. A man was seriously injured on the right shoulder.

The heavy anti-aircraft guns started to fire. The bombers steered at the airport with full engine power. New series of bombs fell, with far more serious consequences. They beat between the houses on Verhoven, not far from the place that was also hit a month ago. This time four people were killed immediately; H. Brouwers and his son, the wife of A. van Engelen and G. Heeren from Rucphen. A. Broeders and A. van Engelen-Broeders were seriously injured. Three persons were slightly injured: the sisters Nel and Jo Persoons, resp. 13 and 14 years old, and J. Broeders jr. The house of J. Broeders was on fire.
The rest of the bombs fell in the open field and at the airfield, where Luftwaffe soldier Knappmann was killed.

The block squad Verhoven of the Air Protection Service (LBD) reported the incident directly to the head of the LBD in Gilze and urgently requested medical assistance and assistance from the fire brigade. Spiritual help was already available at that time. A. Botermans was given the overall management of the relief work. At a quarter past twelve he sent out an ordinance to the affected area for information. He came back with the facts already mentioned and the request to send an ambulance urgently. This request was made by telephone to the St. Ignatius Hospital in Breda, but before the ambulance arrived, the injured persons had already been taken to Breda by ambulance from the Luftwaffe. A short time later, the hospital reported that A. Broeders had died in the meantime.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Ortskommandant asked the LBD in Gilze by telephone whether duds had also been found. This was indeed the case; four pieces at the Rielsebaan and several others at Verhoven. The air protection agency posted warning flags until "airport volunteers" cleared them up.
The mayors of Alphen and Riel and Gilze and Rijen reported that 48 splinter bombs of up to fifty kilograms had ended up on the Rielse Baan and another two hundred pieces on and around Verhoven. The projectiles that landed on the airfield are not included.

The Liberators belonged to the second Bombardment Division, which attacked a number of targets in Belgium that day. Gilze-Rijen had apparently chosen one of the formations as an alternative target.

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