Maasmechelen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A new monument was unveiled in Maasmechelen commemorating the British bomber that crashed there on 12 May 1940, paying tribute to fallen WWII airmen.
The memorial may be found in Opgrimbie on Kikmolenstraat.
The purpose of the monument is to get the people of Maasmechelen to think back on what transpired when a British bomber crashed in the town on May 12, 1940.
“One of the 9 bombers that left then crashed near us in Opgrimbie,” says initiator Philip Janssen.
“They actually had the goal to destroy the bridges of Vroenhoven and Veldwezel. That didn’t work.”
“7 out of 9 planes were shot down. At that time it was the best British bomber that existed, but the opposition was too great. It is a pity that they died in this way. We often forget, but during the Second World War more than 500 pilots died above Limburg. That is why this monument is there.”
The monument is the result of a citizen effort, and the municipality supplied funding for construction.
“We see that it is very much alive in Maasmechelen, which is why we must continue to invest in all monuments that commemorate the suffering of that time.”
What significance does the 1940 crash hold for local history?
Due to the fact that Belgian authorities unintentionally captured crucial German invasion plans (Fall Gelb), the 1940 crash of the German Messerschmitt Bf 108 near Maasmechelen has great local historical significance.
Belgium was getting ready for the German invasion at the beginning of World War II when this incident took place. The Belgian military and Allied troops received important intelligence on German tactics from the accident and the following recovery of classified documents, which impacted defensive planning.
The episode is recalled as a time when the community was intimately involved in a significant event that occurred during the war.
The crash is recognized as a significant event in the area’s wartime history by the memorial erected in Maasmechelen, which also honors the local community’s involvement in the aftermath.
