Sint-Oedenrode

Sister cities

• Alzenau

History

During the World War II Sint-Oedenrode suffered tremendously. In May 1940 the German Army invaded the Low Countries and France, and due to the retreat from the Peel-Raam Line by the Dutch Armed Forces skirmishes arose in Sint-Oedenrode in an attempt to keep the enemy at bay. After the capitulation (15 May 1940, in Zeeland 2 days later) Sint-Oedenrode found itself under German occupation. There was a small German Luftwaffe detachment of about 15 people providing a manned look-out (just like the Royal Observer Corps) for Allied planes which were undertaking operations against Volkel Air Base and Eindhoven (Air Base Welschap, now Eindhoven Airport). During the final months of occupation, the mayor (appointed by Queen Wilhelmina) was sacked and replaced by a pro-German mayor. The reasons for the sacking were that the central Distribution Office was plundered from blank distribution cards that were necessary to get coupons for males who were hiding from the Arbeitseinsatz (compulsory labour in the German war industry) and were using fake names. Also the mayor tried to sabotage the arbeitseinsatz. With the beginning of Operation Market Garden in September 1944, Sint-Oedenrode found itself on an important location between the Allied landing zones in Son and Veghel. General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery had the important task to keep the corridor (which ran through Sint-Oedenrode) open for the passage of the British XXX Corps to conquer Nijmegen. The US 101st Airborne Division liberated the Town of Sint-Oedenrode (the 'Market' part) after para droppings in the fields in the vicinity. They were followed by the British XXX Army Corps (the 'Garden' part). For a brief time the 18th-century castle Henkenshage was used as allied HQ. The British left…