Achtmaal
Encyclopedia
Achtmaal is a village in the municipality of Zundert
in the province of North Brabant
, the Netherlands
. It is located on the border with Belgium
.
During World War II
, the United States Army
104th Infantry Division, 415th regiment
, liberated Achtmaal. Operation Pheasant (code-name "Suitcase") started on the morning of Friday 20 October 1944 just after 7:00am. On 27 October 1944 the 3rd Battalion of the 415th Infantry entered the village and Lieutenant Colonel Kelleher was handed papers by the Dutch resistance
. They proved to be very helpful for the liberators. The Regiment sustained thirty-seven killed and 135 wounded during the operation.
Zundert
Zundert is a municipality and a town in Noord Brabant, the Netherlands.Zundert lies about 10 metres above Dutch sea level , and is located 15 km south-west of the city of Breda, and 35 km north-east of Antwerp, Belgium...
in the province of North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It is located on the border with Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
104th Infantry Division, 415th regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
, liberated Achtmaal. Operation Pheasant (code-name "Suitcase") started on the morning of Friday 20 October 1944 just after 7:00am. On 27 October 1944 the 3rd Battalion of the 415th Infantry entered the village and Lieutenant Colonel Kelleher was handed papers by the Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized by its prominent non-violence, summitting in over 300,000 people in hiding in the autumn of 1944, tended to by some 60,000 to 200,000 illegal landlords and caretakers and tolerated knowingly...
. They proved to be very helpful for the liberators. The Regiment sustained thirty-seven killed and 135 wounded during the operation.