Nachrichtentruppe der Wehrmacht at the Hoofdstraat, May 1940
Our Local History Group Reusel was given this photograph by a collector. The word “Reusel” was written on the back of this picture.
The person who donated this photograph found it, along with several other photos of the German invasion in May 1940, on eBay.
In this picture, we see soldiers from the Nachrichtentruppe der Wehrmacht, Infanterie-Regiment 171. This picture was taken in the Hoofdstraat (today Wilhelminalaan 14) at Reusel on Sunday 12th. or Monday May 13th. 1940. In this photograph, you can also clearly see the cable reels with telephone wire.
This picture is extra special to me because I can see my father's family home in the background of this photograph (Hoofdstraat 1b).
(Special thanks to Mr. Hans Loonen)
Original German WWII cable reel backpack with cable spool with original wire
(The Van de Goor family, Hoofdstraat 1b, Reusel)
This photograph was taken in 1948, on the occasion of Queen Wilhelmina's 50th anniversary of reign and Queen Juliana's inauguration.
This is what the house at Wilhelminalaan 14 looks like today.
Fortunately, my father's family home still stands today. The Hoofdstraat is now called Wilhelminalaan.
PzKpfw IV
A Panzer IV (PzKpfw IV) driving through the Lensheuvel (late June 1944)
June 29th. 1944
"...Quarters for some mechanics working on light tracked tanks in the boarding school.
The tanks are stationed at the Lensheuvel. Awesome noise at night!.."
From:The war memories of Brother Mauritio Jongen (1878-1955)
Roughly the same spot in April 2021
Soldiers of Artillerie-Regiment 1719 march through the
Kerkstraat at Reusel, Thursday September 21st. 1944
The artillery piece they have with them is most likely a Škoda 100 mm Model 14/19 field howitzer a so-called ‘Beutewaffe’ (loot weapon).
In a entry, dated 20 September 1944, in the Kriegstagebuch (war diary) of the LXXXVIII. Armeekorps, we can read that at 18:20 the following order was given to Kampfgruppe Chill and Kampfgruppe Zuber:
"Artillerie-Regiment 1719 will be relieved during the night of 20/21 September and led to Reusel by a section of Kampfgruppe Zuber. The position at the Ten Aard bridgehead will be taken over by Kampfgruppe Chill (85. Infanterie-Regiment) ..."
Soldiers of Artillerie-Regiment 1719 march through the
Kerkstraat at Reusel, Thursday September 21st. 1944.
In the top left corner of this picture, you can see part of the rectory.
Škoda 100 mm Model 14/19 field howitzer
Artillerie-Regiment 1719
Artillerie-Regiment 1719 was formed in the Netherlands in December 1943. The Regiment was created by renaming Artillerie-Regiment 663. The Regiment was divided into two leichte Abteilungen and a schwere 7. Batterie. The 7. Batterie was apparently formed from the local Artillerie-Zug 442. After its formation, the Regiment was placed under the command of the 719. Infanterie-Division. The Regiment was deployed for coastal defence and as a garrison unit in Holland in the Breda/Dordrecht area. After the Allied invasion of Normandy and their advance into Belgium, the 719. Infanterie-Division took up a defensive position in the area of the 1. Fallschirm-Armee near Antwerp. The division then defended a section with the 15. Armee on the Albert Canal near Fort Merksem in the Antwerp area. During the subsequent retreat, the division fought at Woensdrecht and Breda. In September, the Regiment fought against British troops in the Tilburg-Eindhoven area. In December 1944, the Regiment was transferred to the Saarlautern area. In December 1944, the Regiment was reinforced to three Abteilungen in Saarpfalz. After defensive battles on the Saar front, the Regiment was destroyed in the Saarpfalz area in March 1945.
719. Infanterie-Division
Collaborators in the Cigar Factory at Reusel
October 22nd. 1944
Collaborators on arrival at Camp Reusel (Karel-1 Cigar Factory) on October 22nd. 1944. These pictures were taken by Capt. Malindine.
Captain Edward George Malindine was attached to No 5 Army Film and Photographic Unit .
Captain Edward George Malindine
(1906 – 1970)
No.5 Army Film and Photographic Unit
Captain Albert ‘Bertie’ Richards (313191)
No.2 Troop 591 Parachute Squadron
Official War Artist
Collaborators in the Cigar Factory at Reusel
A watercolour painting of the Karel-1 cigar factory at Reusel
painted by Capt. Richards
A line of woman and children walk to the left along the brick road in the foreground, while a line of men walk to the right. They are watched by several soldiers with rifles. In the background there is a low-story building with a flat roof and broken windows. To the left is an enclosure, surrounded by wooden fencing from which several figures peer out at the proceedings in the foreground. (size: 54,2cm. x 73cm.)
On November 17th. 1944, Generaal-majoor Kruls wrote to Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart, minister of justice of the Dutch goverment in exile (London):
"...Of the approximately 1300 detainees from Nijmegen area who have been locked in at 'Camp Reusel' of which 40% was arrested unjustly..."
The "Karel-1 cigar factory" at Reusel today
A U.S Army sergeant, driver of one of "The Penguin Fleet" trucks, has his papers checked by a Dutch border guard near the Dutch/Belgian border at Reusel on March 21st. 1945.
picture below
"...By August 1943, procedures for whole blood collection, shipping, and distribution in the ETO provided the framework for a system on the mainland of Europe. Collection teams shipped via refrigerator trucks to the blood base depot where the blood would ship on air or truck assets to the Advance Blood Depot attached to the SOS Medical Supply Depot. Initially located in Salisbury, England, the blood banks moved to Paris, France, supporting the field armies moving across Europe from the Advance Section of the Communications Zone (COMMZ). From there, the cargo
was transported in refrigerator trucks to general, station, or field hospitals. It is worth noting this change from the original guidance of early July 1943 to issue whole blood only to the CZ hospitals. From the SOS Medical Supply Depot, blood was shipped through the Advance Blood Depot (Army) attached to the Field Army Medical Supply Depot with dedicated refrigeration trucks to the evacuation, field, and clearing stations. The field army blood depot was attached to the CZ medical depots, organic to each field army. These blood units (SOS banks and field army banks) were responsible for the handling and shipping of blood on the continent. When trucks with mounted refrigeration units were received at the ETO Blood Bank by May 1944, they were instructed to classify the vehicles as surgical trucks, mark them permanently with Red Crosses,
and mark “ETO Blood Bank” on the cab visors, and use them for blood purposes only. The field
army blood depot normally operated under the direction of the field army surgeon and located with evacuation hospitals, the largest consumer of medical supplies. Unlike the other supply depots, which opened only when the location was suitable for the next demand or when
troops remained in the area for some time, by doctrine medical supply depots established operations as soon as evacuation hospitals opened..."
SOURCE: The Medical Journal - History of U.S. Army Whole Blood on the Battlefield-
by Scott C. Woodard, MA
-The Penguin Fleet-
The Latin phrase "Nulli secundus" means "Second to None"
or "without equal"
