His story: Adrianus van de Wal
On 18 September 1944 the battle for Best was still intense. The Germans had full control of the village and were repulsing
American attacks. The German had a couple of 88’s dug in along the railroad tracks and the Eindhoven-Boxtel highway. Best
was reinforced with fresh troops being brought in by train from ‘s Hertogenbosch.
On 18 September 1944 the battle for Best was still intense. The Germans had full control of the village and were repulsing
American attacks. The German had a couple of 88’s dug in along the railroad tracks and the Eindhoven-
Paratroopers of the 502nd PIR had their lines just east of the
Boxtel-Eindhoven highway and on the edge of the Son forest.
The bridge at Best was a secondary target from the start of
operation Market Garden. If the bridge at Son was lost,
there would still be a crossing over the Wilhelmina canal at
Best.
In the meantime, the 506 PIR secured the city of Eindhoven.
Soon the word got out in Best, ‘Eindhoven is liberated’.
A lot of villagers were afraid to move through town, because of
the constant fighting on the eastern outskirts of Best.
Adrianus (Ad) van de Wal, also heard about Eindhoven being
liberated. With no hope on a quick liberation, Ad was afraid he
would miss out on the fun, so he decided to go to Eindhoven.
With Best being turned into a stronghold by the Germans, it
was almost impossible to move around, especially not to
Eindhoven. At around 1100 hours on the 18th, the road bridge
over the Wilheminacanal was blown. This left no crossing points
for Ad to go to Eindhoven. The Germans had troops positioned
at the canal, so crossing the canal wouldn’t be easy.
Later that evening, when it was dark, Ad bypassed the German
troops and swam across the canal. The Germans didn’t see him,
so Ad walked towards Eindhoven, reaching it in the morning of
the 19th. He saw American paratroopers, British forces and the
streets were full of citizens celebrating their liberation.
Ad decided to visit the pub near the Philips building on the
Emmasingel, café Centraal (Central). He spent the rest of the
day inside the café. At around 1900 hours the sky lit up.
Boxtel-
operation Market Garden. If the bridge at Son was lost,
there would still be a crossing over the Wilhelmina canal at
Best.
In the meantime, the 506 PIR secured the city of Eindhoven.
Soon the word got out in Best, ‘Eindhoven is liberated’.
A lot of villagers were afraid to move through town, because of
the constant fighting on the eastern outskirts of Best.
Adrianus (Ad) van de Wal, also heard about Eindhoven being
liberated. With no hope on a quick liberation, Ad was afraid he
would miss out on the fun, so he decided to go to Eindhoven.
With Best being turned into a stronghold by the Germans, it
was almost impossible to move around, especially not to
Eindhoven. At around 1100 hours on the 18th, the road bridge
over the Wilheminacanal was blown. This left no crossing points
for Ad to go to Eindhoven. The Germans had troops positioned
at the canal, so crossing the canal wouldn’t be easy.
Later that evening, when it was dark, Ad bypassed the German
troops and swam across the canal. The Germans didn’t see him,
so Ad walked towards Eindhoven, reaching it in the morning of
the 19th. He saw American paratroopers, British forces and the
streets were full of citizens celebrating their liberation.
Ad decided to visit the pub near the Philips building on the
Emmasingel, café Centraal (Central). He spent the rest of the
day inside the café. At around 1900 hours the sky lit up.
The Germans were flying over Eindhoven with bombers, releasing flares, so they
could see their target. The Germans bombed the main highway, leading through Eindhoven. The city was in chaos. Houses were burning, rubble
everywhere and there was a carpet of thick grey smoke from all the debris covering the city.
Ad got hit that night and lost both his legs. He was brought to a hospital nearby, to see if they could patch him up. Sadly, he died two days later.
Until the end of Octobre, the family didn’t know what happened to Ad. They knew he went to Eindhoven on the 18th, but didn’t hear anything until
the end of Octobre when Best was finally liberated. The casket with Ad’s remains was returned to the family for reburial.
Ad is burried on the cemetery of the ‘Odulophus’ parish in Best. His name is mentioned alongside 41 civilians of Best who died during the war
years.
could see their target. The Germans bombed the main highway, leading through Eindhoven. The city was in chaos. Houses were burning, rubble
everywhere and there was a carpet of thick grey smoke from all the debris covering the city.
Ad got hit that night and lost both his legs. He was brought to a hospital nearby, to see if they could patch him up. Sadly, he died two days later.
Until the end of Octobre, the family didn’t know what happened to Ad. They knew he went to Eindhoven on the 18th, but didn’t hear anything until
the end of Octobre when Best was finally liberated. The casket with Ad’s remains was returned to the family for reburial.
Ad is burried on the cemetery of the ‘Odulophus’ parish in Best. His name is mentioned alongside 41 civilians of Best who died during the war
years.
Photo: Adrianus Lambertus van de Wal (24 March 1916 - 21 September 1944) (E. Peeters)
