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Hechtel-Eksel

Coordinates: 51°07′N 05°22′E / 51.117°N 5.367°E / 51.117; 5.367
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Hechtel-Eksel
Municipality
Flag of Hechtel-Eksel
Flag
Coat of arms of Hechtel-Eksel
Coat of arms
Location of Hechtel-Eksel
Map
Hechtel-Eksel is located in Belgium
Hechtel-Eksel
Hechtel-Eksel
Location in Belgium
Location of Hechtel-Eksel in Limburg
Coordinates: 51°07′N 05°22′E / 51.117°N 5.367°E / 51.117; 5.367
Country Belgium
CommunityFlemish Community
RegionFlemish Region
ProvinceLimburg
ArrondissementMaaseik
Government
 • MayorJan Daelemans (HE)
 • Governing party/iesHE lijst burgemeester
Area
 • Total76.68 km2 (29.61 sq mi)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total12,290
 • Density160/km2 (420/sq mi)
Postal codes
3940-3941
NIS code
72038
Area codes011
Websitewww.hechtel-eksel.be

Hechtel-Eksel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɛxtəl ˈɛksəl]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On 1 January 2018 it had a total population of 12,290 an area of 76.70 km2 giving a population density of 150 inhabitants per km2.

The municipality was created in January 1977 as a merger of the two former municipalities Hechtel and Eksel.

Events

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Hechtel was home to the "KBC Night of Athletics", a yearly international athletics meeting and the annual International Airshow at Sanicole Airport, taking place in September.

Battle of Hechtel

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For seven days during World War II, from 6 to 12 September 1944, the town of Hechtel became the front line between German and British troops in what is known as the battle of Hechtel.[2] German troops consisted of the 2nd Hermann Göring Tank Regiment. The 1st battalion was in Hechtel, with the 2nd placed 2km to the east in Wijchmaal.[3] British forces were from the 1st and 2nd Battalion Welsh Guards, Irish Guards, Scots Guards 'X'-Company, Grenadier Guards and other supporting units.[4]

During the battle, 62 British and 127 German soldiers were killed with another 250 captured.[5] Thirty-five civilians also lost their lives with most being executed by German troops. The town centre was heavily damaged.

The battle ended on 12 September when the Irish Guards flanked the Germans, took a strategic bridge isolating the German forces.[3]

A German Jagdpanther tank destroyer knocked out during this battle in on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford - although its exact provenance is uncertain, it is claimed to be one knocked out by Hugh Griffiths[6] and was previously at the Imperial War Museum London. The battle is commemorated every year on the 2nd Sunday of September.[7]

Hechtel was the site of the death of the famous Anglican priest Hugh Lister, who served as a combatant officer in the Welsh Guards.

References

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  1. ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. ^ Bussels, Joseph (1972). De Slag om Hechtel: Bevrijdingsgevechten 6 – 12 September 1944 [The Battle of Hechtel: Liberation Battles 6 – 12 September 1944] (in Dutch). Hechtel: Selbstverl. OCLC 164617953.
  3. ^ a b Paterson, Lawrence (2021). Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 'Hermann Göring’: A History of the Luftwaffe's Only Armoured Division, 1933–1945. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England: Greenhill Books. pp. 194–195. ISBN 978-1-78438-611-5.
  4. ^ Retallack, John (1981). The Welsh Guards. London: F. Warne. pp. 110–112. ISBN 978-0-7232-2746-5.
  5. ^ Memorial The Battle Of Hechtel at Traces of war.com
  6. ^ "Sd Kfz 173 Jagdpanther (Tank Destoyer [sic])". Imperial War Museum Collections. Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  7. ^ The annual Liberation of Hechtel commemorations

2 “Hugh Lister (1901–44): Priest, Labor Leader, Combatant Officer.” Anglican and Episcopal History 70 (2001): 353–74.

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