Achtmaal is a village the south of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is located in

Zundert Zundert () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and town in the south of the Netherlands bordering Belgium, in the province of North Brabant. Zundert is the birthplace of Post-impressionism, post-impressionist painter Vincent va ...

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the we ...

, near the border with

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1294 as "Gilberti de Achtmale", and is a combination of "reserved forest" and "court of justice". Achtmaal was home to 100 people in 1840. The St Cornelius Church was built in 1863. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

104th Infantry Division, 415th Infantry Regiment, liberated Achtmaal.

Operation Pheasant Operation Pheasant, also known as the Liberation of North Brabant, was a major operation to clear German troops from the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War. This offensiv ...

(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.

Gallery

File:Overzicht hek bij portierswoning - Achtmaal - 20002854 - RCE.jpg, Gate house of Wallsteijn File:Supermarket in Achtmaal.jpg, Supermarket File:Woonhuis - Achtmaal - Pastoor de Bakkerstraat 8.jpg, Villa in Achtmaal File:P1060867.JPG, Buisse Hoeve

References

Populated places in North Brabant Zundert {{NorthBrabant-geo-stub