Hechtel-Eksel () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

located in the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

province of

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

. On 1 January 2018 it had a total population of 12,290 an area of 76.70 km² giving a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 150 inhabitants per km². The municipality was created in January 1977 as a merger of the two former municipalities Hechtel and Eksel.

Events

Hechtel was home to the "

KBC Night of Athletics The KBC Night of Athletics ( nl, Nacht van de Atletiek) is an annual athletics event at the Stadium De Veen in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. It is officially presented and sponsored by the KBC Bank KBC Group is a Belgian universal multi-channel ban ...

", a yearly international

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

meeting and the annual International Airshow at Sanicole Airport, taking place in September.

Battle of Hechtel

For seven days 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 ...

, 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. 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 Wijchmaal is a village in the province of Limburg, Belgium, which since 1977 has been a subdivision of the municipality of Peer. It is located on the low Kempen plateau and has predominantly sandy soil. The village has medieval fishponds that on ...

. British forces were from the 1st and 2nd Battalion

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V ...

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

'X'-Company,

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

and other supporting units. During the battle, 62 British and 127 German soldiers were killed with another 250 captured. 35 civilians also lost their lives with most being executed by German troops. The town centre was heavily damaged. A German

Jagdpanther The ''Jagdpanther'' (German: "hunting Panther"), Sd.Kfz. 173, was a tank destroyer (''Jagdpanzer'', a self-propelled anti-tank gun) built by Germany during World War II. The ''Jagdpanther'' combined the 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank gun, similar to th ...

tank knocked out during this battle may be seen at the

Imperial War Museum Duxford Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artill ...

, although exact provenance is uncertain, its claimed to be one knocked out by Hugh Griffiths and was previously at The Imperial War Museum London. The battle is commemorated every year on the 2nd Sunday of September.The annual Liberation of Hechtel commemorations
/ref> Hechtel was the site of the death of the famous Anglican priest

Hugh Lister Hugh Evelyn Jackson Lister (15 May 1901 – 9 September 1944) was an English Anglican priest, trade union organizer, and combatant British Army officer in the Second World War. Graduate of Cambridge University and Cuddesdon Theological Co ...

, who served as a combatant officer in the

References

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

External links

*
Map of Hechtel-EkselOfficial website
- Available only in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Sanicole Airshow official website
Municipalities of Limburg (Belgium) {{LimburgBE-geo-stub