ARDENAS 1944: el bombardeo de Amberes
Antwerp, "City of Sudden Death"
The historic city of Antwerp lies 80 Km from the North Sea on the Scheldt River. The river Schelde flows into the Dutch Schelde called Westerschelde. On the northern embankment of the Schelde lies Noord Brabant, then the South Beveland and Walcheren penisulas. The port is one of the Europe's great harbors, but it is not a natural harbor. Its docks were dug out and fitted with locks to regulate the water and allow transportation of goods further inland.
On September 1, 1944, as the Germans retreated toward the Reich, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower assumed overall command of General Montgomery's 21st Army Group and General Bradley's 12th Army Group. Eisenhower ordered a broad front advance to hold the Germans at bay and not overstretch the Allied supply lines. North of the line, Montgomery's forces were to be given priority until the port of Antwerp could be secured. Capture of the vast port facilities could greatly improve the supply situation for the advancing Allied armies. The British 11th Armored Division captured the city and port intact on September 4, 1944. But, they failed to seize the bridges over the Albert Canal, and when the British troops tried to cross a few days later, the bridges were blown by the retreating Germans.
The Germans still had control of South Beveland and Walcheren. This would soon hamper Allied efforts to clear and open the port area. After the failure of operation "Market Garden", the urgent need for the port at Antwerp to become operational (close to the front lines) was very apparent.
Hitler and the German High Command also understood the significance of the port to the Allies. In early October, Hitler ordered that all V-weapons should now target London and Antwerp exclusively. SS General Hans Kammler received the orders for the bombardment of Antwerp under the code name Anton. After four years of German occupation, it soon would become clear to the residents of Antwerp that the Nazi scourge on their city was not over - the German wonder weapons were about to target the historic port city.
The Rex Cinema
On the first day of the German Ardennes offensive, December 16, 1944, the worst disaster occurred. The "Rex" Cinema on avenue De Keyserlei was packed full of people in middle of the afternoon, nearly 1200 seats were occupied, all watching the featured movie. At 15.20 hrs the audience suddenly glimpsed a split-second flash of light cutting through the dark theater, followed by the balcony and ceiling crashing down during a deafening boom. A V-2 rocket (of the SS Werfer Battery 500 in Holland) had impacted directly on top of the cinema.
The destruction was total. Afterwards, many people were found still sitting in their seats, stone dead. For more than a week the Allied authorities worked to clear the rubble. Later, many of the bodies were laid out at the city zoo for identification. The death toll was 567 casualties to soldiers and civilians, 291 injured and 11 buildings were destroyed. 296 of the dead & 194 of the injured were U.S., British, & Canadian soldiers. This was the single highest death total from one rocket attack during the war in Europe.
After this shock, all theaters and cinemas were shut down and no more than 50 people were allowed to gather in any one place. People who could afford it left the city for safer parts and Antwerp became a somber and semi-deserted city. The residents remaining really felt that they were under siege. The V-weapon onslaught combined with the bad news from the Ardennes offensive in December made Antwerp residents realize that the war was far from over and that thousands more civilians and soldiers were going to die before Germany was defeated.
The coming new year started no better than the previous. Shortly after midnight on New Year's Eve the city was struck by another flying bomb. Then on January 2 the city registered no less than 20 V-1 strikes. The heavy snow made rescue work almost impossible. Ever since the disaster at the Rex cinema all theaters and public places had been closed down. The very center is Antwerp was now desolate.
Many people tend to associate the V-weapon campaign as one directed only against England; however, Antwerp was the recipient of even more V-2s than London, resulting in more than 30,000 killed or injured. In the weeks leading up to the Ardennes offensive, the V-weapons made it very difficult for supplies to reach the overstretched Allied lines. Hitler hoped to cut the American and British forces in half, with the capture of Antwerp being his ultimate goal. In the face of Allied air superiority, the V-bombs were Hitler’s only available means to stem to flow of supplies prior to and during the German offensive. Even though Hitler lost the Battle of the Bulge, the V-bombs continued to fall on Antwerp. Throughout the later portion of 1944 and well into 1945, the V-weapons severely curtailed the amount of supplies brought into Antwerp. The port never did reach its expected goals, and the Allies were forced to divert ammunition and manpower to Ghent.
Source:
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