Vector: Saving the Basilica
At the end of the war, German troops on the retreat were ordered to preemptively blow up all church towers.. However, when it became necessary to destroy the Basilica of Oudenbosch town in the Netherlands, German Generalleutnant Walter Stein decided not to do so.
Walter Steinmüller commanded the German 346th Infantry Division from 16 October 1944. The Division was created for occupation and coastal defence purposes along the French coast, and after the Allies landed in Normandy, June 1944, it was deployed to the Front and slowly pushed back to the Netherlands. Before arriving in the Netherlands, the Division had gained alot of combat experience in France and Belgium. By the time the war ended, it was one of the few divisions that had been in continuous combat from Normandy until capitulation (May 1945) at Leusden. Other German divisions were often defeated and destroyed by the advancing Allied army but the 346th Infantry Division managed to withstand this, making it quite unique for a German division. During the fighting in West Brabant in the Netherlands, the Division moved its command post to the hamlet of Noordhoek near Standdaarbuiten village in order to avoid the advancing American Timberwolves.
At the end of the…
Walter Steinmüller commanded the German 346th Infantry Division from 16 October 1944. The Division was created for occupation and coastal defence purposes along the French coast, and after the Allies landed in Normandy, June 1944, it was deployed to the Front and slowly pushed back to the Netherlands. Before arriving in the Netherlands, the Division had gained alot of combat experience in France and Belgium. By the time the war ended, it was one of the few divisions that had been in continuous combat from Normandy until capitulation (May 1945) at Leusden. Other German divisions were often defeated and destroyed by the advancing Allied army but the 346th Infantry Division managed to withstand this, making it quite unique for a German division. During the fighting in West Brabant in the Netherlands, the Division moved its command post to the hamlet of Noordhoek near Standdaarbuiten village in order to avoid the advancing American Timberwolves.
At the end of the war, Steinmüller was captured and like many other Generals had to contribute to recording information about the performance of his division. This is how it is known that the Basilica in Oudenbosch, by his decision, came out of the war unscathed, in contrast to practically all other churches in the province of North Brabant. The written text states:
'The division moved its command post to Standdaarbuiten on the night of Oct. 29-30. The domed church tower of the convent in Oudenbosch, which dominated the terrain from afar, caused the division some headaches. It must have been an ideal artillery observation point for the enemy, but given the cultural and historical value of this beautiful building, the division decided not to blow it up.'