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In September 1943, the newly formed 12th SS Armoured Division installed itself in de Kempen. The group consists of young German soldiers, all born in 1926 and recruited from the Hitlerjugend. They are steeped in Nazi ideology and used to military training from an early age. The divisional staff establishes its headquarters at the Zwanestrand in Oud-Turnhout.
The extensive moors in the Kempen region are ideal for military training. The armoured division used the heathland of Vandamme at the Liereman as training grounds and shooting field. They shoot with live ammunition to make the exercises as realistic as possible. Remnants of ammunition have been found there to this day.
Traces in the landscape
The activities of the armoured division have left traces that are still visible in the landscape. In Bo's woods, for example, you can recognise a pattern of unnatural undulations. They are former dug-ins, dug-in field positions to protect vehicles and armoured cars from artillery and the guns of military vehicles. The dug-ins are open on one side so that the soldiers can leave them quickly if the position is threatened.
In April 1944, the German armoured division left for the north of France. After the Allied landing in Normandy, the young SS men were confronted with the troops of the British 49th West Riding Infantry Division, who would liberate large parts of the Kempen a few months later.