Author: joerookery

Halen 15 - Probing1100 Hours. The German Jäger had not crossed the Gete Bridge at first because they feared the barricade and the brewery were still occupied. They soon determined…

Halen 14 - German Jaeger's Consolidate The gate of the Wauters Brewery, which was the width of a cart, was used to provisionally connect both riverbanks to allow the follow-on German…

Halen 13 - German Jaeger's Attack 5             As Van Overstraeten stated in 1964, Capt.-Commandant Tasnier had confirmed to him "two squadrons of Guides occupied Velpen and that the Lancers' right…

Halen 12 - German Jaeger's Attack 4 One of de Witte's staff officers, Van Overstraeten, was to play a leading role in the battle and reported his recollections in 1964. He…

Halen 10 - German Jaeger's Attack 2 0810 Hours. At the Gete River bridge, the 3rd Company/Cy  Battalion at the railroad station fired on a German reconnaissance patrol. A handwritten report…

Halen 9 - German Jaeger's Attack 10300 Hours. A telephone call was received by the Belgian Cavalry Division Staff. "From Herk came the message that twelve German cavalrymen had crossed…

Halen  8 Duffer’s DriftThe Belgians had set the defense. Tactically, how close are they to established norms if there were established norms. One of the simple lessons taught in many…

Halen 7 Belgian Defense-2Defending a river line can be tricky because of the lines of visibility. It was de Witte's decision to make maximum use of visibility by setting up…