The “battle” on the Goudsberg

Chief of Police on the Battle of the Goudsberg

On June 7, 1946, Jan Franssen, brigade commander of the Valkenburg police, wrote an eight-page report on the occupation and liberation on behalf of Mayor Piet Hens. It contains the most important events and personal dramas that he can remember. The section on the Battle of the Goudsberg is interesting.

Here is the literal translation:
On the morning of September 17, at exactly 8 o’clock, we saw through the orchards in the Hekerbeek Valley heavy American tanks moving in the direction of Walem and lining up in battle formation roughly directly under our barracks. Never in my life have I been so happy as I was that morning, and many people with me. After the tanks had been brought into position, they all began to fire into the woods and fields. Every square meter was covered with a shell, so to speak, and we saw the hiding Germans rushing towards the tanks with their hands in the air, much higher than the Hitler salute, and unarmed. Many Germans were killed in this attack in the small forest near Walem. However, I do not know the number.

At that time, the police barracks were located at the top of Nieuweweg. From there, Franssen had a wide view of the Hekerbeek quarter, which at the time only consisted of the Sint Nicolaasstraat with around 30 houses, and the Euverem valley behind it. He talks about ten tanks that had taken up position directly behind the barracks. In his cheerful mood, he may have exaggerated the figure of ‘about ten’ tanks. He is forgiven for that. The inhabitants of the Euverem farm speak of seven tanks lined up side by side at the foot of the Goudsberg along the road leading to the farmstead. They see the spectacle at close range and their explanation is more plausible. Incidentally, Franssen writes nothing about attacks from the air. Apparently, he did not or could not perceive this.