Doug,
congratulations with your daughters birthday.
let me answer your questions.
On the 17 of September the Germans positioned their FLAK further up the road to the north on the right side at another farmhouse.
The Germans made several big holes in the ground to put in their FLAK.
When they were just in position 2 English reconnaissance planes came over the area.
Because the FLAK was not camouflaged yet they were soon spotted and directly after this 4 American thunderbolts appeared on the horizon and engaged the battery.
The battery is fully destroyed and wounded Germans are taken from the seen.
After this a great armada of planes came overhead from the west and the sky is black of planes.
The only thing the Germans can do is look helplessly at it while they fly over their destroyed position
So i think the Germans knew the allies were coming past Oisterwijk and there for positioned their FLAK in that area(Kerkhove)
They had more antiaircraft in Oisterwijk during the war but I think it was because of the German airbase Eindhoven and Gilze Rijen.
When there had been a bombing rade in Germany and planes were hit by enemy fire and in state of emergency they had to fly from Germany to a emergency airfield in the south of England over Belgium.
Then the route was over the province of Brabant Holland and then they had to avoid the airfields Eindhoven and Gilze rijen.
So they flew over the Tilburg area just in between, also they had to avoid the Denbosch Boxtel Best area because of German FLAK and this is why they then came over Oisterwijk.
This is also why more than ones a plane was shot down in this area during the war and that’s why their was FLAK around Oisterwijk.
Also for the protection of their ammunition depots in our Forrest, the depots at the leather company and our railway used by the Germans for their loading and unloading of goods and ammunition at the railway emplacement on the leather company.
Sadly on 16 September 6 typhoons attack one of those trains fully loaded with ammunition in our village centre and blow it up destroying the surrounding area to a great extend.
600 houses are destroyed ore badly damaged but as a wonder know an was killed.
Sadly the RAF pictures on the internet are from 13 September.
In a another book I have red about the downing of the glider is written:
the glider crashed in the ditch of kerkhovense street about 75 meters from the canon beside the farm of Mr van der Sterren
while first hitting the tree's.
I think the Germans had their FLAK set up beside the road under cover of the tree line just in the field.
This I think because 1 eyewitness remembers going by the FLAK several times and saw the canon under its camouflage.
I have made a circle beside the farmhouse of Mr van der Sterren so think of the FLAK as being in that circle beside the road at a distance of 75 to 125 meter to the crash spot.
The crash spot is marked with a arrow and it could be possible that the spot is just a little closer to the farmhouse of van der Sterren.
But keep it in the field I have marked.
Could it be possible that the FLAK shot of the wing of the glider to the left of its position and overflew the gun while going down in a sort of spin crashing in the tree's and ending in the ditch?
In the copy of the book with the reg plate you have is written in Dutch "the glider came down as a leaf falling from a tree".
Peter.
ps. i also had a great fathers day, got me an orange candle from beau and a red neck tie with I love you on it from renee haha
had to wear it all day long and let me tell you I’m not used wearing those things so it was a killer
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