Hechtel-Eksel ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɛxtəl ˈɛksəl] ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg . On 1 January 2018 it had a total population of 12,290 an area of 76.70 km giving a population density of 150 inhabitants per km.
4-560: The municipality was created in January 1977 as a merger of the two former municipalities Hechtel and Eksel. Hechtel was home to the " KBC Night of Athletics ", a yearly international athletics meeting and the annual International Airshow at Sanicole Airport , taking place in September. For seven days during World War II , from 6 to 12 September 1944, the town of Hechtel became the front line between German and British troops in what
8-582: Is commemorated every year on the 2nd Sunday of September. Hechtel was the site of the death of the famous Anglican priest Hugh Lister , who served as a combatant officer in the Welsh Guards . 2 “Hugh Lister (1901–44): Priest, Labor Leader, Combatant Officer.” Anglican and Episcopal History 70 (2001): 353–74. This Belgian Limburg location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . KBC Night of Athletics The KBC Night of Athletics ( Dutch : Nacht van de Atletiek )
12-657: Is known as the battle of Hechtel. German troops consisted of the 2nd Hermann Göring Tank Regiment . The 1st battalion was in Hechtel, with the 2nd placed 2km to the east in Wijchmaal . British forces were from the 1st and 2nd Battalion Welsh Guards , Irish Guards , Scots Guards 'X'-Company, Grenadier Guards and other supporting units. During the battle, 62 British and 127 German soldiers were killed with another 250 captured. Thirty-five civilians also lost their lives with most being executed by German troops. The town centre
16-771: Was heavily damaged. The battle ended on 12 September when the Irish Guards flanked the Germans, took a strategic bridge isolating the German forces. A German Jagdpanther tank destroyer knocked out during this battle in on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford - although its exact provenance is uncertain, it is claimed to be one knocked out by Hugh Griffiths and was previously at the Imperial War Museum London . The battle
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