Willem Hikspoors

On a sunny day, sept 19 1944, the 52 year old gardner Willem Hikspoors was working in the yard of Soeterbeek estate. The estate lies in the north-east of Eindhoven, near Nuenen and Nederwetten. Willem Hikspoors was the gardner of the ‘Smits van Oyen’ nobility family. Market Garden was in its third day, it was very quiet at the Soeterbeek estate. Everybody was gone, looking at the liberators in Son. After a while Willem Hikspoors heard a strange noise coming from the east. At first he thought it was the sound of allied planes, returning home from their mission. He was wrong, a man on a bike passed the Soeterbeek estate and informed Willem that the Germans were coming

After a few minutes the first vehicles of the German column arrived. It was the reconnaissance unit of the German 107th Panzer brigade, mainly consisting of half-tracked vehicles. The first vehicle stopped just in front of the bridge. A German armed with a sub-machinegun stepped out of the vehicle to look at the bridge.
Would the bridge be strong enough to carry the Panzer brigade across the Dommel?
Willem Hikspoors understood what the German soldier was doing and walked up to him shouting that the bridge was not strong enough. The German soldier doesn’t seem to be convinced by the old man. More Germans exit their vehicle and walk up to the bridge. After a long conversation, Willem points towards the road sign next to the bridge. It says that the bridge can only carry a payload of 8 tons. The German seems to believe Willem now and orders his troops to return to their vehicle. They’re going back to where they came from.

By the time the Germans were returning to their vehicles, the son of the Smits van Oyen family arrived at Soeterbeek estate. He mistakenly thinks allied troops have reached his house, aims his camera towards the vehicles and snaps a few shots. The German commander is outraged by this spy taking pictures, captures Jan, throws Jan’s camera into the Dommel river and leads him away to the back of the column.

Photo: Willem Hikspoors on the bridge that saved Eindhoven

Willem Hikspoors fears for the live of his boss’s son and tries to find a way to free him. While the Germans are turning their vehicles on this narrow road, Willem makes sure that the Germans take their time by giving directions. When the Germans are fully concentrated on the vehicles and the road, Willem signs Jan to run away. A short pursuit follows, shots being fired, but Jan manages to get away. The German commander is furious but decides to leave the spot and find another way to attack Hell’s Highway.

Willem Hikspoors story got a lot of attention when the war had ended. Many Eindhoven citizens believe that Willem Hikspoors prevented a big tank battle by his action. Through the years the bridge has changed. The old brick bridge is replaced by a new concrete bridge. In 1984 the bridge got its new name; The Hikspoors bridge. On the bridge people will find a plaque which holds a poem referring to this incident on sept 19 1944.

The Dutch version of the poem:                 Translated:
God spaard’ ons ongedacht                      God saved us without knowing
door deze zwakke brug,                             By this weak bridge
Haar zwakheid was haar kracht,                Her weakness was her strenght
Hier moest de mof terug                             The Boche had to go back

The poem is added to the bridge when it got its new name in 1984. The last sentence of the poem also changed over the years, because it was too offensive. ‘Boche’ changed into ‘German’ and eventually changed into ‘Enemy’.