Remembering Mortsel

Remembering Mortsel

The honor guard of Paris Post 1 (FR-01) participated on April 6 in a remembrance ceremony in Mortsel, Belgium.

The publication Het Laatste Nieuws had dedicated a full page the previous day to the memorial of the 936 deaths (209 children) that occurred due to the U.S. bombing of Mortsel – near Antwerp – 70 years ago during World War II. The bombing occurred at exactly 3:32 p.m. on April 5, 1943. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the American bombers were targeting the Erla factory that was in German hands, but because the lead plane had taken evasive actions, the bombs were dropped too late. Mortsel did not receive an official war cross because it was a so-called friendly fire incident. Mortsel has organized a number of events to remember the bombings.