Flooding in Central France: the Dutch contribution
The troops of 1 Division sprang into action immediately. Staff officers rushed to Aubusson to assess the situation. They were followed by detachments from 11 Marechaussee company and from 11 Signal battalion with radio equipment and by a transport group from 11 Tank battalion.
Battling mud and water
The A-company from 16 Infantry battalion Limburgse Jagers arrived the next morning and was given the task of clearing the mud and water from the town. Dams of driftwood and sandbags were erected at the most vulnerable points.
The Limburgse Jagers, the engineers, the marechaussees and the hussars were up to their waists in the water setting up the barriers. 11 Engineer battalion was also deployed to clear the roads to Aubusson. Dutch military personnel also used improvised supports to ensure that houses did not collapse.
Connections and a new bridge
In the afternoon, 16 Infantry battalion’s B-company relieved A-company and the ‘signalmen’ restored radio traffic to and from Aubusson. In the days that followed, the engineers carried out repair work to the bed of a tributary to the Creuse and built a new bridge.
Repair work
Early in the morning of 6 October, a 100 Limburgse Jagers set off in 5 dump trucks for the little town of Tulle, which was 100 kilometres away from La Courtine and which had also been affected by the heavy rainfall. Led by Captain H.A. Muller, they helped the locals to clear away rubble and to carry out minor repairs. They cleared a thick layer of mud from Tulle’s market square as well as saturated shop goods from the pavements. The Limburgse Jagers also helped the pastor to move the contents of his cathedral to another location for storage.
Saved from drowning
1 of the Dutch soldiers, conscript private A.C. Heeren, also managed to save a French woman from drowning. Because of the efficient response by Dutch military personnel, the French authorities awarded 1 Division ‘7 December’ with the Medaille d’argent de courage et de dévouement on 27 October 1960.