Steenbergen: Difference between revisions

'''Steenbergen''' ({{IPA-nl|ˈsteːmbɛrɣəˈsteːmˌbɛrɣə(n)|-|226 Steenbergen.ogg}}) is a [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] and a town in the province of [[North Brabant]] in the south of the [[Netherlands]]. The municipality had a population of {{formatnum:{{Dutch municipality population|Steenbergen}}}} in {{YEAR|{{Dutch municipality population|popbaseyear}}}} and covers an area of {{convert|{{Dutch municipality total area|Steenbergen}}|km2|abbr=on}} of which {{convert|{{Dutch municipality water area|Steenbergen}}|km2|abbr=on}} is water. The municipality is mainly agricultural including a strongly growing [[greenhouse]] sector, but Steenbergen and the nearby town of [[Dinteloord]] also contain some [[light industry]]. A new stretch of A4 motorway under construction is expected to further increase the municipality's attractiveness, allowing easy connections with the large cities of [[Rotterdam]] to the north and the Belgian city of [[Antwerp]] to the south. The connection with the nearby city of [[Bergen op Zoom]] will also be improved as a result.

[[Guy Gibson]], [[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] and the first CO of the [[RAF]]'s [[617 Squadron]] which he led in the "[[Operation Chastise|Dam Busters]]" raid in 1943, crashed with his [[de Havilland Mosquito|Mosquito]] aircraft in this municipality. Having returned to operational duties in 1944 after pestering Bomber Command, 26-year-old Gibson was killed along with his navigator, Sqn Ldr Jim Warwick, on a bombing raid on [[Rheydt]] (nowadays a borough of [[Mönchengladbach]]) operating as a [[Pathfinder (RAF)|Pathfinder]] [[Master Bomber]] based at [[RAF Coningsby]], when his [[de Havilland Mosquito]] XX, ''[[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|KB267]]'', crashed near Steenbergen on 19 September 1944. It was assumed for years that he had been shot down, but following the discovery of the wreckage it was found that a fault with the fuel tank selector possibly meant the aircraft simply ran out of fuel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Personal Effects of Guy Gibson on show |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/newsweather/index.cfm?storyid=9936DF59-5056-A318-A8D77C88C6FCC163 |titlearchive-url=RAFhttps://web.archive.org/web/20121019055620/http://www.raf.mod.uk/newsweather/index.cfm?storyid=9936DF59-5056-A318-A8D77C88C6FCC163 |archive-date=Oct Page19, not2012 found|work=mod.uk}}</ref> An eye-witness account detailed how his aircraft circled Steenbergen and heard its engines 'splutter and stop'.<ref>''Bomber Barons'', Chaz Bowyer (1983) page 165</ref> In 2011 it was revealed the Mosquito may also have been shot down in a [[friendly fire]] incident.<ref>''After The Battle'' no. 155 (2012), page 47,</ref> The graves are in the RC cemetery of Steenbergen. Streets have been named for both Gibson and Warwick, and one of the aircraft's [[propeller]]s is located in the city park as a memorial.