Fragment from 'Walking in Scheldeland – 100 years of the Great War'.
Dendermonde – a ruin on the Scheldt and Dender.
“Battle for the Ferry Bridge
Here on the Scheldt, at the end of the Veerstraat, at the start of the First World War, there is the Veerbrug, over which pedestrians, carts and trains pass in the direction of Waasland, on the left bank of the Scheldt. The entire Belgian army is in Antwerp in 1914 and the left bank has therefore become of paramount importance. The passage from the coast to Antwerp must be preserved for the supply of the troops. This passage is also important for the Belgian army to leave Antwerp if the city were captured. By crossing the Scheldt, the German army can encircle Antwerp. The action is therefore not long in coming.
During the first German offensive on September 4 and 5, the Veerbrug in Dendermonde was quickly captured by the German army. But on September 9, the Marne Offensive starts in Northern France and the Germans withdraw their troops from Dendermonde to deploy them in France, with the idea of quickly winning this battle and immediately capturing De Veerstraat after the arson 45. to take. That same day, the Belgian army struck back with its second sortie from Antwerp. Dendermonde falls into Belgian hands again.
But the Ferry Bridge is indispensable for the German advance. New troops are sent to Dendermonde. The bridge must be reconquered. A fierce battle begins. In the night of October 1 to 2, the Belgian engineers finally exploded the bridge. It is a final attempt to prevent the German crossing of the Scheldt. A week later, on the night of October 7 to 8, the German troops managed to cross the Scheldt in Schoonaarde, a few kilometers upstream. The Belgian troops at the Veerbrug have no choice but to leave their positions: Dendermonde finally falls into German hands. The Veerbrug received a temporary wooden emergency bridge as a neighbor at the end of 1914 - beginning of 1915. In 1950 it was replaced by a new metal bridge. This one has been in service for barely 30 years. Today all traffic crosses the Scheldt Bridge at Martelarenlaan.