A special vehicle

After a flying start at Schijndel on Oct. 23, 1944, the advance of the 51st Highland Division toward the Bergsche Maas is stalled after two days. Operation Colin threatens to fail due to clever German tactics. But on Wednesday, October 26, the big breakthrough comes. Units of the 7th Armoured Division, the famous Desert Rats, reach the Tilburg-'s-Hertogenbosch road and split the German front wide open. From Helvoirt, the 1st Battalion Royal Tanks reaches Udenhout the same afternoon.

Along the road are also Capuchin monks. Hearing the good news, they have left their monastery, Bonaventura (now: Beukenhof Conference Centre) on Capuchin Street. They stand along the thoroughfare to cheer the liberators. A British war photographer captures the scene and with it immediately a vehicle of a very special unit.

This is in fact an M3 White reconnaissance car of the Phantom Regiment, clearly identified by the P on the right fender. This unit was created by the British at the beginning of the war to be able to pass messages to higher commands immediately outside the usual channels. In a war, where every minute counts, they thus provide vital information. For example, Phantom was the first to relay messages from the British paratroopers during the battle at Arnhem from besieged Oosterbeek. The crew of this vehicle also has a sense of humour, as they christened it "Spooks”. This also means “spies” referring to the unit's mysterious function.