error compiling view with spring mvc project

[Horst Huber]

i am using tomcat 6.0.33, trying to compile a jsp, but the view is not compiled into the work folder. all the folders are generated but end up empty with no compiled files in them.
trying to access index.html i get the following exception:

HTTP Status 500 -

type Exception report
message
description The server encountered an internal error () that prevented it from fulfilling this request.
exception
org.apache.jasper.JasperException: org.apache.jasper.JasperException: Unable to load class for JSP
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.getServlet(JspServletWrapper.java:161)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:338)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:313)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:260)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
org.springframework.web.servlet.view.InternalResourceView.renderMergedOutputModel(InternalResourceView.java:238)
org.springframework.web.servlet.view.AbstractView.render(AbstractView.java:250)
org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.render(DispatcherServlet.java:1047)
org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doDispatch(DispatcherServlet.java:817)
org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doService(DispatcherServlet.java:719)
org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.processRequest(FrameworkServlet.java:644)
org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.doGet(FrameworkServlet.java:549)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:617)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)

root cause
org.apache.jasper.JasperException: Unable to load class for JSP
org.apache.jasper.JspCompilationContext.load(JspCompilationContext.java:630)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.getServlet(JspServletWrapper.java:149)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:338)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:313)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:260)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
org.springframework.web.servlet.view.InternalResourceView.renderMergedOutputModel(InternalResourceView.java:238)
org.springframework.web.servlet.view.AbstractView.render(AbstractView.java:250)
org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.render(DispatcherServlet.java:1047)
org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doDispatch(DispatcherServlet.java:817)
org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doService(DispatcherServlet.java:719)
org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.processRequest(FrameworkServlet.java:644)
org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.doGet(FrameworkServlet.java:549)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:617)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)

root cause
java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.apache.jsp.WEB_002dINF.views.watchbeyond.home_jsp
java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(URLClassLoader.java:202)
java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(URLClassLoader.java:190)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JasperLoader.loadClass(JasperLoader.java:134)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JasperLoader.loadClass(JasperLoader.java:66)
org.apache.jasper.JspCompilationContext.load(JspCompilationContext.java:628)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.getServlet(JspServletWrapper.java:149)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:338)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:313)
org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:260)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
org.springframework.web.servlet.view.InternalResourceView.renderMergedOutputModel(InternalResourceView.java:238)
org.springframework.web.servlet.view.AbstractView.render(AbstractView.java:250)
org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.render(DispatcherServlet.java:1047)
org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doDispatch(DispatcherServlet.java:817)
org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doService(DispatcherServlet.java:719)
org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.processRequest(FrameworkServlet.java:644)
org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.doGet(FrameworkServlet.java:549)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:617)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)

any ideas where i can start looking for the problem?

thank you