Just Got Back from Arnhem

sommecourt · #1 (**permalink**) November 2nd, 2002, 04:18 PM

Just had an excellent few days on the Market Garden battlefields, aided by the new 'After The Battle' book.

Followed XXX Corps route up from Joes Bridge, and into Arnhem and had a good look round Oosterbeek on foot.

Highlight for me was finding some foxholes near the culvert at Wolfheze occupied by 10 Para and viewing German ones in the same area.

The Hartenstein museum was superb, with a good bookshop where I spent far too much money - as usual! An good buy there was the 'Arnhem Roll of Honour' which lists all the 1st Airborne casualties, where they are buried and where they were originally buried! - amazing stuff.

Anyone else been to Arnhem?

Martin Bull · #2 (**permalink**) November 2nd, 2002, 05:53 PM

Three times - with Holts in '98, with my Dad on a walking and driving visit in 2000, and last year with Niall Cherry and the 'British Friends of the Hartenstein Museum'.

That was fantastic - the Hartenstein people took us all over the battlefield on foot and, on the Sunday, in a collection of WWII vehicles.... A great weekend to remember, and we're doing it again next June !

( I always think that the area around the Wolfheze culvert is one of the most atmospheric parts of the battlefield )

volkbert · #3 (**permalink**) November 2nd, 2002, 09:27 PM

I have been to Arnhem many times. It's only 45 minutes from my home. I never visited the battlefields but there are two good museums which I visited several times. One of the is the Hartenstein. I was there 13 october.

If you are going to Arnhem again then visit the 40-45 museum also. It has a great militaria collection, better than hartenstein, but it has other information like where and when battles took place. In fact it's a great militaria collection. For example they have the long black leather coat from Sepp Dietrich. His son donated it to the museum.

This the address: Arnhems Oorlogsmuseum, Kemperbergerweg 780, Arnhem, Tel. 026-4420958

I couldn't find a website

C.Evans · #4 (**permalink**) November 2nd, 2002, 11:43 PM

I really do envy you guys--all living so much closer to all this history--much more closer than I am here in the isolated USA. [img]smile.gif[/img] Im glad we have our fair share of historical places too--like Little Big Horn, The Alamo, countless Civil and Amer Revolutionary War battlefields.

Martin Bull · #5 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2002, 08:37 AM

Great purchase, Sommecourt - Jan Hey's 'Roll Of Honour' is a unique piece of research and absolutely invaluable for anyone with a detailed interest in the battle.

Another nice thing I just remembered about the 'Friends..' tour was that we found the exact location of the 'famous' war correspondent photos ( eg the Border 3'' Mortar pit photo which is in every Arnhem book ! )

sommecourt · #6 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2002, 12:27 PM

Yes, I also bought the Border Regiment history while I was there and we followed their positions in the Oosterbeek perimter.

There is now a marker on the spot of this famous foxhole - mortar pit!

Will be adding photos etc to my website in due course.

Thanks for the tip about the 40-45 museum Volbert; we ran out of time to see it this time, but have it top of the list for the next trip.

Bish OBE · #7 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2002, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sommecourt:
[QB]Yes, I also bought the Border Regiment history while I was there and we followed their positions in the Oosterbeek perimter.

QB]

Whats the title of this book.I know here are a couple on the descendents of the KORBR.

sommecourt · #8 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2002, 03:10 PM

The book is When Dragons Flew: An Illustrated History of the 1st Battalion The Border Regiment 1939-45 by Stuart Eastwood, Charles Gray and Alan Green (Silverlink Publishing Ltd 1994).

I had a veteran of this unit, Fred Hodges, who came on one of my battlefield tours this year whose photo is on p.159 - which was a nice surprise when I got the book!

Thoroughly recommended!

Martin Bull · #9 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2002, 05:13 PM

Another book in the same 'mould' ( almost a companion volume ) is Robert Sigmond's 'Off At Last' , an illustrated history of the 7th (Galloway) Bn KOSB.

sommecourt · #10 (**permalink**) November 8th, 2002, 05:03 PM

Just added some Arnhem pages to my website:

http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/ar...ttlefields.htm

Martin Bull · #11 (**permalink**) November 8th, 2002, 05:55 PM

Really good work, Paul !

Great to see your website going from strength to strength ( looks like you had some decent weather, too !

)

Popski · #12 (**permalink**) December 18th, 2002, 06:25 AM

G'day

In Holland were already preparing for the 2004 celebration of our Liberation. We're tying to make it worth wile. We're planning to make the Hells Highway tour very big starting from Valkenswaard in front of the church, where the Sherman "snow white"photo is taken beginning with an all day static display and trying to get a lot of vehicels and also several Shermantanks running along. Also big billboards along the route should have pictures taken 60 years ago on them showing the people what happenend there 60 years before. Were doing our best getting this organised but its all in our heads now.'But we're working on it.

Popski

sommecourt · #13 (**permalink**) December 23rd, 2002, 08:23 PM

Sounds fascinating - can you keep us posted on the progress of this?

Bish OBE · #14 (**permalink**) December 23rd, 2002, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sommecourt:
The book is When Dragons Flew: An Illustrated History of the 1st Battalion The Border Regiment 1939-45 by Stuart Eastwood, Charles Gray and Alan Green (Silverlink Publishing Ltd 1994).

I had a veteran of this unit, Fred Hodges, who came on one of my battlefield tours this year whose photo is on p.159 - which was a nice surprise when I got the book!

Thoroughly recommended!

Sorry somme, i missed this post. Yes, i know this book. Charles Gray was the battalion Second in Command when i joined it.

When did this Hodges serve and what rank was he. A former CO was called Hodges, but don't think it was Fred. He is now the Colonel in Chief.

I'm glad you are back somme. I a planning a camping trip round Europe this summer, with an enfacis on areas that the wife will enjoy while i chec out a Battle field or cemetery.
Your site will be one thing that will help me lan it, but i have two questions you might be able to answer.

Firstly, where abouts is the La Cambe cemetery. Whats the nearest city.

Second, is their anything at Eden Emael to see and visit.

Thanks.

Popski · #15 (**permalink**) December 27th, 2002, 05:28 PM

G'day

Certainly will do Sommecourt. We might use some advertisment abroad by that time. You might even come and have a look yourselves.

Popski

Martin Bull · #16 (**permalink**) December 27th, 2002, 09:23 PM

Bish,

As Sommecourt's gone AWOL at the moment I thought I'd throw in my two penn'orth : -

Never been to Eben Emael, I'm afraid. 'After The Battle' have been there but at that time most of it was still owned by the Belgian Military. Maybe that's changed....?

La Cambe ( famous now as the site of Wittmann's official grave ) is on the N13 Bayeux/Carentan road, close to the town of Isigny.

By the way, I have the 'official' French-language guide produced for the 50th Anniversary. Tells you how to find all the Allied cemeteries but DOES NOT tell you how to get to La Cambe. Interesting.

Popski · #17 (**permalink**) December 28th, 2002, 11:23 AM

G'day Bish

There is a lot to see at Eben Emael. I visited it 2 years ago with a group and it was very interesting. We used a tourguide and he told a lot of interesting story's. A small museum is also in the fort. It is open on occasion because although not in use is still property of the Belgian govermment. I saw in the fort some 1960's jeeps stored. Will look for the webste and post it lateron

Popski [img]smile.gif[/img]

Popski · #18 (**permalink**) December 28th, 2002, 11:46 AM

G'day

On the website (also in english) the openingdate's for 2003 are mentioned.
www.fort-eben-emael.be/

It is not open every day mind you . you have to plan beforehand.

Popski

Bish OBE · #19 (**permalink**) December 28th, 2002, 01:23 PM

Guys, thats excellent, just what i'm looking for.

I plan on visiting other graves to, but i can't go to Normandy without seeing Wittmanns grave.

Popski.Is there anything else you have visited that you would recomened. Its only going to be a 2 week holiday (if it comes off) and i want to take in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany, so obviously i can't do everything, but any suggestions would be nice.

I have 4 areas in mined at the moment. Normandy, Emael, Arnhem and the WW1 battlefields in Flanders.

Popski · #20 (**permalink**) December 28th, 2002, 01:46 PM

G'day Bish

As you will ead on the eben website the tour takes 2-2,5 hours. We'll our group was on the way for about 5 hour's, also having a look on the outside of the fort, the top of the fort etc. Never a dull moment in that. It explaned a lot about the Fallschirjager tactics and the fall of the fort.
There are some more museums in that area.
On the "Hells highway" there is a museum "Wings of Liberation" near Eindhoven,but not spectacular. The museum at Overloon is nice not spectacular too. Hartenstein at Arnhen is very nice, and the museum at Groesbeek covering the Nijmegen part of Market Garden is also good. Near Arnhem there is also the 1940-1945 museum at Ede.
The battlefield tour of the Arnhem area will make a lot clear about the conditions in which the fighting took place. In september there is a lot of celebrations taking place with a lot of re-enactment on the former battlefields.
My vote would be the Arnhem and Groesbeek museum but if you come by car try to take the Hell's Highway going up there, but try to stick as much as you can to the original route.
The Ieper museums are also very impressive. Maybe visit Waterloo too. So you see Bish a lot to do so if you can make a selection of your favorites and you need some info after you decide what route to take please do ask.

Popski

Bish OBE · #21 (**permalink**) December 28th, 2002, 06:47 PM

Thanks Popski.

As this is a family holiday, i can't spend as mutch time doing this as i'd like. I've agreed with the missus that we will try and pick areas that i will find interesting, but will also cater for the wife and kids if they don't fancy going to a war museum or cemetry that day. But i dounbt that will be to difficult with all the nice towns and beaches in the areas i plan on going.

Popski · #22 (**permalink**) December 28th, 2002, 07:56 PM

In that case Bish

Near Eben Emael is the very very nice city Maastricht ( even got a MacDonalds) And Arnhem is also a very nice city to go shopping for the Mss whilst you can have a look at the Hartenstein museum. The Groesbeek museum is very near Nijmegen which has the most pubs per head of the population in Holland, so should be good. If you can squeeze in these 3 museums you should be OK.
If you need directions just let me know.

Popski