The family and I have just been on a camping holiday around Europe and we were lucky enough to include a trip to Overloon, mainly to see Bens collection but also of course to view the rest of the museums.
What happened at Overloon?
In September 1944 Montgomery devised the Market Garden attack plan. The combination of airborne landings at Arnhem and clearing a narrow corridor through the southern Netherlands was supposed to facilitate the further advance to Berlin. The plan was only partly successful. The allied troops wanted to widen and reinforce this corridor however the German opponent tried to cut the Allies off. They came to blows on 30[SUP]th[/SUP] September near Overloon with German Panther tanks and American Sherman tanks firing on each other, a week later the British joined the battle as well. Eventually after 3 weeks of fighting Overloon and Venray further south were liberated. The battle at Overloon Is known as the heaviest tank battle ever on Dutch soil.
The museums.
The Dutch National War and Resistance Museum and the Marshall Museum are both in Liberty Park covering over 10,000 square metres of space and include over 150 historical vehicles, vessels and aircraft. In the Dutch National War and Resistance Museum the history of the Second World War is presented.
The Ammunition.
I have to admit this was the driving force for us to visit Overloon. I was absolutely blown away by what was there, incredible, fantastic, the words really are hard to find, especially when you consider that a lot of the collection isnt even on display. Ill let the pictures speak for themselves (keep in mind the shells are behind glass so some photos have reflections).
What now?
MAKE SURE YOU GO THERE! I cannot recommend this place highly enough. Its only a few hours drive from the channel tunnel and with a satnav no wrong turns.
In this age of political correctness when people are scared to touch the shell case in the corner its great to see common sense prevails sometimes and allows such a collection to be seen. Ben has done an awesome job putting together a find reference collection for us all to admire and learn from. THANK YOU BEN!
As for the rest of the museum and Liberty Park, moving, shocking, something we must never forget, a brilliant display and reminder of when times were far harder than they are today. THANK YOU TO THE MUSEUM STAFF!
http://www.oorlogsmuseum-overloon.nl/en/
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=li...1H-m70QWC2oGQBw&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1517&bih=741
What happened at Overloon?
In September 1944 Montgomery devised the Market Garden attack plan. The combination of airborne landings at Arnhem and clearing a narrow corridor through the southern Netherlands was supposed to facilitate the further advance to Berlin. The plan was only partly successful. The allied troops wanted to widen and reinforce this corridor however the German opponent tried to cut the Allies off. They came to blows on 30[SUP]th[/SUP] September near Overloon with German Panther tanks and American Sherman tanks firing on each other, a week later the British joined the battle as well. Eventually after 3 weeks of fighting Overloon and Venray further south were liberated. The battle at Overloon Is known as the heaviest tank battle ever on Dutch soil.
The museums.
The Dutch National War and Resistance Museum and the Marshall Museum are both in Liberty Park covering over 10,000 square metres of space and include over 150 historical vehicles, vessels and aircraft. In the Dutch National War and Resistance Museum the history of the Second World War is presented.
The Ammunition.
I have to admit this was the driving force for us to visit Overloon. I was absolutely blown away by what was there, incredible, fantastic, the words really are hard to find, especially when you consider that a lot of the collection isnt even on display. Ill let the pictures speak for themselves (keep in mind the shells are behind glass so some photos have reflections).
What now?
MAKE SURE YOU GO THERE! I cannot recommend this place highly enough. Its only a few hours drive from the channel tunnel and with a satnav no wrong turns.
In this age of political correctness when people are scared to touch the shell case in the corner its great to see common sense prevails sometimes and allows such a collection to be seen. Ben has done an awesome job putting together a find reference collection for us all to admire and learn from. THANK YOU BEN!
As for the rest of the museum and Liberty Park, moving, shocking, something we must never forget, a brilliant display and reminder of when times were far harder than they are today. THANK YOU TO THE MUSEUM STAFF!
http://www.oorlogsmuseum-overloon.nl/en/
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=li...1H-m70QWC2oGQBw&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1517&bih=741
