Military Historian | Research, Battlefield Tours, Historical Consultancy | Market Garden, Overloon,
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Battlefield Discovery researches WW2 military history and provides guided tours and historical consultancy. Our specific focus is on the operations in North Western Europe between the Autumn of 1944 and the Spring of 1945: what we like to call the Rhine Campaign. Battlefield Discovery onderzoekt WO2 geschiedenis en geeft educatieve rondleidingen en historisch consultancy. Onze focus ligt op de ope
raties in Noordwest Europa tussen de herfst van 1944 en de lente van 1945; wat wij ook wel samenvatten als de Rijn Campagne.
German war cemetery in Lommel, Belgium. Over 39,000 Germans are buried here. The number of crosses is humbling and begs to reflect on the enormous and sad cost of lives (even though they fought for an evil system), especially when realising there are two names to each cross.
Jewish memorial in Den Bosch, commemorating 293 Jewish citizens murdered during WW2. The youngest 4 months old, the oldest 86 years old. Because of this, the city’s Jewish community practically ceased to exist. Reading the names & ages drives home the evil of antisemitism.
Sluis Nul (Lock Zero) in Den Bosch. Where units of 53rd Welsh Div attacked across on 24 October 1944 during the attack on the city. After several days of heavy fighting, the Welsh finally liberated the city on 27 Oct 1944.
Fab day on a recce 30 Corps and 101st Airborne Division with in lieu of upcoming 80th commemorations of Operation Market Garden.
A super tour today, with covering the Arnhem part and the Nijmegen part of Op Market Garden for a group of American clients.
An impression of yesterday’s Easy Company in The Netherlands Tour plus a few additional sites for a group of three US fire fighters. Another wonderful day on the Market Garden & Island battlefields which today’s guests thoroughly enjoyed.
Awaiting the arrival of a tv crew for some recordings in light of the upcoming 80th anniversary Op Market Garden. Only a small contribution but great to be able to add to this project. Not allowed to say where and when on tv yet, but if you live in NL, keep your eyes peeled on Dutch tv channels. 😊
Bernard and Micheline Teichler from Lille, France. Arrested on 27 July 1942, detained at a transit camp in Mechelen, Belgium to be ‘send east’. Murdered on 20 Sept 1942 in Auschwitz Bikenau, less than two months after their arrest. Only because they were Jewish … 😢
Another fab day on the battlefield with US clients. Today, we focused on the Siege of Bastogne and visited Barrière Hinck, Kessler Farm, Marvie, Hemroulle, Bizory, Bois Jacques, Recogne, Champs the former DZ and LZ, and Assenois. Plus a visit to the impressive 101st Airborne Museum. A highly informative day, covering one of the most famous stories of the Battle of the Bulge.
Hosingen, Marnach, Clervaux, Antoniushaff, Féitsch and Longvilly. Some of the places we visited on today’s tour with US clients on the Race to Bastogne,
exploring the resistance by elms US 28th Inf Div, CCR 9th Arm Div, & CCB 10th Arm Div to prevent Germans capturing Bastogne before it was reinforced.
Good evening from Bastogne. Arrived for a two-day tour in and around Bastogne with US clients.
Nijmegen bridge. An iconic WW2 site, so heavily fought over by British Grenadier Guards and US 505 PIR paratroopers against German troops, mainly ss. A fitting backdrop for today’s lecture on the Liberation of The Netherlands for
DZ-X, Urquhart House, John Frost Bridge and CWGC Oosterbeek aka Airborne Cemetery. A few of the places we visited last Friday during a tour with three guests from Scotland. At times a bit rainy, but Scots (and Dutch) weren’t much bothered by it. 😊
A mildly warm 32C today, as we picked up lectures on The Liberation of the Netherlands again. Always good to see that guests on are so interested in and appreciative about learning about this history.
Another great tour finished. Today, we lead a private tour‘Race to Bastogne’, covering the sacrifice of US units to prevent the Germans from reaching Bastogne before the Americans could reinforce it. The stand by 101st Airb Div and att troops would not been possible without them.
The memorial to 96th Bomb Group at Snetterton. A US bomber base during the war, it is now a race track near Thetford, Norfolk.
The 96th Bomb Group was part of 3rd Air Division, of which the ‘bloody 100th’ was also a part.
On 17 August 1943, Colonel Curtis
Lemay chose to fly with the 96th Bombe Group, making it the lead of the famous Regensburg-Schweinfurt raid (depicted in Masters of the Air) which brought the Regensburg group to North Africa.
In Africa, the men from the 96th acquired a donkey to be their mascot, baptised her Lady Moe and brought her back to England.
did a superb thread on Lady Moe, which can be found here: https://x.com/jojohook2003/status/1609186827696570369?s=46&t=pkQu8TlFBh2kJ0hMSQsgtA
As some yachts sailed past, the crucial role of the estimated 850 little ships came to mind. An estimated 331,000 British and French soldiers were saved by these private vessels. Without these, the evacuation of so many soldiers would not have been possible.
But this all could only be done because others units, French and British, stood their ground and, in several cases, sacrificed themselves to protect the evacuation area. Others perished as ships were hit and sunk.
The CWGC Dunkirk Town Cemetery and Dunkirk Memorial to the missing is a solemn and moving reminder to those who did not make it. 800 soldiers are buried here (plus 450 from WW1), of which 220 are unknown. 4,500 soldiers with no know grave are commemorated on the Memorial.
21 year old William Coombes, (2nd Gloucestershire Regiment), is only one of these 4,500 commemorated on the Memorial. Looking at his picture, one can’t help wonder what happened to him and if he may have an unnamed grave somewhere.
The pic of Thomas Simpson (Lancashire Regiment) and card was perhaps the most moving item. The words of his sister resonate the pain & sorrow that remains after the loss of a loved one … reminding us that the cost of war & price of freedom goes far beyond soldiers’ lives.
A brief but lovely and important visit to Dunkirk this morning. Still early morning, beach was peaceful and quiet apart from the sound of seagulls and the calm water rippling onto the beach. How different a scene from the days between 26 May - 4 June 1940.
Today’s peacefulness makes it difficult to realise what British and French soldiers on these beaches went through. What they felt, thought, feared & hoped. It’s easy to take modern-day touristic Dunkirk for granted and loose sight of those dark days and, indeed, years.
A stroll down the East Mole was particularly poignant, contemplating its vital role during Operation Dynamo. Thousands of soldiers were able to board ships via this structure, enabling their escape back to Britain.
A few pictures from yesterday’s ‘82nd Airborne Division during Op Market’ tour with two US clients. A beautiful day with lots of history of the highs and lows of this division’s deployment in September 1944 in The Netherlands.
In a completely chockablock Nijmegen city centre - because of annual Nijmegen Marches and festivities - another excellent talk on The Liberation of the Netherlands. This time for Omniworld Cruises.
On our way from the Ardennes to Haguenau, we visited the Luxembourg America Cemetery on the Easy Company Tour. 5 Easy Coy men are buried here. This time we did a ceremony at the grave of Sgt Warren ‘Skip’ Muck, who was killed in an artillery barrage on 10 Jan 1945.
A wonderful evening with guests of in Clervaux. Its beautiful castle is also known as The Alamo of the Ardennes, referring to the prolonged stand by US soldiers of 110th Infantry Regt in Dec 1944, which gained crucial hours for the 101st Airborne to reach Bastogne.
Chateau Urspelt is a lovely hotel to stay, just outside Clervaux. During WW2, HQ 1/110 IR, 28th Div was here when the Battle of the Bulge broke out. Though the men of HQ and HQ Coy defended their position valiantly, they were overrun on 17 Dec 1944, the 2nd day of the battle.
Between the pool of reflection and the chapel we find the statue of the Mourning Mother. Three doves accompany her, next to a war-torn tree from which a new sapling grows. A beautiful memorial, encouraging reflection at the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, NL.
After an interesting bus tour this morning, focusing on MOH recipients Joe Mann and Robert Cole, and a great walking tour on Easy Company in Eindhoven, we are now ready to leave for the NL American Cemetery on our Easy Company Tour.
The field at the famous Crossroads near Heteren across which part of Easy Company, 506 PIR charged towards Germans with bayonet fixed on 5 Oct 1944. Visited during Easy Company Tour.
A visit to the Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden never fails to impress for its stunning views.
Officially called the Kehlsteinhaus, it was the French ambassador André François-Poncet who, after visiting it in 1938, described it as an Eagle’s Nest. A name that stuck from then on.
A visit to Dachau is always confronting, humbling and thought-provoking. No matter how many times you’ll visit the place.
Dachau was the first permanent concentration camp and the only one that operated for nearly the entire n**i era.
Many commandants of other camps were trained at Dachau at what the n**is called ‘the school of violence’. Dachau was the template for all other camps, brutalising and murdering those incarcerated there.
The museum at Dachau provides several examples of this evil … just read the texts in these photos.
Corporal Roy Ford. Born on Dec 1, 1920 in Logan, Oklahoma where also grew up. He had 6 sisters and 6 brothers. Live in such a remote and rural area must have been tough, especially for such a large family and during the Great Depression.
Roy enlisted on Aug 13, 1942 in Oklahoma City. He became attached to the 50th (mobile) Reclamation and Repair Squadron of 9th USAAF.
Roy was killed on May 7, 1945 (22 y/o) from shrapnel from unexploded ordnance that blew up while carrying out reclamation work. The day before the war ended in Europe!
Today, he rest with just under 8,300 other service men and women buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, NL.
The liberation monument and Netherlands Easy Company Memorial - integrated into this monument. Visited on the Easy Company Tour last Sunday, where we discussed the attack by 2/506 on Nuenen on Sept 20, 1944.
Nassaustraat 11
Nuenen
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A beautiful day at the Eagles Nest. Splendid view of the mountains and valley and Salzburg in the distance.
US Memorial Day commemoration at the Netherlands American Cemetery with out The National WWII Museum Easy Company Tour last Sunday. A wonderful and impressive experience for the museum’s guests. #ww2travel #educationaltravel #easycompany #bandofbrothers
Gorgeous view from Dachau Palace towards Munich. Difficult to accept that less than a mile from here, there stood the infamous concentration camp Dachau.
Not a bad way to end a day on the battlefield 🤗
View from my hotel room balcony. Not a bad way to end a day on the battlefield ☺️
Hill 112. One of the most heavily fought over properties in Normandy in June-July 1944.
Start line Operation Goodwood, 18 July 1944.
Good morning from a windy but quiet Omaha Beach.
View from Mont Ormel across the plain of Falaise Gap. The hill was helt by 1st Polish Armoured Division and under severe German attack in their attempts to break out.
CWGC Oosterbeek War Cemetery. Completely quiet here this morning, only hearing birds sing in the area. Peaceful feeling to underline this solemn place.
Back to ‘base’. View from our hotel in Monschau. #ww2 #battlefieldtour #hurtgenforest
Surprise fly-over by a WW2 vintage B-25 Mitchell bomber tonight. Just wow!
Overview of Grand Harbour and the Saluting Battery.
Battlefield Discovery researches and provides educational guided tours on militairy history. Specific focus lies on operations during World War 2 in North Western Europe. Market Garden, Overloon, Battle of the Bulge, Huertgenwald, Veritable, Rhine Crossings.
