BATTLEFIELD TOURS

If you are interested in military history and want to learn more about Operation Market Garden, doing a battlefield tour is a great way to create a better understanding of the operation. WW2 Market Garden offers battlefield tours to individuals or small groups who want to learn more about the operation.

The webmasters of WW2 Market Garden Chris and Tom are happy to take you on a battlefield tour of a lifetime and teach you more about Operation Market Garden. The best way to remember the brave men and women who fought for our freedom is by telling their story on location.

During our tours we learn all about the:

Prelude to Operation Market Garden, military strategy, planning and the goal of the operation
British XXX Corps and the Corps who offered flank protection: XII and VIII Corps
Airborne divisions: U.S. 101st airborne division U.S. 82nd airborne division, British 1st airborne division & the Polish 1st independent parachute brigade
Air forces: U.S. IX Troop Carrier Command, British No. 38 and No. 46 RAF group & supporting air force units
Personal stories of soldiers and civilians.

During our tours we use maps, (portret) pictures, aerial pictures and vintage WW2 objects to give you a better understanding of the operation.

XXX Corps:

Joe’s bridge
A daring reconnaissance at Borkel & Schaft
Irish Guards’ first enemy contact
Valkenswaard war cemetery
Palmer’s reconnaissance
Waalre, 88’s block the way to Eindhoven
Link up with the 101st at Eindhoven
Bailey bridge at Son
Tank support for the airborne divisions
Link up with the 82nd at Grave
Nijmegen – crossing the Waal
Reaching Arnhem
The Island bridgehead

LOCATIONS & TOPICS

82nd Airborne Division:

Drop- and landingzones at Grave, Overasselt & Groesbeek
IX Troop Carrier Command
Grave bridge
Bridges over the Maas-Waal canal
Fighting in Nijmegen and the Waal crossing
Defending the dropzones at Groesbeek
Molenhoek, Mook & Plasmolen
Molenhoek war cemetery
Groesbeek, Berg en Dal and Devil’s Hill
German countermeasures
Jonkerbos war cemetery

101st Airborne Division:

Drop- and landingzones at Son, Eerde and misdrop at Heeswijk-Dinther
Pathfinders
IX Troop Carrier Command
Taking bridges at Son, Best, Sint-Oedenrode, Eindhoven, Eerde and Veghel
The Battle at Best
Bailey bridge at Son
88’s in Eindhoven
The bombing of Eindhoven
Widening the corridor
Sand dunes fight at Eerde and road cut at the Koevering
Black Friday
German countermeasures
Wolfswinkel war cemetery

1st Airborne Division:

Drop- and landingzones at Wolfheze/Ede & Renkum
No. 38 and No. 46 RAF Group
Routes to the bridge(s) at Arnhem
Swift German response
John Frost’s fighting force at the Arnhem bridge
Fight in the woods and the railroad culvert
Oosterbeek perimeter and the Westerbouwing heights
Oosterbeek war cemetery
Resupply drops
Retreat over the Rhine

We put a lot of time and effort in preparing the best battlefield tour for you. With a battle area of (roughly) 750 square miles, touring the area of Operation Market Garden can be very time consuming. There are many stories to tell, many points of interest and many miles to travel, so knowing what you want to see and what not is very important.

When do we tour?

We mainly tour during the weekends, Saterday and Sunday. Other days of the week is possible, but only by mutual agreement. We offer tours throughout the year, whenever we’re available. Contact us for availability.

Duration of a tour?

We offer a 1 or a 2-day tour, usually starting at 9 AM ending at 5 PM.

On a 1-day tour we are able to visit the southern sector (XXX-Corps and 101st Airborne Division) or the northern sector (82nd and 1st Airborne Division). On a 2-day tour we can visit the entire battle area.

If you are interested in a specific unit, it is also possible to dedicate a full day (or both days) to the area where the unit fought. This is ideal for history buffs like us or people who are into military history, strategy and tactics.

How many people can we bring on a Battlefield Tour?

The car we use provides 4 passenger seats, airconditioning and good visibility. Because we drive long distances during the tour, it is more comfortable to travel with 3 people. If you’re travelling group is bigger than 4 people, you need to arrange extra means of transportation.

What you need know:

We are members of Foundation Remember September 1944 and we’re totally nuts about World War 2 history. We are passionate about what we do, highly interested in Operation Market Garden and our goal is to connect with our clients, hopefully providing you with an experience of a lifetime. We are very experienced battlefield guides, but that does not make us a tour company or travel agency. We do this, because we like to!

Pricing:

We ask you to compensate our fuel cost and we appreciate it very much if you make a cash donation to the Remember September 1944 foundation. As a foundation we have placed monuments in honor of the veterans of Operation Market Garden, held exhibitions in local libraries and schools, gave lectures for historical groups and school classes and we have a privately owned museum in Mook (the Netherlands).

Our goal is to provide information to anyone who is interested about Operation Market Garden. Keep the memory alive, lest we forget!

Feel free to contact us to plan your own battlfield tour.

We hope to meet you soon.

Warm regards,

Christian Dijkhuizen & Tom Peeters

BATTLEFIELD TOURS

LOCATIONS & TOPICS

PRACTICAL INFORMATION