"Operation Market Garden Tour – Oosterbeek" Oosterbeek by vichatherly

After visiting the Reichswald Forest CWGC Cemetery we travelled to Oosterbeek to visit the Airborne Museum at the Hartenstein hotel, the Arnhem Oosterbeek CWGC/Flowers in the Wind Memorial and take a look at the Oosterbeek Airborne Wandeltocht. This was on the afternoon of the second day of our three day road trip tour of the major bridges and landing zones of WWII Operation Market Garden.

This was Monty’s ambitious plan to end the war by Christmas and took place on 17th to the 25th September 1944.

I went on the trip with my brother-in-law Damian, who was also interested in going “A Bridge Too Far”. We were taking “Hell’s Highway” starting from Leopoldsburg and Lommel in Belgium and then into Holland and Eindhoven, Son, Best, Veghel, Grave, Overasselt, Groesbeek, Nijmegen and then finally onto Oosterbeek and Arnhem.

Hartenstein Airborne Museum

This is an excellent museum and is well worth spending a few hours for a visit.

Up until 1942, when requisitioned by the Germans, it was an elegant hotel. The Germans abandoned it, still in excellent condition, in the panic of the news of the first Allied paratroop landings on 17th September 1944.

The dutch owners, who realising that the Germans had gone went back to "reclaim" it but were then told that it was being occupied by the British and was to now be the Divisional Headquarters of General Urquhart, Commander of the 1st Airborne Division.

Needless to say that by the time the British left it was not open for business.

Arnhem Oosterbeek CWGC/Flowers in the Wind

Every year the children of the area lay flowers on the graves of the men who gave their lives for liberation.

The cemetery was set up after some debate, as Major-General Urquhart, commander of the 1st Airborne Division had requested that the site be at the Hartenstein Hotel. It was eventually decided that a nearby location would be more suitable and it was agreed.

The cemetery now contains nearly 1,700 commonwealth burials.

• Pros:Excellent museums and restarants
• In a nutshell:The heart of Operation Market Garden