A passing thought while watching a Dutch football crowd's traditionally effusive greeting of a group of UK veterans... I'm useless at this stuff & haven't read anything on it for years, so: Were there any Dutchmen in the airborne element of Market Garden? And I seem to recall some Dutch SS members were there for the opposition? So... Were there more fighting for Germany in that battle? (I say again - useless at Arnhem. Feel free to point & laugh.)
It would make sense to have a few Dutch speakers in the drop as part of HQ to act as interpreters and local liaison but like you it's a bit of a blind spot for me. Mind you not everything about it made sense
A party of 25 Dutch Commando's from No.2 Dutch Troop (part of No 10 Inter Allied Commando) completed their training in the Scottish Achnacarry in 1942. From 1943 they had been in action in the far east against the Jappanese. A few weeks after returning to Europe they were told to stand by for actions on the mainland of Europe. On sunday the 17th of September the major part of the troop came in to action during operation Market Garden. 11 commando's of the troop were assigned to the 82nd US Airborne Division, 5 to the 101st US Airborne Division, 3 to the staff of 1st British Airborne Corps and 12 commando's were assigned to the British 1st Airborne Division. 2 of them crash landed in Gliders in the southern part of the Netherlands and 4 of them were taken prisoner after landing. The names of the remaining party which came in to action at Oosterbeek/Arnhem were: M.J. Knottenbelt, M. van Barneveld, A.H.T. Italiaander, A.J.P. Beekmeier, C. Helleman, A. Wolters and M. Bakhuis-Roozeboom (killed). During the battle Dutch volunteers were recruted by Lieutenant-Commander Arnoldus Wolters and Lieutenant Maarten Knottenbelt, two of the Dutch officers attached to the 1st Airborne Division. Only four of these recruits were found to be members of Dutch resistance groups. Three active Dutch volunteers photographed at Hartenstein Oosterbeek on 19 September with Dutch Commando August M. Bakhuis-Roozeboom. Bakhuis-Roozeboom would be killed on the same night while on a Jeep patrol to Arnhem with two volunteers; Beekhuizen and Diepenveen, and was buried in the Hartenstein area. He was reinterred in Oosterbeek as an unknown soldier from a Canadian regiment. His grave was identified in 1996. The other 3 men on this photo have never been identified. It is said one (left with cap) was a farmer from Elst or Driel who came to Oosterbeek with the Driel ferry. Second left is believed to be a KP man from Arnhem, he came armed with a Russian Machine Gun. Dutch known to have served as volunteers at Oosterbeek include Hielke van Tuinen, John Fernandes, Steven Meibergen, Jan Eykelhoff, Wim Aalbers, Henk Beekhuizen, Anthonie Diepenveen, Douwe Faber, Gerrit van Ginkel, Henk & Jaap Jansen, Henk & Wouter van de Kraats, Sjors Ruben, Jan & Eef Vellinga, Gerrit Versteegh and Samuel Swarts (killed while bringing up supples by car to the Tafelberg Hotel). marketgarden.com - linear thread - page10
© IWM (BU 1153) Jack Bakker adds "The photo was taken on Monday 18 September 1944 on a road called Duitse Kampweg which is just outside a village called Wolfheze. The landing zone on which the gliders came down in which, amongst many others were the Dutch Commandos, was just behind the village. The woman on the left is Tjoonk Nengerman, the woman on the right is Maartje van der Poel. The Commando on the left is Private J.P.H. van der Meer. He fought with the British in Oosterbeek and helped many men across the river Rhine on the night of the withdrawal. After the war he stayed in the Commandos and was in charge of the first official Commando training which was held on Dutch soil. One of our training locations is named after him. He left the Army as a Major and went to live in England. The Commando on the right is Corporal A.H.T. (Tom) Italiaander. He was employed with British Petroleum in British Columbia when war broke out. During Operation Market Garden he served with the Reconnaissance Squadron of the 1st Airborne Division. With them he also fought in Oosterbeek until the night of the withdrawal. He also took part in Operation Infatuate on Walcheren where he landed at Westkapelle. After the war he went back to BP." © Commando Veterans Archive Two Dutch commandos being welcomed by Dutch women. http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/d/22229-7/No+2+Dutch+Troop.pdf No.2 (Dutch) Troop 10 I.A. Commando Operation Market Garden
You have not mentioned Gubbels from No 2 Dutch Commando who was attached to the South Staffords at Arnhem. In Middlebrook's book he incorrectly identified Martien van Barneveld as the Dutch soldier with the Staffords in the Museum, saying that he took the opportunity to phone his parents in Ede. Gubbels was taken prisoner but survived the war. A few years ago I arranged a visit to the basement area of the Museum in Arnhem (the furthest point that the Staffords reached) for the families of van Barneveld and Gubbels.
For a view of the other side here are links to a couple of pages on Dutch soldiers fighting with the Germans: Defending Arnhem © 2006 Nederlanders in de Waffen-SS
Captain Jan Linzel (second from left) is a member of the Dutch Royal Navy attached to No 10 Commando. OPERATION 'MARKET GARDEN' (THE BATTLE FOR ARNHEM): 17 - 25 SEPTEMBER 1944
Not forgetting Captain Jacobus Groenewoud of Jedurgh Team Dudley who was of course down at the Bridge with the American members of the team, Harvey Todd and Carl Scott. Groenewoud was shot in the head and killed on 19 September 1944. Captain Jacobus Groenewoud
