Whilst out in Arnhem last week, we took the coach, including a number of Veterans down to what was originally the British £rd Infantry Division Museum at Overloon, now named the National War and Resistance Museum. With my interest in the South Lancashire Regt, and as such the 3rd British Infantry Division, it was an outing that I had tried to arrange for the last two years, so was pleased when we managed to fit it into the schedule. The museum, went from being a small wooden hut set in Parkland, to a purpose built building with many original WW2 armoured and Artillery pieces being located outdoors around the parkland, to the museum that it is today with all of the exhibts now being kept indoors. The museum, has take on a very american feel, as a vast number of the exhibits have been donated from the USA, and there is only a very small section relating to the Tank battle that took place in Overloon before moving onto Venray, which includes some original Tanks etc. So here are a few snapshots from the Visit. Dutch Commando Memorial, located in the parkland on the approach to the entrance to the new museum building. The only tank remaining outside, located just outside the enterance The original Plaque laid in place in May 1946, when the original British 3rd Infantry Museum was opened by Major General Bolo Whister. A german monster, almost too big to get into shot. View attachment 38355 The moaning Minnie The American 7th Armoured Div Battle Plan, British Artillery Plan and Infantry attack Plan. View attachment 38363 Pictures and Photographs showing the Battle for Overloon. Various original battle relics, now inside at the museum.
There is a lot of trouble round the museum, as the owner of the vehicle collection want to remove his collection from the museum, it is already going on for a year, not sure of the situation now
Pictures and posters relating to the attack and liberation of Holland. View attachment 38382 Diaoramas and other exhibits from within the museum.
From the museum, we paid a very short visit to the War Cemetery, as by now we had to start making our way back to Arnhem for the Service at Airborneplein. There are two Arnhem Casulaties buried at Overloon. Name: BRISCOE, RICHARD WILLIAM Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Lieutenant Regiment/Service: Glider Pilot Regiment, A.A.C. Age: 27 Date of Death: 10/04/1945 Service No: 299603 Additional information: Son of William and Jane Briscoe; husband of Emma Briscoe. Of Floriana. Malta. Grave/Memorial Reference: IV. A. 13. Cemetery: OVERLOON WAR CEMETERY Further details: commissioned, Royal Army Service Corps [emergency commission] on 30th Oct 1943, Transferred, Glider Pilot Regiment - Army Air Corps from 21st March 1944, Served as Section Commander, E Squadron (No. 2 Wing), Glider Pilot Regiment (Arnhem) where he was captured. POW (No. 52945) in German captivity (Oflag IX A/H, Spangenberg, Hessen). Died in Captivity View attachment 38415 Name: BADGER, PETER GEORGE HENRY WILLIAM Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Lance Corporal Regiment/Service: Parachute Regiment, A.A.C. Unit Text: 2nd Bn. Age: 21 Date of Death: 07/05/1945 Service No: 4699060 Additional information: Son of William and Doris Mary Badger, of Millhouses, Sheffield. Grave/Memorial Reference: IV. A. 2. Cemetery: OVERLOON WAR CEMETERY Further details: Lance Corporal Peter George Henry William Badger, son of William and Doris Mary Badger, of Millhouses, Sheffield, served with 2nd Parachute Battalion. Lance Corporal Badger took part in the Battle of Arnhem, during Op Market Garden. He was taken prisoner at the end of the fighting at Arnhem Bridge on 20 September 1944. Having survived captivity; upon his release from the POW camp he died in a tragic accident. Lance Corporal Badger died on 7 May 1945 aged 21 years old and is now buried at Overloon War Cemetery, Holland.
and finally, to the grave of one of my Widnes casualties, who was killed in the initial assualt on Overloon on the afternoon of the 12th October. In Memory of Private JOHN COOMBS 14206370, 2nd Bn., East Yorkshire Regiment Who died age 21 On 12 October 1944 Son of Harry and Lily Coombs, of Widnes, Lancashire. Remembered with honour OVERLOON WAR CEMETERY Born between April and June 1923, John Coombs was the third eldest of 4 Children. Johns Parents Harry and Lilly Coombs (nee Corwell), had married in 1911 and settled in Widnes although it is thought that they had originally lived in Kirkdale, Liverpool and Warrington, Cheshire. Having married, their first child, Harry was born approximately a year later, followed by Lily in 1921, then John and Finally Muriel in 1925, details of a the third brother have not been able to be traced. During the war the family are know to have lived in the West Bank Area of Widnes. Having enlisted after the start of the war, John was firstly assigned to the General Service Corps, whose main function was to act as a holding unit for specialists who had not been assigned to other units or corps, eventually joining the East Yorkshire Regiment serving with the 2nd Battalion. Whilst other battalions of the East Yorkshire Regiment had served in France in 1940, The Middle East, Sicily and later Burma, the 2nd Battalion was held in the UK in reserve, before joining the 5th Battalion in he initial assault on the Normandy Beeches in 1944. The 2nd battalion departed the UK for Sword Beach. Between 04:30 and 06:00 on the 6th June, the assault companies of the 2nd Battalion prepared the HMS Infantry Landing Ships Empire Battleaxe and Glenearn, to disembarked first onto Sword Beach, before being followed by the remainder of the battalion. By 6 a.m. all Were afloat, formed up, and ready for ‘the run-in’ the tiny assault craft tossed about in the heavy sea forged slowly ahead across the seven miles separating the ships from the beaches. The underwater obstacles were difficult to negotiate in the heavy swell, but on the whole, the beaching was extremely good. Crossfire from mortars and artillery ashore caused casualties. Snipers were very active and numerous. There was a tremendous din. The two assault Companies met considerable opposition going up the beach, but once past that very exposed part, were able quickly to deal with the opposition and then to push ahead inland. Difficulty arose in tending the wounded, for the Medical Officer was hit on disembarking. ‘D’ Company lost their Company Commander (Major Barber) when a mortar bomb fell directly amongst the Company H.Q. Difficulty occurred in collecting the men of that Company. By 08:30, when the first reinforcements landed, the forward companies were, however, out of sight from the beach. Under enemy observation, mortared and shelled, the move across country to ‘Sole’, the first objective, was slow. The naval artillery Observation Officer could not be found when naval artillery fire against ‘Sole’ was wanted, but 76 Field Regiment shelled the place, and ‘C’ Company finally took it. ‘A’ Company had meanwhile been clearing the beach area, but arrived at ‘Sole’ in time to help in consolidating. ‘B’ Company, having finished its beach clearance, rejoined the Battalion, and an attack on ‘Daimler,’ the next of the objectives was prepared. A reconnaissance of it was being made by the C.O. and Officers, when, in a sunken lane, a salvo of enemy fire burst amongst the group. Lt.-Col. Hutchinson was hit in the arm. With the aid of some tanks of the 13/18 Hussars and under cover of artillery fire from the 76 Field Regiment, ‘A’ and ‘C’ Companies put in an attack on ‘Daimler,’ which was quickly taken with little loss. Seventy of the enemy surrendered. Many German weapons were captured. In their dugouts, the Germans had been liberally supplied with wines and champagne. These the troops gladly ‘liberated’. Meanwhile, over the still heavily shelled beaches, the carriers, the mortars, anti-aircraft guns and so on had come ashore, though suffering casualties. From ‘Daimler,’ the Battalion advanced to St. Aubin d'Arquenay, a considerable village on the way to Caen: it was empty of Germans and in ruins. In the village in a defensive position, having carried out its tasks, the Battalion remained until relieved by a Battalion of the K.O.S.B., after which it withdrew to a cornfield West of Hermanville. There, it remained, dug in, for the night. ‘D’ Company was however still detached, having occupied ‘Rugger’ and ‘Cricket’ the vital canal bridges, where it remained, defensively disposed, until relieved next day by the 6th Airborne Division, which it rejoined the rest of the unit. After a heavy day, it was possible to take stock. The Battalion's success had been achieved only at considerable cost Five Officers and 60 Other Ranks had been killed: four Officers and 137 Other Ranks were wounded and three Other ranks were missing. Total casualties in the first 24 hours 24 hours was recorded as 209, roughly a quarter of the unit's strength at dawn that day. The early days of the beachhead were grim ones and its perimeter was enlarged, slowly and fearful cost. As time passed the fall of the Normandy town of Caen became more and more imperative, and as a preliminary to this the division was tasked with the elimination of an enemy strong point surrounding Chateau de la Londe. The 2nd Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment had patrolled the area and probed its perimeter defences and reported that it was held in strength and would be a tough nut to crack. On the 27th June 1944, the 1st Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment put in a determined attack and were beaten back with great loss. Obviously one battalion was not enough and the East Yorkshire Regiment would have to do it, with the assistance of the Suffolks. The attack went in at first light and the 'Snappers' ran through a field of standing corn against a hail of small arms and artillery fire. With gritted teeth and fixed bayonets, the position was taken. The forward companies were about to consolidate the position when they were fiercely counter attacked by tanks supported by infantry. With a display of all the qualities which made Rommel an admirer of the British infantryman, the position was held and the counter attack beaten off. The Divisional History of the action recounts "they were ready to move by 0400hrs. At 7 minutes past, the barrage came down as arranged, and 8 minutes later in they went. It was still fairly dark. Dense clouds thrown up by the bursting shells added to the already terrifying atmosphere. The memory must accompany those who were present to the grave, it cannot be described. The position was consolidated by 1600hrs that afternoon". After the fall of the chateau and its surrounding defences, war correspondents visited the area and it became known as 'the bloodiest square mile in the whole of Normandy'. Caen eventually fell and the 'Snappers' moved to the river Orne in support of the 6th Airborne Division and on the 18th July attacked the village of Touffreville. It took the battalion the whole day to gain complete hold over the village which was desperately defended and proved in fact to be a German HQ with extremely well constructed defences. Many documents were captured and a good haul of equipment including a completely undamaged Mark IV tank! The village cost the 'Snappers" 102 casualties. A short side step to a brickyard just outside Touffreville brought the battalion to a position overlooking Troarn. The rest of the month was spent here in appalling weather conditions made all the worse for the constant attention of the 'Moaning Minnie' Nebelwerfer multi-barrelled mortars. As the allies gradually closed the Falaise 'gap' the 2nd Battalion, re-inforced with replacements from the disbanded 7th Battalion, was involved in a number of engagements to the very bitter end of the Battle of Normandy which culminated in the surrender of the German 7th Army. Quebec Day 1944 (the most important day in the 'Snappers' calendar) found the 2nd Battalion in Les Andelys on the right bank of the River Seine, and to celebrate, the battalions Corps of Drums beat the retreat in the town square. For lack of partners, a dance could not be held. A Canadian officer's suggestion that a notice 'Quebec Day celebrations' should be put up in the town, in order to attract bodies, was quickly discounted! A pause in operations followed, due to the requirement of waiting for the port of Antwerp to be opened. Two months elapsed before this was possible, during which the 'epic' of operation 'Market Garden' was played to its bitter conclusion. The 19th September 1944 saw the 2nd Battalion trying to exploit a bridgehead across the Escaut Canal. During the afternoon, in the teeth of heavy machine gun fire the battalion managed to cross the canal.. Many of the Germans defending the canal were fanatical SS Officer cadets. It was learned from local intelligence that they were determined to die for their Fuhrer, and on hearing this the battalion Commanding Officer issued orders that "every assistance should be given to facilitate their wish". In the event, 32 surrendered, explaining that they had changed their minds! By the 8th October, the 2nd Battalion was in Holland for a second time helping to clear a German salient west of the River Maas. On the 26th September the Battle of Overloon began when the Allies attempted to expand their tenuous hold after Operation Market Garden largely had failed. The Germans had entrenched in the area and resisted advancing Allies fiercely. A four-day bombardment was followed by an Allied attack with the help of the American 7th Armoured Division that had been specially drafted for the purpose. It pitched Sherman tanks against German Panzers, with no breaches of German lines for days. On October 8, the Americans were relieved by the 11th British Tank Division and the 3rd British Infantry Division. A new assault was to be launched four days later, but the Allied tanks literally bogged down. The difficult task of breaking the German resistance was left to the infantry. On the 12th October immense artillery raids pounded the German positions and reduced Overloon and a wide area around it to rubble. British ground troops slowly advanced, fighting over each ruined house or barn. Even in the woods, fierce man-to-man combat raged with German snipers picking off advancing soldiers. Two days of fierce fighting ensued before the last German stronghold fell in the village. The Germans had not given up however and redeployed in the forest. British troops gained ground extremely labouriously. Heavy fighting continued especially over the mined Molenbeek, a creek swollen from days of heavy rain. The Allied capture of the bridge took more than a day with more heavy fighting awaiting in Venray. Allied losses at Overloon numbered 1,878 men, forty tanks and three airplanes. German losses were fewer, although hundreds of their soldiers were captured. Overloon itself was left in ruins.
GREAT Thanks,The name of Overloon is engraved on my heart, for my war ended on the road between Overloon and Venraij. Many quite savage events occurred there. Everything changed from that day onwards, for the rest of my life. But you have it wrong about the 7th US Div.They took casualties from the enemy and departed to the South never to be seen again, Leaving the Third British to do the job they failed to do. Webtook it by the 18th? and suffered far greater casualties/ But we took it ! Sapper
Brian, I picked up a DVD relating to the battles for Overloon and Venray, which If I can work out how to copy, you are more than welcome too, as looked for something for you whilst I was there, but there is little left to indiacate that the museum originally started as a tribute to the british 3rd Infantry Division. P
Bless You Phil mate. Its all such a long time ago now. But my memories of Overloon have never diminished. The mines and the sandy pine woods made a terrible place to see action. Sapper
Below a picture of the Panther 20 years ago. I will spare you the photo of me hanging off the barel age 6, 35 years ago Regards, Marco
This is the museum where I had a spooky experience. On a quiet day with no one around i opened the door to go into the Holocaust Exhibition, stepped in and bang, it felt like i'de walked into a glass wall, had a terrible feeling of doom and could'nt move forward. I backed out and closed the door shaking!! Rob
Hi Sapper I agree Overloon was not the greatest place to be. I was there after the PBI had moved on and had my wireless set up in the cellar of a burnt out farmhouse surrounded by dead pigs. The place was covered in unexploded shells an AP bombs; we rounded up a number of shell shocked chickens and lived off them for some days. Jerry shelled us daily and the Nebelwerfers were jst as bad as they ever were. There was a horse roaming around which got killed near the OCs dug out and he sent us to bury it, we just threw soil onto it until it was covered. The hooves dropped off after a few days. The soil was so sandy that heavy shells when they landed buried deep into the sand before exploding and sending straight up a column of sand with virtually no sound - weird. The PBI would bring their dead to a little cemetry nearby. I didn't enjoy Overloon, but you have every reason to dislike it more than me. Jim
Hi JIm hope you are well mate... I have written a good deal aboput Overloon as it became one of the worst battles for us. The names of Overloon and Venraij will not be forgotten in a hurry by any one who fought there, this was a murderous and vicious battle fought out amongst the Sandy tracks, mud, and pine woods that surround these places. In the beginning, the American 7th armoured division had announced their intention to "sweep" down through Overloon and Venraij and then take the strategic town of Venlo. Oh dear! Oh dear! After being thrown back suffering 452 casualties, dead, wounded and missing, coupled with the loss of 35 tanks and 43 other vehicles that the Germans had inflicted on them, they decided that the casualty rate was far too high, retired to the South never to be seen again. All the while Third British Infantry had been watching this performance with more than a little misgiving. Their apprehension was soon to be justified. The Division was given the job where the Americans had failed. We slid into the forward positions in a rain storm, the roads covered in mud as we slowly slithered into position. Sapper
Super Museum but cost me an absolute fortune to get there from Arnhem by public transport. Ensure you have a direct route!! - I asked the "Tourist Information" at Arnhem Railway station and ended up with a couple of trains and a huge cab bill!!
Overloon War Cemetery is a beautiful and peaceful place, at the edge of woodland. I visited the cemetery an a beautiful autumn day last year. The only shame was the high amount of molehills at the cemetery.
Visited the Overloon War museum a few weeks ago hoping to see 3 Recce's Humber LRC. Picture of it here: http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Humber_Scout_Cars.pdf Unfortunately it was not to be seen. Enquiry desk could not help either. So e-mailed the museum on my return home and got the following reply: Dear Mr. Lewis, The Humber armoured car is still in our collection, but for restoration moved from our exhibition to the depots. Restoration can take a couple of years, but I can assure you that this item will return in exhibition sooner or later. Thank you for your compliments about the quality of our exhibits. Kind regards, Jan van Berlo vice director Hope they can find some wheels for it! There are plenty of other exhibits and the museum is well worth a visit.
