|
|
Location Category ID:
|
11400
|
|
Added to Database:
|
May 2008
|
|
Last Edited:
|
5 June 2011
|
|
Address: |
Liberty Park, Museumpark 1, 5825 AM Overloon
|
|
Telephone: |
+31-478-641250
|
|
Email: |
info [at] libertypark.nl (Replace [at] with @)
|
|
Opening Times: |
|
|
Official Website: |
Liberty Park Oorlogsmuseum
|
|
Other Links: |
Oisterwijik-MarketGarden
M136 – Overloon in 1970s
Liberty Park Overloon
Rijnmond.nl
|
|
Latitude, Longitude: |
51.57071491
,
5.95590949
|
|
Location Accuracy: |
7
|
|
Tanks Previously Here: |
Long term:
1: M4 Sherman Tank - Price of Peace Monument, Ortona, Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy (1945-2006)
2: M4A4 Sherman Tank - Canadian War Museum, LeBreton Flats, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Not the museum but service in Netherlands 1944)
3: M4A4 Sherman Crab Mark II Mine Flail - Liberty Park Oorlogsmuseum, Overloon, Boxmeer, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands (Not the museum but the Battle of Overloon October 1944)
Short term:
1: Hetzer Tank Destroyer - Crompton Military Vehicle Collection, Suffolk, East England, Britain (Militracks May 2010)
2: M51 Sherman Tank - Frederik Hendrik Kazerne, Blerick, Venlo, Limburg, The Netherlands (June-July 2012)
3: M18 Hellcat Gun Motor Carriage - Frederik Hendrik Kazerne, Blerick, Venlo, Limburg, The Netherlands (June-July 2012)
|
The Nationaal Oorlogs- en Verzetsmuseum (National War and Resistance Museum) of the Netherlands is located at Overloon, which is about 30km to the south of Nijmegen and 5km to the north-west of Venray (Venraij). In September 1944, during Operation Market Garden, the Allies planned to broaden their supply corridor from the Belgian border to Nijmegen, but they encountered stiff German resistance in the area of Overloon and Venray. A battle raged there for three weeks and included the only tank battle to take place in the Netherlands.
In May 1946 a committee of Overloon villagers opened a museum in remembrance of the Battle of Overloon on a part of the battlefield, displaying remnants of the Battle. The museum grew with many gifts from Allied troops, former resistance groups and members of the public, and the museum building was extended. The nature of the collection, containing weapons, photographs, and documents, made the museum committee decide to give the museum a national character.
The Museumpark covers an area of thirty-five acres and originally contained all of the larger exhibits on display, such as artillery pieces, aircraft and military vehicles. The majority of these are now contained in a new museum building, along with the Marshall Collection of vehicles. This building also displays smaller exhibits, such as small-arms, as well as many photographs, documents, maps and models illustrating various aspects of the First and Second World Wars.
The owner of the Marshall Collection, Jaap de Groot, loaned the collection to Overloon and as part of the deal Overloon built the new Marshall hall. In 2009 there was a report that de Groot had applied to have the collection returned because he was unhappy with Overloon’s management of the collection, but he lost the case. (Source: Rijnmond.nl). Jaap de Groot died in April 2011 at the age of 88 (source: M. Krauss).
|