75 year commemoration
Only four months left and our registration for participants is coming to an end! Yes indeed; If you still want to take part with your World War II vehicle, do not wait any longer and register today!
After 30 June registration is no longer possible and you won’t be able to participate. That would be a shame because our beautiful base camp offers you a whole week of entertainment in a historically correct ambiance.
On December 11 our chairman Karel van Soest had the privilege and pleasure to meet the well-known WWII veteran Vince Speranza.
Vince enlisted in to the US Army on October 25, 1943. He volunteered for the Parachute Infantry. He was sent overseas with Company H, 3rd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division from Camp Shanks aboard the Queen Mary. He arrived in France in November 1943 and would later fight in the Battle of the Bulge.
During the defense of Bastogne, his unit was defending the hamlet of Savy (a stone’s throw to the north of the center). During an attack by the German force from Longchamps one of his good friends was seriously wounded. When he asked Vince for a drink, and this was not immediately available in the neighborhood, after the attack Vince hurried to the center of Bastogne to look for something drinkable.
Continue reading “Vincent and Karel are best friends already”
On Thursday, September 19th 2019, we are organizing a veterans day on our basecamp DZA Vlagheide.
In cooperation with the Nederland-Amerika Foundation we are expecting to welcome around 20 World War II veterans! Among them we hope to welcome 101st Airborne veteran Vincent Speranza.
The day will start with honoring the veterans from the post-World War II conflicts, who also deserve to be recognized and thanked for their service.
Recently we presented to the authorities a concept plan for our convoys routes and we have been granted permission to finalize this. In March 2019 this plan will be finished and presented.
Our start in Leopoldsburg, Belgium, will add to the historical character of our event and we will be received as liberators, something you do not want to miss out on!
Our finish in Nijmegen on September 22nd will be very spectacular too. With historical boats the Waal river will be crossed by our Operation Market Garden re-enactment groups.
The amphibious vehicles will also be there to show their capabilities on the river. The municipality of Nijmegen has given us full cooperation and we are expecting the same from Rijkswaterstaat.
The precise location of this spectacle will be communicated at a later date.
Proudly we present our committee of recommendation for the Operation Market Garden 2019 foundation. The members of our committee value the remembrance of Operation Market Garden they provide invaluable assistance to our event.
Not just the burgomasters of all the municipalities through which we drive on our convoy days are part of the committee. The Commissioner of the King for the province of Gelderland and the Commissioner of the King for the province of Noord-Brabant as well as the Governor of the Belgian province of Limburg have elected to join.
The Inspector General of the Dutch Armed Forces and the Deputy Commander of the 13th Light Brigade complete the committee.
Click here for a full list of all the members.
We really appreciate the effort of the committee to make Operation Market Garden 2019 a success.
