“The battle to liberate Holland was so severe and heavy, it took so many lives, that it should not be forgotten.”

In the summer of 2012, Joël started with guided tours under the name ‘Battlefield Tours Groningen’.  The young historian has a mission: he believes it is very important to keep the memories of the war alive. Every year there are less people who actually experienced the war. Young people should be aware that freedom is the most important condition for individuals and for a country. It can be lost very quickly, but you do not get it back easily. In the Second World War soldiers from other countries helped us, they did fight for our freedom and many died for it. Let us never forget and be grateful that we live in freedom in this country until today.  

Major and Mrs Holt's Battle Map of Market Garden

I am a big fan of this illustrated map and I used it to plan my first ever attempt at cycling the OMG route. The authors -Tonie and Valmai Holt-  founded Major and Mrs Holt's Battlefield Tours in the 1970's and published their first battlefield book in 1977. Soon after, they provided larger scale full colour battlefield maps to accompany the books. The Battle Map of Market Garden accurately locates memorials, museums, cemeteries, and other places where particular actions took place. However, I do suggest the use of the above two websites to locate more points of interest and interactive media.