My family lived in Rotterdam when the war started. They had to hide from the bombs and this story and of course the story about the ‘Hunger winter’ of 1944/45 were often recounted during family get togethers.
In 2008 we moved to Groesbeek and my interest in the actions in Groesbeek was stimulated. I wanted to know everything about the Operation Market Garden and especially the military exploits of the Americans under command of General James Gavin.
I started as a Guide in the Liberation Museum and learned more about the background of the Second World War and the destruction on both side of the borders.
In 2013 I started Liberation Tour. With my DODGE WC51 military vehicle manufactured in the US 1944, I give guests a total battlefield experience combining the smell and the movement of a military vehicle of the period, audio stories, video, maps, pictures and my own storytelling about the battles.
Operation Market Garden in Arnhem is one of my tours. The stories of the British are totally different from the stories of the Americans but they have one thing in common – the fact that they all fought their hearts out to liberate the Dutch.