Another Dutch WW2 museum

After visiting the Dutch ww2 museaum at Overloon (some years back so a new visit is overdue) and the museum at Best ("Bevrijdende vleugels") in march of this year (see the april post) when on holiday on the Walcheren Island (part of Zeeland) a visit to the Bevrijdingsmuseum at Nieuwdorp was planned.

Of course the name Walcheren must be known to wargamers. For the Napoleonic ones it was the scene of the 1809 landing and after many British dead, mostly through diseases, the retreat from the island.

But also the WW2 scene of the 1944 landings and bitter fighting of Allied troops on Walcheren to open the Scheldt estuary so Antwerp could be used as a harbour for getting supplies to the fighting troops in the Netherlands and Germany. 

The Bevrijdingsmuseum tells that story but also paints the wider story of Zeeland in WW2 starting in May 1940 with French forces in Zeeland, the victory of German forces in 1940, the occupation of the next years and of course the 1944 liberation (Bevrijding in Dutch) of which the museum takes it name.

With pictures, models, real rolling stock from the WW2 period, etc etc it gives a great impression of this period and it is recommended. The museum is situated in a small village near Vlissingen.

Some pictures of our visit underneath:

Modelling and wargames show Geel

 As said earlier, we participated in the Modelling and wargames show at Geel. Of course the modelling part was a lot (really a lot!) bigger then the part of wargamers but it was a nice day. 

A lot of modellers with their family walked around, being surpised that people really play with miniatures and most of them had started with plastic (Airfix) miniatures but then went into modelling.

We had nice discussions about wargamig, modelling and history so, as said, a nice day.

Pictures of our presented wargame (The Siege of Venlo 1511) are underneath. As it is the same period as the more wellknown Italian Wars but situated in the east part of todays Netherlands, it shows of cousre more or less the same miniatures (except Italians/Spanish etc)!  

We had little time to go around the modelling part of the show, so were sorry to have only a few pictures of the models portrayed. Suffice to say, a lot of them were just great. When you are a modeller and in the neighbourhood, go there next year, it a great show (and it is free!).

1511 Addition to Venlo in preparation (for juni 1st demo)

 Some further progress!

Scaleworld 2025 in Geel Belgium

 

For those with no plans on June 1st and in the neigbourhood, KMK Geel will held their annual Scale World modelling event. It is a great event.
AND, for the second time, also Wargames will be shown.

The Alde Garde will be there with a revamped Siege of Venlo demo in 28mm. Peter is  very (very!) busy to change the layout of the walls (well, partly of course) of Venlo as can be seen on the fotos underneath which show the work in proces.

We hope to see (and speak to) you about out hobby. 

 

Visiting the museum "Bevrijdende Veugels" in Best, Netherlands

 In the Netherlands there are various museums with exhibitions about the Second World War and specifically the 1944/45 period.
As we were never have been to this museum in Best, the fact that there was a modelling show plus some (WW2) wargamesdisplays held in the museum it was reason enoough to go there. And it was simply very good.

The museum is housed in some barracks situated on the terrain were in 1944 paratroopers landed to start operation Market Garden.
It includes a lot of real material of that period (airplanes, rolling stock), great dioramas of models and lifelike maquettes.

As said, during this day there were a lot of modelling clubs showing their various models plus some wargamers doing what they suppose to do; wargaming. All that was placed in between the real museum stuff; a great combination.

The pictures underneath show a part of what was visible. We had a great day and, when you are in the neigbourhood, visit the museum. It's worth your time.

Starting with some models of the museum

Some of the museums' "real" things

And of course some pictures of the modelling and wargaming event