News - TracesOfWar.com

3Mar

A WWII helmet returns home 80 years after having been lost at Remagen Bridge, Germany

An american World War II helmet was found in the mud of the Rhine River, downstream from Remagen Bridge, during a drought in 2018. Inside the liner of the helmet, the soldier had carved his initials as well as his laundry number.

16Feb

Armin T. Wegner and his letter to Hitler

On April 1, 1933, the mood in many shopping streets in Germany was grim. Sturdy men in brown shirts with a black swastika on a red and white band on their upper arm were standing in front of large warehouses as well as tiny shops. These places had not been selected at random by members of Hitler’s Sturmabteilung or SA. Stars of David in white paint on shop windows and the text on the Nazi protest signs made it clear. ‘Germans, take care! Do not buy from Jews!’ was the slogan of the day.

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23Jun

Keeping the memory of the trails to freedom alive

Trails to Freedom is the story of a solo hike across the Alps that brings to life the history of the Anzac POWs who escaped Fascist Italy to find safety in neutral Switzerland during WWII. In October 1943, four Australian soldiers left Biella in the foothills of the Alps in northern Turin, fleeing Italy's Nazi-Fascist regime. With the help of local partisans the soldiers crossed into neutral Switzerland. They were four of more than 500 Anzac POWs who followed the sentieri della libertá, the trails to freedom. Decades later, author Simon Tancred embarks on a modern-day pilgrimage along the same route. We’ve asked him some questions about his book.

12Apr

Understanding the German side of the fighting in Normandy

The battle for the Cotentin peninsula began on D-Day and witnessed some of the most intense fighting of the Normandy campaign, with heavy losses on both sides. This six week battle of attrition set the stage for the decisive American breakout from the Bocage. Dutch historian Niels Henkemans is therefore going to write a series of books on this topic. Two books have already come out: Defending Normandy 1A and 1B. TracesOfWar asked him some questions by e-mail about this books and his future writing projects.

14Feb

The hugely popular ‘Standing with Giants’ installation returns to the British Normandy Memorial

The giant silhouettes are returning to the meadow fields of the British Normandy Memorial, following last year’s overwhelming response to the ambitious and captivating project by the Standing with Giants charity.

In 2024, nearly a quarter of a million people visited the Memorial, many of whom experienced the power and poignancy of the 1,475 servicemen placed with heads bowed on the hillside overlooking Gold Beach, each representing a life lost on D-Day, 6 June 1944.

27Jan

Russia focuses on Soviet victims of WW2 as officials not invited to Auschwitz ceremony

On the edge of St Petersburg stands a dramatic memorial more than 40 metres high. At the very top is the figure of a mother with her children.

27Jan

Oswald Kaduk, ‘Papa Kaduk’ or a monster??

When Oswald Kaduk was called a swine on April 6, 1964, the news spread like wildfire all over the world. The insult was made in Frankfurt am Main, in a hall converted into a courtroom. Here, 22 men stood trial for crimes they had committed in the concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz during the war. The man who was insulted was one of them. Between 1942 and 1945 he had grown into one of the most feared and brutal guards in the Nazi camp in Poland. ‘Outburst stirs Auschwitz Trial,’ the New York Times reported the next day. According to a reporter, someone in the audience had disturbed the trial by yelling loudly ‘beat that swine to death,’ referring to Kaduk.

20Dec

Christmas and New Year message from our volunteers

The TracesOfWar team wishes you a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2025!

26Nov

New book: Righteous Behind Barbed Wire

Righteous behind Barbed Wire is the latest book written by TracesOfWar volunteer Kevin Prenger. It was published in November 2024 and is available through Amazon and others.

2Nov

Postal artifacts provide a vibrant testament to the experiences of the Dutch people during WWII

On Saturday, Nov. 9, the Arnhem Open Air Museum will present the exhibition ‘The Battle of Arnhem - September 17-25, 1944: False Hope and Lasting Thanks’ by the Arnhem Postal History Project. This exhibition, curated by Tim Gale and Kees Adema, is based on an extensive collection from World War II. We asked Tim Gale some questions by e-mail about the collection and the exhibition.

What is The Arnhem Postal History Collection and Digital Archives (APH) and what’s your connection to it?

12Oct

DigitalBattlefieldTours unlocks military tactics to a wide audience

[TRANSLATED BY: Simon van der Meulen] Ivo van der Spoel is the creator of documentaries covering the military history of World War II. His YouTube channel is called DigitalBattlefieldTours. In his videos, viewers are taken to locations where actual battlefield events took place, such as Operation Market Garden. Having 65,000 subscribers and attracting up to a million viewers per video, he caters for a broad public. TracesofWar.com interviewed him through e-mail to find out more about his channel and what motivates him.

11Oct

Lily Ebert, Holocaust Survivor, Author and TikTok Star, Dies at 100

She survived Auschwitz, wrote a best-selling memoir, “Lily’s Promise,” and spoke to a following of 2 million fans on TikTok.

She was born Lívia Engelman into an Orthodox Jewish family in Bonyhád, Hungary, on December 29 1923, one of six children of Ahron, who sold textiles, and Nina, née Bresnitz. It was an idyllic childhood, she said, though her father died when she was 18.

4Oct

Commemoration 7th Battalion the Hampshire regiment

After the Battle of Arnhem was lost on September 1944, the battle south of the Rhine on 'The Island' continued. There are several monuments to the British and American units that suffered major losses. The commemoration for the 7th battalion of the Hampshire Regiment was on October 4 2024.

3Oct

Discover the story of the V-weapons

Unique exhibition 'V-weapons' in the Memory Freedom Museum in Nijverdal is open .

The Memory Freedom Museum in Nijverdal is proud to present the unique exhibition 'V-weapons', which was opened on Thursday 26 September by Mr. Peter Wijninga (on the left side of the picture), affiliated with the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS). Mr. Koen Palinckx (on the right side of the picture), District Mayor of Ekeren, City of Antwerp, also made a contribution and spoke about Antwerp under the V-bombs. For the first time in the Netherlands, this exhibition pays extensive attention to the development, use and consequences of the German V-weapons during the Second World War.

A Historical Look Back .

In the summer of 1944, the German army began deploying the dreaded V1 and V2 weapons. These flying bombs and missiles were a technical tour de force at the time, but caused many casualties and great material damage, especially in the cities of London and Antwerp. The Netherlands was not spared either; There were many casualties as a result of failed launches and premature explosions.

Hellendoorn in the spotlight .

The municipality of Hellendoorn plays a special role in this history. It is the only municipality in the Netherlands where both the V1 and V2 were launched. The first V2 was launched here on 16 November 1944, followed by the first V1 a month later. The exhibition not only shows the technical and historical aspects of these weapons, but also highlights personal stories of eyewitnesses. For example, there is an impressive scene about the espionage committed by local resistance groups, but also about Twente residents who spied in Germany in Peenemünde.

Reconstruction V1 Wilp.

A special part of this exhibition are the remains of a V1, excavated in March 2020 next to the A1 near Wilp (near Deventer). These have been incorporated into a full-size wooden reconstruction of a V1, complete with wings.

From V2 into space .

The exhibition also focuses on the post-war development of rocket technology, which built on the V2. This includes the Apollo 11 moon landing and the rise of modern drones and unmanned aircraft. In this way, the exhibition offers a complete picture of the influence of the V-weapons on both history and modern technology.

Addition to the permanent exhibition.

'V-weapons' is a valuable addition to the permanent exhibition of the Memory Freedom Museum. The museum tells the story of the Second World War, the defence of the Netherlands against the enemy, five years of occupation and oppression, and the sacrifices of foreign soldiers for our freedom. The museum invites you to reflect on your role and influence on freedom, both for yourself and for others, and what freedom means now.

Visitor information.

The exhibition 'V-weapons' is open to the public from Friday 27 September 2024 to Sunday 28 September 2025 and can be seen in the Memory Freedom Museum. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 17:00 and is located at Grotestraat 13 in Nijverdal.

2Oct

Photo report interment of ashes Arnhem veterans

At the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Oosterbeek, also called the Airborne Cemetery, veterans of the Battle of Arnhem can have their ashes interred after their death. On Friday, September 20, 2024, there were solemn ceremonies in which the ashes of Bill Williams of the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment and of Joe Mawdsley of the 1 Border Regiment were interred.

1Oct

Photo report Commemoration Glider pilots memorial Wolfheze

About half of the soldiers of the British 1st Airborne Division who fought in the Battle of Arnhem were paratroopers. The remaining men came by glider. These gliders were flown by Glider Pilots. These were well-trained soldiers who fought after the landing, including defending the perimeter in Oosterbeek. The Glider Pilots of the Battle of Arnhem suffered heavy losses. It was therefore good that a memorial for their regiment was unveiled at the Glider Landmark in Wolfheze in 2019. A commemoration was held here on Friday, September 20, 2024.

1Oct

Photo report Airborne commemoration Arnhem West 2024

1Oct

Photo report commemorating commandos at the grave of August Bakhuis-Roozeboom

Every year, Dutch commandos hold a short commemoration at the grave of August Bakhuis-Roozeboom at the Airborne cemetery in Oosterbeek. Commando Bakhuis Roozeboom of No. 2 (Dutch) Troop was one of twelve Dutch commandos attached to the British 1st Airborne Division during the Battle of Arnhem. On September 19, 1944, Bakhuis-Roozeboom was killed when the Jeep he was in was struck at Oosterbeek Laag station.

26Sep

Silent March White Ribbon Mile

On the night of September 25 to 26, 1944, the men of the 1st British Airborne Division crossed the Rhine from the perimeter in Oosterbeek. The wounded must be left behind. After nine days of fighting, this ended the Battle of Arnhem.

25Sep

Photo report unveiling memorial plaque Albert Willingham

On September 20, 2024, a plaque was unveiled at the house at Annastraat 2 in Oosterbeek in memory of soldier Albert Willingham. On September 20 and 21 1944, this house was the headquarters of the 10th battalion of the Parachute Regiment that defended this part of the Oosterbeek perimeter. Civilians and soldiers took shelter in the basement. When a German soldier threw a hand grenade into the cellar, soldier Albert Willingham protected the civilians by shielding them by standing in front of the hand grenade. Albert was killed and was buried shortly afterwards in the garden of this house. After the war he was reburied at the Airborne cemetery in Oosterbeek.

25Sep

Photo report Airborne commemoration Air Despatch Memorial Oosterbeek

25Sep

Photo report Airborne commemoration Arnhem West

22Sep

Photo report Airborne Memorial Service Oosterbeek

The Airborne Memorial Service was held this morning at the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek. It was very busy because of the 80th anniversary, the nice weather and the royal visit of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal from England.

21Sep

Photo Report Airborne Landing and Commemoration

18Sep

Photo Report Two funerals at the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek

On Wednesday, September 18, 2024, two soldiers who fought during the Battle of Arnhem were buried at the Airborne cemetery in Oosterbeek: Private Moon and Lieutenant Anderson. Two British soldiers were buried with military honors in Oosterbeek 80 years after they went missing.