Jack Koorneef

Some pictures of the airbornelandings at Ginkelseheide, Ede, Netherlands. Para's from England, Greece, Germany, France, the Netherlands, America and other nations jump here not only to reenact the 1944 airbornlandings but also to practise in the phantomleap operation.

German vehicles on the Ginkel heath. Never seen that before!

16:40 Ob.West orders the Pz.Brig.107 (which is on the move to the battlefield) to the direction of Bocholt. (Pz.Brig.107 will play a crucial role in cutting off "Hell's Highway" later on in the battles and preventing fighting units and supplies reaching Arnhem.)

16.40 part two; To reenforce these units, Ob.West orders to instantly alarm units of SS-Pz.Div. (troops that need refreshing) in W.Kreis.VI to be used as Kampfgruppen.
Ob.West orders 50.000 men ("Blücher and Gneisenau" in W.Kreis VI) are to be used to secure the bridges over the Rhine.

16.40 Message from Ia (Ia means erste Generalstabsoffizier) H.Gr.B: airlanding near our HQ, communication demolished. HQ moved to Terborg. Oberbefehlshaber and chef der Heeresgruppe (B) at HQ II.SS.Pz.Korps where they lead the countermeasures.
All possible units ordered to Arnhem and also Nijmegen.

16.35 Message of Gen.Kdo.VI to Ob.West; Our earlier view on the situation: Focus of enemy landings river Maas and the Maas bridges and not the river Rijn.

16.40 OKW informs Ob.West (with info from W.B.N.) about the landings and the German counteractions (especially about the parts of II.SS.Pz.Korps in the area of Deventer, Sich. Btle. and other ad hoc units.
More messages from Verb.Kdo.Lw.; Focus of the landings at Arnhem, alleged landing at Xanten.

15.50 Ob.West informs all units (of all branches of the Wehrmacht) about the landings and reports to OKW (Ober Kommando Wehrmacht).

15.15 Inquiry Ob.West to Gen.Kdo.Feldt (HQ Hüls near Krefeld), defensive actions against the enemy landings. All available units of the 406 Inf.Div. attacking in the area Kleve-Kranenburg and Goch. Acting commander of Gen.Kdo.IV same actions but in area Wesel, 1 Batl. ordered to Arnhem.

On 14.45 The landings (gliders and para's) were reported at Airbase Eindhoven, South of Nijmegen, Area Goch (overjumps?), West of Arnhem and between Emmerich and Arnhem (overjumps?)

On this Yesterday, 17 Sept. 1944; Wardiary Ob.West. On 14.25 message from Verb.Kdo.Lw. at Ob.West about airlandings in the area Nijmegen-Emmerich-Eindhoven. Before the landings started heavy bombardments by bomberunits.

I was not driving, but we had a good driver/captain. The clip i made was too long.

Guess what we did...

It is a bit strange that it was dug there, the Pantherstellung follows more or less the 1939-1940 defenceline of the Grebbelinie/Valleistelling. This line already had a Antitank ditch so why dig another? That the Grebbelinie lacked dept is probably the reason but also a guess.

Last Wednesday i went to search for the last remaining part of the antitank ditch of the Panterstellung in the Netherlands. Well not really searching but visiting. Most parts were re-cultivated and are now filled. But in a small Forrest a short stretch was left.

9 At the end the plans for the dome were chosen and not the miningplans. Bombardments as expected ended the project and now a museum is located under the dome about the Rocketplans in and after WW2. Never visited the museum but once stood on the impressive concrete dome.

8 Another option was to lift the roof of the old Watten bunker with hydraulic presses and move on with the project, but new bombardments could demolish the presses and bombs falling on previously hit parts would penetrate and destroy the bunker. The hit parts were to get a 5m extra layer of concrete

7 The needs of the plan B were; deployment of miner-units and mine-equipment day and night with only short breaks and more of these when the project progressed, important for the first plans was a simple layout and later the finishing touches like the finishing of the walls and roofs.

6 No better way to camouflage the project and the smallest amount of concrete necessary to finish the project.

5 Different ideas/plans.
Built it as a mine at the same location, pro's; unparalleled protection to bombardments from the start and during the building process, during the mining more and more protection was available (with the dome only after the buildingprocess), more space for expansion in space.

4 It was not known if the dome would resist the heaviest bombs.
Furthermore was the design to big in measurements for the weapons. And last the amount of concrete was so big that it would take a big chunk that would be missed at the Atlantikwall. If the project would be smaller it would be possible.

3 Rejections for these big plans were as follows; The building process was easily to be followed by the enemy so it had to be camouflaged, earlier experiences with big building projects were hampered by allied bombardments during the building stages, no exceptions were expected here.

2 When ready the rock under the some would be taken away leaving a space 40m in diameter and 38 meters high, from the quarryfloor two tunnels were to be made under the dome as the exits to move the V2 rockets to the firingemplacement.

1 After the bombing of Watten's V2 bunker (Eperlecques) a new project for firing V2 rockets was planned; The Org. Todt was to design and built a bombproof firebase. A concrete dome with a diameter of 56 meter and 5 meter thick in a quarry.

2 A group of German soldiers manning a fighting-position surrendered to the Americans and were shot-up during the walk to the American positions. The city of St-Malo is still in German hands. Fort de la Varde is holding and a 7.5cm Flak out of order after a bombingraid on Ile Cezembre.

1 OTD 1944; St.Malo, After heavy bombardments and artillery shelling the enemy (Americans) enter the Cité under cover of smoke. The M19 (Maschine Mortar) is demolished by the Germans. After German artillery fires on the Cité the Americans retreat leaving 20 men POW.

OTD 1944, On the order of GFM Kluge the harbor of Granville had to be demolished directly, all vehicles were to be moved to St Malo as possible. All Marine units that are defending Granville are placed under command of the HaKo Granville. Pictures of the demolitions to be sent to HaKo St-Malo.

In the wardiaries kept by the Kriegsmarine the V1 had several nicknames, first the name Maikäfer (cockchafer) was used and later Kieselstein (pebble).