Liberty Park and Marshall Museum Overloon

[Joris]

Today I visited the Liberty Park and Marshall Museum in Overloon, Netherlands. The Liberty Park museum was founded right after WWII and it showed the battlefield at Overloon, the way it was left after the troops moved on. After 50 years the exhibits were moved indoors and later the Marshall museum moved in too.

 

Although I had visited the Liberty Park a number of times already, I'd never been to the Marshall museum and it awed me. What a fantastic collection of vehicles and all in running order!! Every one of the vehicles of the collection can be started and moved.... Wow!!

 

1. First we start with the sign outside the museum.

It says:

Stay still for a moment, visitor, and remember that the ground you are walking on now was one of the most feircely contested sectors of the battlefield Overloon. Bitter was the fighting here in man to man combat. Many young lives who survived the battles of Nettuno and Normandy were killed amongst these trees.

 

2. A JS2, massive tank!

 

3. This Panther ausf G was destroyed by a Piat after which the crew was killed, in the Overloon area. This was also the tank that neatly destroyed the Bailey bridge at Son on september 18th.

If I'm not mistaken the engine (and other parts) of this tank have been granted a new life in either the Wheatcroft or the Bovington Panther (can't remember which of the two).

 

3. A cromwell that was destroyed by a direct hit in the engine, as can be seen on this picture.

 

4. A Sherman tank of the "Lucky 7th" that got hit killing the crew

 

5. A Sherman Flail tank that was knocked out by a panzerfaust. The holes are not visible on this picture but they are all around the "avalon" text.

 

6. First diorama of the Marshall museum, a jeep with a 6pndr gun in tow.

 

7. Same diorama, it has Arnhem painted in the background.

 

8. Part of the Omaha beach diorama

 

9. Same diorama

 

10. An 88mm FLAK gun with all the dials intact.

 

[Joris]

1. A german PAK gun with an 88mm gun in the background

 

2. A Ford M8 with a Sexton 25Pdr in the background

 

3. Archer based on the Valentine Chassis and a 57mm AT gun.

 

4. Canadian FWD truck, used to move artillery

 

5. Same FWD truck

 

6. A Windsor Carrier which has been lengthened

 

7. A variety of heavy wreckers; Kenworth 572, Oskosh and two others (no Wards though but forgot to take notes)

 

8. B25 Mitchell with a bomb loading vehicle

 

9. Handcart

 

10. A truly air portable GMC CCKW 353

 

[Joris]

1. Cushman Airborne motor

 

2. Oshkosh truck

 

3. 105mm Long Tom behind a Mack No 7.

 

4. M4 high speed tractor

 

5. Cabin of the No 7. Mack Prime Mover

 

6. Mack No 7. Prime Mover

 

7. M6 high speed tractor

 

8. I forgot... :whistle:

 

9. A special heavy goods trailer that could move over any terrain. Had a turning circle of 20mtrs though and was very noisy.

 

10. GMC CCKW 353 with bridge laying equipment

 

[Joris]

1. Chevrolet with workshop body

 

2. Early Pacific tank transporter with the armored cab and a M4A3 sherman on the back

 

3. Trailer with Sherman.

 

4. Autocar (not visble) with 10 ton trailer, in these trailers the 101 airborne was moved to Bastogne

 

5. A Rogers trailer laden with Ammo boxes and spares and the bed of a GMC CCKW 353 filled with jerrycans

 

6. A collection of GMCs

 

7. The Rogers trailer with ammo boxes and spares again, in front the wartime picture that has been reproduced.

 

8. A lot of boxes still contained spare parts!!!

 

9. A Diamond T

 

10. And a Dodge WC51

[Jack]

Oh great pictures Joris - was it expensive to get in?

[Joris]

1. Late model Pacific without the armored cab.

 

2. A massive LARC

 

3. Same from a platform

 

4. An amphibious fuel truck

 

5. Too much stuff to write it all down...

 

6. Two T34 tanks

 

That's it for my pictures of the museum, I've taken a lot of pictures but there is so much more to see... Absolutely stunning museum!

[Joris]

Oh great pictures Joris - was it expensive to get in?

 

No not at all, only € 9.50. If you become a "friend of the museum" for only €20 a year you get in for free! So I took the leaflet with me and will apply asap.

[Bazz]

 

Re second post,

 

Picture 3 The Archer is based on the Valentine Chassis and not the Cromwell.

 

Baz.

[Joris]

Re second post,

 

Picture 3 The Archer is based on the Valentine Chassis and not the Cromwell.

 

Baz.

 

Thanks, fixed it.

[mcspool]

After 50 years the exhibits were moved indoors and later the Marshall museum moved in too.

 

And with that move it lost much of it character. While the vehicles are better off indoors, some of them somehow made a better exhibit when displayed on the museum grounds which were actually part of the battle ground.

 

Thanks for your pictures, Joris! I agree the museum is very much worthwhile visiting for anyone interested in military vehicles.

 

See http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=916&ppuser=24 for some of my pics.

 

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/916/medium/imm034_35.jpg[/img]

[LeeEnfield]

Great pic's, Joris.

 

Cheers. :-)

 

[Chrisg]

An amazing place had a four hour visit( noway long enough) back in may with the champ the size of the LARC is awsome

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa301/chrisgodward/DSCF0406.jpg[/img]

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa301/chrisgodward/DSCF0407.jpg[/img]

[LeeEnfield]

Blimey,..........Knew they were large,.................but, :whistle:

[abn deuce]

The truck you couldn't recall .... the one before the tracked trailer is a White 666 they were built by White ,Corbitt,Brockway,WLF and FWD.

I thank you for the Great photo's . I had seen a very few pictures of a few of the individual vehicles but nothing as complete or as nice as the over view that you have done of the layout of all the other vehicles in the collection . THANK YOU for sharing and taking the time to record all the details.

[Tony B]

Wow Joris , got to be on the future visit list. Great that we can share such things all over europe.

[Joris]

@ABN Deuce

Thank you for your kind words, there still is a lot more that I did not take pictures off. Perhaps some other time when I visit again I'll complete the list.

 

@Tony

Indeed we sure are lucky to have the internet! I'm going to write a report on the museum too.

[abn deuce]

Time and storage space < used to be the amount of film > are always limited . You did a great job!

[Lawson]

WOW well done Joris and what a great set of pictures....Thankyou :thankyou:

[Joris]

I signed up to become a friend of the museum so I can visit it as often as I like :angel:

[M5Clive]

Hi Joris

 

How far is the journey from either 'The Hook of Holland' or 'Zeebrugger' to the museum pictured here?

 

Having seen your photo's, I am thinking about doing a trip over to the museum in the New Year. Maybe we could meet up at the museum if i can get things organised this end?

 

What it the approximate milage and journey times once we get off the ferry?

 

Clive

 

 

[Joris]

It would be great to meet up and the Overloon museum is well worth it. The museum will keep you busy for a couple of hours, especially if you want to read everything.

 

Zeebrugge - Overloon: 255km, 2h38m

Hoek of Holland - Overloon: 176km, 1h46m

[N.O.S.]

A few hours driving, Clive. But to do the museum justice, I'd suggest you plan to stay overnight nearby - as others have said 4 hrs is nowhere near enough, best to soak it up, have a break and go back for more!

 

We flew early am, hired car and did Airborne museum at Arnhem, stayed overnight 1/2 way to Overloon and did Overloon next day before driving back to airport for evening flight, but I was very reluctant to come away..... :drool: :drool: :drool:

[Enigma]

Maybe another Dutch HMVF day?

[Joris]

Sounds like a plan!!!

[martylee]

Looks really nice! I was about to go there when I visited Holland two weeks ago, but ending up sick at my friends place in Bemmel instead. But I'll use it as an excuse to come back later.

 

Marty