War Museum Overloon – The Netherlands


Sherman M4A1 overloon war museum
Sherman M4A1 tank in front of War Museum, Overloon

Be prepared for a long day of walking around trying to catch every detail on your SD-card, because Liberty Park is very large! The park is dedicated to WWII and has lots of interesting stuff on display both indoor and outdoor, although we got the idea the outdoor part depends on the season.

It all starts off in the park, where you can see a big Bailey Bridge built over a sandy road and a Russian IS-2 Heavy Tank set between the trees. Also there are a lot of sculptures and art installations about the war everywhere. Particularly interesting is a photo installation of Claudia Heinermann (project: Spuren Traces) which documents the work of the “Volksbund”, an organisation that is trying to recover German war graves and identify the remains of soldiers on the east front in Russia.

Walk around the building to see more interesting stuff. Not everything you see here is from WWII though. And do not wander on forbidden tracks..

Tanks of the Battle of Overloon

In the main visitors center, you can see a small exhibition about the Battle of Overloon with, among other things, some tanks that were used in the battle. These tanks on display here all wear the signs of the heavy fighting that took place and belong to both the Axis and the Allied forces, which gives the exhibit a greater sense of history.

German Panther tank partly on tracks at War Museum Overloon
A German Panther tank partly on tracks at War Museum Overloon
Sherman M4A4 Crab Mk I mine clearing tank at War Museum Overloon
Sherman M4A4 Crab Mk.I mine clearing tank “Avalon” at War Museum Overloon
Sherman M4 After Hitler Overloon
Sherman M4 “After Hitler” with it’s turret disconnected at Liberty Park, Overloon

Underneath is the heavily damaged Churchill Mk.V tank the “Jackal”. The tank hit a mine which killed two of the crew and wounded the others. After our visit to the museum we were contacted by relatives of the tanks driver, who could tell us more of what happened to the Jackal. Follow the link to read more about this.

Churchill Mk V tank Jackal at Overloon
Churchill Mk V tank Jackal at Overloon

National War and Resistance Museum

From here you enter what we supposed was the space of the “National War and Resistance Museum”. Here you can experience a more common exhibition about the Second World War with different themes like the holocaust and the Dutch Resistance. It has a very interesting exhibit about the political landscape in the period before and during the war. A little further down the hall they also have some diorama’s with military clothing and equipment on display. These show the painfully large contrast between the state of the Dutch Army and the German invaders.

German Fallschirmjaeger Overloon
Diorama with German Fallschirmjäger at War Museum Overloon
Fallschirmjaeger Overloon detail
Fallschirmjaeger Overloon detail

The Marshall Museum

For us it really became interesting when we got to the Marshall museum (indoor) where the impressive Jaap de Groot collection is on display. These 10.000 square metres are filled with over more than a 150 vehicles and tanks of all sorts and sizes. Bolt by bolt, beautifully restored and all in a perfect driving condition, so they say. Here and there the items are displayed in nice diorama’s that try to show the context and depict the battles where the vehicles, planes, weapons and items where put to use.

Sherman M4A3 with 105mm Howitzer gun
Sherman M4A3 with 105mm Howitzer gun
Pillbox at Overloon
Pillbox at Overloon
GMC DUKW 353 amphibian vehicle
2,5 ton GMC DUKW-353 amphibian vehicle
Studebaker M29 Weasel at Overloon
Studebaker M29 Weasel at War Museum Overloon, the Netherlands
British Commandos Overloon
Jeep of British Commando’s that operated behind enemy lines in the North-African desert
5 ton SWS Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper Overloon
5 tons s.W.S. (Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper) with basic coating, Panzer-Gelb at Liberty Park, Overloon
Allis Chalmers M6 High Speed Tractor at War Museum Overloon
Allis Chalmers M6 High Speed Tractor at War Museum Overloon
Tractor M26 at War Museum Overloon
Tractor M26 at War Museum Overloon
Continental-R-975-C1-engine
Continental R-975-C1 engine was designed for aircraft, but also used in M4 Sherman tanks

Militracks Event

Tiger 233 tank Musee des Blindes
King Tiger 233 of Musee des Blindes Saumur, France, at Militracks Overloon in 2018

The museum also hosts a yearly event in Overloon called Militracks, where people can see tanks, half-tracks, vehicles, motorcycles. If you don’t mind to stand in line, you can experience these oldtimers firsthand by hitching a ride on one of them during a drive around the War Museum. Although the event grows busier every year, it has a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of stuff to see and do for the whole family.

Visit Liberty Park and War Museum Overloon

Liberty Park and the War Museum in Overloon are definitely worth a visit. The museum has a very extensive collection with a focus on Allied vehicles, tools, weapons, uniforms etc.
If you are only interested in German or Axis vehicles you might be a bit disappointed. The museum does have an iconic German 88 gun and a Hetzer tank destroyer on display. The Hetzer is an after war Swiss version.

For more information and opening hours visit www.oorlogsmuseum.nl/

Photo Gallery
Photo Gallery



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