Overloon War Museum
Encyclopedia
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Nationaal Oorlogs- en Verzetsmuseum) is located at Overloon
Overloon
Overloon, mun. Boxmeer, is a village in the Netherlands in the province of North Brabant. It is best known as the site of the National Museum of War and Resistance of the Netherlands, and for a World War II battle that occurred around the village in September and October 1944.As a result most of...
, municipality Boxmeer
Boxmeer
Boxmeer is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. It incorporates the former municipality of Beugen en Rijkevoort and that of Vierlingsbeek.- Population centres :...
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The museum is located on the site of the Battle of Overloon
Battle of Overloon
The Battle of Overloon was a Second World War battle between Allied forces and the German army which took place in and around the village of Overloon in the south-east of the Netherlands between 30 September and 18 October 1944. The battle, which resulted in an Allied victory, ensued after the...
, a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
tank and infantry battle between Allied and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
forces that occurred in September and October 1944, in the aftermath of Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
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Set in 14 hectares of woodland, it is one of two museums in an area now designated as Liberty Park. A feature of the museum is the large number of military vehicles and equipment on display, both German and Allied. For years these have been kept in the open air, but have recently been moved indoors in order to help preserve them. Many of the exhibited vehicles took part in the Battle of Overloon. In 2006 the collection was expanded with a large number of vehicles from a private collection.