peter van der linden in normandie 2006 at the german observationbunker at batterie de longues. the same bunker in the movie the longest day where a german officer seeys the "great armada" of ships in front of the normandie coast on d-day
pictures of an extact from a dutch book called war in oisterwijk drawing by a de graaf 1983, glider, leather company, church, german 20mm flak 38 batterie and registrationplate of the willys jeep onboard the queen city
pictures of the kerkhovensebaan where the queen-city did not crash it crashed in the kerkhovensestaat.
"Think not only upon there passing...Remember the GLORY of their spirit"
Photo of the Kerkhovensestraat in Oisterwijk Just where the ditch ends, by the sign alfanova the Queen City crashed were now is a driveway to the house. In those day,s there where trees on the left side of the road were the glider crashed in to. In the back of the picture you see a grey building (bogarden),behind it was the german FLAK batterie. On the right (not on this photo)is a farmhouse where the wheels of the glider were found on 18 sept 1944
On the right side of the Kerkhovensestraat is a farmhouse of Joost van Iersel were the wheels of the glider were found. it was by Joost that i came into contact with a eyewitness who lived in the Kerkhovensestraat and was at the crashsite of the Queen City on 18 september 1944.
Behind this farm witch belonged to the van der Sterren family was the German FLAK batterie that was situated on the backside off the leather company used by the Germans for their war effort, also they had big suplies there. This flakbatterie used to protect their facilities made more casualties before and after marketgarden. Also on 18 sept 1944 it shot down a liberator and a dakota. The flak batterie was probably a FLAK 38 20mm. The eye wittnes witch i spoke to remembers it well being camouflaged when at times whent by it. He said it was a one barreld cannon.
On the right side of this St Petrus church in Oisterwijk is a cemetary where the bodies of the 4 occupants of the Queen-City were burried. Since they have been relocated to the american war grave cemetary in Margraten empty spots are whats left today. The other graves that are still there are of 13 soldiers of the 15th scottich division who liberated Oisterwijk during 24,25,26 okt 1944.
The commonwealth war graves on the St Petrus cementary today. Note the empty spots were the crew of the Queen-City and a dakota pilot (don't know his name)were ones burried until relocation. Also two britich soldiers who were ones burried here were relocated somewere else. The graves that are still here are off britich soldiers of the 15th scottich div. In the back of the picture is a grave of a major burried appart of the rest (still dont know why).
The names of these four soldiers of the Queen City are with other Oisterwijk casualties engraved on a plaque located in a little chapel dedicated to the Holy Mary near our village.
Another photo of the Kerkhovensestreet,in the back on the right side of the picture just were you see a grey house the glider crashed. In the treeline on the left the nylon towwing rope was found hanging in the trees.
Here is a RAF reconasance photo made on 13 september 1944. I zoomed in and marked the crashspot of the Queen-City and the farmhouse of Joost van Iersel.