Grebbeberg War Cemetery ( nl, Militair Ereveld Grebbeberg) is a Second World War military

war grave A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

cemetery, located on the

Grebbeberg The Grebbeberg is a 52-meter high hill located east of Rhenen, Netherlands in the province of Utrecht. It forms the southeastern tip of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, a moraine. Due to its strategic location with a view of the Lower Rhine and the Bet ...

, a hill east of

Rhenen Rhenen () is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. The municipality also includes the villages of Achterberg, Remmerden, Elst and Laareind. The town lies at a geographically interesting location, namely on the southernmost par ...

the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The cemetery contains 799 military personnel and one civilian who died during the invasion of the Netherlands by the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

in May 1940. More than 400 of those interred in the cemetery fell during the

Battle of the Grebbeberg The Battle of the Grebbeberg ( nl, Slag om de Grebbeberg) was a major engagement during the Battle of the Netherlands, which was a part of the World War II Operation ''Fall Gelb'' in 1940. Background In the 1930s, the Dutch government pursued ...

History

Immediately after the surrender of the Netherlands, a cemetery was laid out at the Grebbeberg for both Dutch and German dead. On 20 May 1940, the cemetery was completed and all the dead were buried. On 27 May all field graves were cleared from around Grebbeberg and the remains were reburied within the cemetery. The cemetery contained 380 Dutch graves and about 150 German graves. The graves were marked with wooden signs with the name of the soldier, if known. In 1942, a stone wall was built around the cemetery and all tombstones were replaced with headstones. Until that time, many family members or relatives had their own headstone placed on the grave. After the German surrender andfollowing the end of the war, all German graves were moved to the Ysselsteyn German war cemetery. Until 1 January 1952 the cemetery was maintained by the Ministry of Defence, which at that date, transferred it to the . The reconstruction of the history of the National Army Monument Grebbeberg shows how the designer, architect J.J.P. Oud, in 1948–1953 conducted intensive consultations with the client about the meaning and symbolism of the monument. Since the 1960s, many soldiers were moved from local graves to the cemetery.

Special significance

The cemetery has a special significance because it is located exactly at the point in the Netherlands where the fiercest fighting took place during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. After the surrender, it became the first official Dutch war cemetery. After the fighting (and the Dutch capitulation) the German occupiers ordered a search for victims from both sides to have them properly buried.

Commemoration

Since 1946, this cemetery serves as a national memorial site. Here the military memorial ceremony held on

Remembrance of the Dead Remembrance of the Dead ( nl, Dodenherdenking) is held annually on May 4 in the Netherlands. It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since ...

, 4 May. In addition, on

Whit Whit may refer to: * Whit or Whitsun, another name for the holy day of Pentecost * Whit (given name) * Whit (novel) ''Whit, or, Isis amongst the unsaved'' is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1995. Isis Whit, a young but ...

, a commemoration of the former Eighth Regiment Infantry takes place, where all the colleagues who died during the May days are commemorated. File:Monument 8 RI - Ereveld Grebbeberg.JPG, Monument 8th Regiment Infantry File:Monument_22_RI_-_Ereveld_Grebbeberg.jpg, Monument 22nd Regiment Infantry File:Monument vermisten mei 40 - Ereveld Grebbeberg.JPG, Monument for those missing in action May 1940 File:W.P Landzaat.JPG, Grave of majoor Landzaat File:Rij grafstenen - Ereveld Grebbeberg.JPG, Row of headstones File:Grebbeberg monument.jpg, The ''National Army Monument Grebbeberg'' cast by the

Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry Royal Eijsbouts ( nl, Koninklijke Eijsbouts) is a bell foundry located in Asten, Netherlands. The workshop was founded in 1872 by Bonaventura Eijsbouts as a "factory for tower clocks." In 1893 Eijsbouts was joined by his 15-year-old son, Johan ...

Notable burials

Willem Pieter Landzaat Willem Pieter Landzaat (Leiden, 7 April 1886 – Rhenen, 13 May 1940) was a Dutch military officer who died during the Battle of the Grebbeberg. In May 1940 Major (rank), Major Landzaat was commander of the 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment Infantry ( ...

, commander 1st battalion 8th Regiment Infantry (I-8 R.I.)

References

External links

* *
Militair Ereveld Grebbeberg

Military War Cemetery Grebbeberg
{{Second World War military cemeteries in the Netherlands World War II cemeteries in the Netherlands Cemeteries in the Netherlands Cemeteries in Utrecht (province) Rhenen