Literally a 3 minute drive from the scenic stellplatz at Möhnesee is the impressive dam wall that was successfully breached on the night of 16/17 May 1943 during the opening action of Operation Chastise, later to become better known as the Dambusters raid. At the conclusion of the raid, 2 of the 3 target dams had been successfully breached, (Möhne and Eder) with the 3rd dam (Sorpe) sustaining minor damage. The raid was led by Wg Cdr GP Gibson, more of whom appears later in this entry. Standing on the dam wall, looking both towards the lake itself, and in the opposite direction downwards into the valley beneath it, it is hard to imagine in such a peaceful and tranquil location, the sheer terror and mayhem that ensued almost some 80 years ago. The Möhne breach was repaired by using forced labour, but the dam was not fully operational again until September of that year. An estimated 1,600 people lost their lives in the ensuing flood from the Möhne, and considerable damage was inflicted upon the German war effort, with several factories, hydroelectric power stations and mines either destroyed or significantly damaged. Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross for his leadership of the raid.
Monday night was spent at a stellplatz at a private yacht club in Duisburg next to the Rhine.
Tuesday we travelled over the border into the Netherlands, and visited the Oosterbeek CWGC cemetery near Arnhem, where almost 2,000 casualties of the ill-fated Operation Market Garden lie at rest, and identified the plot of Flt Lt David Lord VC, the only transport pilot to be awarded the VC for his efforts to resupply the beleaguered troops by airdropping supplies from his Dakota aircraft, despite his aircraft being hit several times, catching fire and eventually crashing with the loss of all but one of the crew members. Oosterbeek cemetery regularly appears in the media during the annual remembrance ceremonies in the Netherlands, as there is a tradition of the local children placing flowers at each and every headstone in gratitude for what the troops attempted to achieve. Market Garden has been immortalised in the film A Bridge Too Far, starring amongst others Michael Caine, Dirk Bogarde, Sean Connery and Edward Fox. Tuesday night was spent at a lovely remote campsite on a farm in Duiven.
Wednesday we ventured SW to Bergen op Zoom, stopping off en-route at the RC cemetery in Steenbergen, where Wg Cdr Guy Gibson, VC, DSO and bar, DFC and bar, lies at rest alongside his Navigator Sqn Ldr JB Warwick DFC. The pair were killed when their Mosquito aircraft crashed in the local area on 19 September 1944, some 16 months after Gibson had successfully led the Dambusters raid mentioned earlier. He was 26 years old at the time of his death.
Both Wednesday and Thursday night were spent at another farm campsite near Huijbergen, and we took the opportunity to visit one of the local Vets on Thursday afternoon to get Benny his tapeworm treatment prior to sailing back to Hull on the following Monday. There is also a nice small beach at Bergen op Zoom by the swimming pool, plus some dedicated parking for motorhomes which is free 0800-1800 with a small charge for overnight stays.
Our final 3 nights were spent at a site on the outskirts of Hermelen, about 15 miles W of Utrecht, where it rained pretty much non-stop for the first 2 days, but we did manage the short 20 minute walk into the town during a fortunate lull in the weather. Sunday was a much better day weather wise, and we headed off into the countryside and found a nice restaurant to sit outside and have lunch.
Monday was a nice unhurried drive from Hermelen to Rotterdam to catch the ferry, which sailed at 21:00 and which we managed to board, despite the rather unhelpful and officious woman at the check-in desk telling me that Benny's AHC documentation was incorrect and therefore invalid (she was wrong on both counts as it transpired,) and we arrived back in Hull at 0800 Tuesday morning. I took the opportunity to discuss the 'incorrect and invalid' AHC with the Border Force staff at Hull, who simply pointed out that had the paperwork been invalid, it would have been identified during the check-in procedure prior to leaving the UK some 4 weeks earlier and I would have been refused boarding at that point.
Notwithstanding that unwelcome surprise at Rotterdam, in summary we had a great 4 week trip, saw lots of interesting places and enjoyed mostly good weather throughout.
Highlights? the jaw-dropping scenery in Austria, the view of the Tatra mountains in Slovakia (the photos don't really do them justice,) oh, and the cheap (and delicious!) pilsner beer in Czechia! Logistics wise, I never needed the snow chains once, although it was a good idea to carry them just in case. LPG availability was widespread and cheap (e.g. €0.57/litre in Slovakia) My leisure batteries coped easily, even with 3-4 days off-grid thanks to a combination of plentiful sunshine and driving (and hence charging the batteries during the journey.) Benny's highlights? Sausages!!
Lowlights/regrets? Not being able to see the view from the top of the mountain at Berchtesgaden, but not much you can do about poor weather! As a consolation, the scenic drive through the Austrian valleys and countryside more than made up for it.
Grand total of miles driven since leaving the UK: 3,433
Monday night was spent at a stellplatz at a private yacht club in Duisburg next to the Rhine.
Tuesday we travelled over the border into the Netherlands, and visited the Oosterbeek CWGC cemetery near Arnhem, where almost 2,000 casualties of the ill-fated Operation Market Garden lie at rest, and identified the plot of Flt Lt David Lord VC, the only transport pilot to be awarded the VC for his efforts to resupply the beleaguered troops by airdropping supplies from his Dakota aircraft, despite his aircraft being hit several times, catching fire and eventually crashing with the loss of all but one of the crew members. Oosterbeek cemetery regularly appears in the media during the annual remembrance ceremonies in the Netherlands, as there is a tradition of the local children placing flowers at each and every headstone in gratitude for what the troops attempted to achieve. Market Garden has been immortalised in the film A Bridge Too Far, starring amongst others Michael Caine, Dirk Bogarde, Sean Connery and Edward Fox. Tuesday night was spent at a lovely remote campsite on a farm in Duiven.
Wednesday we ventured SW to Bergen op Zoom, stopping off en-route at the RC cemetery in Steenbergen, where Wg Cdr Guy Gibson, VC, DSO and bar, DFC and bar, lies at rest alongside his Navigator Sqn Ldr JB Warwick DFC. The pair were killed when their Mosquito aircraft crashed in the local area on 19 September 1944, some 16 months after Gibson had successfully led the Dambusters raid mentioned earlier. He was 26 years old at the time of his death.
Both Wednesday and Thursday night were spent at another farm campsite near Huijbergen, and we took the opportunity to visit one of the local Vets on Thursday afternoon to get Benny his tapeworm treatment prior to sailing back to Hull on the following Monday. There is also a nice small beach at Bergen op Zoom by the swimming pool, plus some dedicated parking for motorhomes which is free 0800-1800 with a small charge for overnight stays.
Our final 3 nights were spent at a site on the outskirts of Hermelen, about 15 miles W of Utrecht, where it rained pretty much non-stop for the first 2 days, but we did manage the short 20 minute walk into the town during a fortunate lull in the weather. Sunday was a much better day weather wise, and we headed off into the countryside and found a nice restaurant to sit outside and have lunch.
Monday was a nice unhurried drive from Hermelen to Rotterdam to catch the ferry, which sailed at 21:00 and which we managed to board, despite the rather unhelpful and officious woman at the check-in desk telling me that Benny's AHC documentation was incorrect and therefore invalid (she was wrong on both counts as it transpired,) and we arrived back in Hull at 0800 Tuesday morning. I took the opportunity to discuss the 'incorrect and invalid' AHC with the Border Force staff at Hull, who simply pointed out that had the paperwork been invalid, it would have been identified during the check-in procedure prior to leaving the UK some 4 weeks earlier and I would have been refused boarding at that point.
Notwithstanding that unwelcome surprise at Rotterdam, in summary we had a great 4 week trip, saw lots of interesting places and enjoyed mostly good weather throughout.
Highlights? the jaw-dropping scenery in Austria, the view of the Tatra mountains in Slovakia (the photos don't really do them justice,) oh, and the cheap (and delicious!) pilsner beer in Czechia! Logistics wise, I never needed the snow chains once, although it was a good idea to carry them just in case. LPG availability was widespread and cheap (e.g. €0.57/litre in Slovakia) My leisure batteries coped easily, even with 3-4 days off-grid thanks to a combination of plentiful sunshine and driving (and hence charging the batteries during the journey.) Benny's highlights? Sausages!!
Lowlights/regrets? Not being able to see the view from the top of the mountain at Berchtesgaden, but not much you can do about poor weather! As a consolation, the scenic drive through the Austrian valleys and countryside more than made up for it.
Grand total of miles driven since leaving the UK: 3,433
