Bombardment Commemoration – Wolfheze

Sunday, September 17, 1944. The sky above Wolfheze is filled with aircraft. The atmosphere is threatening. The minister ends the church service prematurely, and everyone rushes home. At 11:41 a.m., the village is struck by a bombardment. The prelude to the airborne landings that follow later that afternoon. 781 bombs hit the village, 102 civilian casualties were reported, and chaos and grief were everywhere. The presence of German troops and cannons in Wolfheze in the week leading up to September 17 prompted the Allies to carry out the bombardment. Not long afterward, some 600 gliders carrying equipment and troops landed on landing zones S, Z, and X—better known in Wolfheze as Reijerscamp, Boschhoeve, and Sinderhoeve. The attempt to capture the bridge at Arnhem had begun.

Nearly 10,000 troops landed around Wolfheze over a period of three days. On September 18, some 2,000 paratroopers also landed during a drop on the Ginkelse Heide. Not many people know that Wolfheze played such an important role at the start of the operation, and that the fields surrounding the village were teeming with aircraft, equipment, and troops. That is the story the Airborne Committee Wolfheze wants to convey and allow people to experience.

This was initiated in 2019 during the 75th commemoration of the Airborne, culminating in a music and theater performance at the De Klaproos open-air theater. The performance, titled *Blik Terug* (Looking Back), highlighted the impact of the bombing on the village. In 2024, at the 80th commemoration, the performance was staged again. The 2019 performance can be viewed on YouTube .

The guiding principle for the Airborne Committee Wolfheze is to coordinate and jointly communicate the many initiatives that exist.