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Introduction
75 years ago, the final chapter
of World War II in Europe was being
written. Out of the debris of the
Battle of the Bulge came the
resurrection of the Allied advance
on the Third Reich. However the most
challenging obstacle still lay
ahead: The Rhine River.
On 25MAR1945, combined with an
amphibious assault, Operation
"Varsity" was launched with elements
of the US 17th Airborne Division and
the British 6th Airborne Division
dropping behind enemy lines to
secure a bridgehead across the
river.
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click to enlarge:
The 75th
Anniversary of Operation
"Varsity" would
have been an event to remember.
History wanted it otherwise. |
75th Anniversary
2019 & 2020 were supposed to go down
in history as the years in which the
75th anniversary of the end of World
War Two in 1944-’45 were celebrated.
The commemorations in light of D-Day
in June, Market Garden in September
and the Battle of the Bulge in
December of 2019 were larger in
scale and media coverage than ever.
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click images to enlarge:
Normandy, France, D-Day
Commemorations in June 2019
Wreath laying
ceremony at the monument to BG Don
F. Pratt, at Brévands and
with BG Brian E. Winski, Commanding
Officer of the 101st Airborne
Division (Air Assault)
Click
here for more details on the
75th anniversary of D-Day |
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Holland Market Garden
Commemorations in September 2019
Wreath laying
ceremony at the
Airborne Monuments
in Eindhoven and Heeswijk-Dinther |
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Belgian Ardennes, Battle of the
Bulge Commemorations in December
2019
Wreath laying
ceremony at the monument to the
326th Airborne Medical Company at
Barriere Hinck
(read our article about this
monument
here)
and the traditional throwing of nuts
from Bastogne's town hall balcony
with MG Winksi participating. |
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COVID-19
But then a serious threat to
human health, a virus known as
COVID-19; short for Corona Virus
Disease 2019, made an end to every
planned event; worldwide.
Early in March 2020 it was already
known that American veterans would
not attend the commemorative events
for "Varsity" because of their
higher health risk when infected
with the virus. When the month
progressed all events were cancelled
of postponed. |
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Hamminkeln, Germany, Operation
"Varsity" monuments in March 2020
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No wreaths at all
at the war monument in Hamminkeln,
the plaques on the town hall wall
and the 52nd Light Infantry marker
at the railway station. Pictures
taken on 29MAR2020 |
COVID-19 will be well remembered in
the years to come like other
historic pandemics such as the Black
Plague in the 14th century and the
Spanish Flu shortly after the end of
the First World War.
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Commemoration
One of the events cancelled because
of the COVID-19 threat was the
planned opening of a small museum
about Operation "Varsity" in an
electrical power relay station
outside the German town of
Hamminkeln today.
Our friend Olaf Prinz from nearby
Mehrhoog bought the old “Stromturm”
or power tower, refurbished it and
renamed it the "Liberation Tower"
with several items from the airborne
operation on display. |
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click to enlarge:
(left) The power
tower when we visited it on
23MAR2019
(right) Olaf Prinz inside the tower
showing part of the exhibition |
The local news had an informing
item about it which we
translated into English.
Power tower is now the
"Liberation Tower"
The Mehrhooger Olaf Prinz has taken
over and renovated the power tower
on Thülenweg road from the Westnetz
power supply company. An exhibition
shows finds and photos from the
airborne operation on March 24, 1945
Hamminkeln.
Anyone who drives along the
Thülenweg between Hamminkeln and
Blumenkamp knows the slim, tall
electricity tower that stands on the
edge of the roadway. Also from the
B473 highway the building, which
protrudes from the landscape in the
middle of the fields, is clearly
visible. But what so far hardly
anyone knows: This is home to a
small but exquisite exhibition on
two floors, which celebrates the
liberation of the right Lower Rhine
from National Socialism and which
deals specifically with the airborne
operation called "Operation Varsity"
75 years ago on March 24, 1945.
The neighbors came with the idea
Olaf Prinz is the man behind the
"Liberation Tower" as he proudly
calls it. The Mehrhoog artist had
heard of the idea that the
electricity tower's direct neighbors
actually came up with. The concept
stood and was also approved by the
former Westnetz tower owner.
Unfortunately for neighbors it was
suddenly no longer possible to build
a memorial for family reasons. Prinz
heard about this and jumped into the
breach as a history buff, who had
been particularly interested in the
Second World War in Hamminkeln and
the surrounding area for years. He
spent a lot of time clearing out,
cleaning and renovating the tower.
New electronics, new plaster, a new
staircase, concrete ceiling closures
there, concrete ceiling openings
here ...
It was a lot of work, but it was
really worth it when you look into
the tower. The Hamminkeln towns
people should be able to have this
look on March 24th from 2 p.m. The
former tower station in Heiderott
was to be inaugurated as the
“Liberation Tower”. And then the
corona virus came. A big initiation
of course is out of the question
these days, even if everything is
actually ready, except for the few
small things that still have to be
settled on the last minute in such
projects. |
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click to enlarge:
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Items on display
inside the Liberation Tower in
Hamminkeln |
Relics found in the pastures
But where did Olaf Prinz get all the
exhibits from? The answer sounds
incredible. From the farmers in the
area. After all, this is exactly
where the airborne operation took
place. From 10 a.m., 1702 engine
planes flew in and towed 1,326 troop
carrying gliders. Two British
brigades and two US regiments soared
on parachutes into the fields
between Wesel and Hamminkeln. And
there was a lot of material left on
the ground. A nose wheel of a
British glider is in the exhibition
here, leftover glass ampoules for
medicine, because an aid station had
been set up in the woods near the
Schill Barracks. Even today, farmers
find silent witnesses to the air
landing while plowing. But much was
also recycled on the farms in the
region after the war. Because there
wasn't much. The wheel of a German
tank that someone nearby had used
for his dovecote on the farm hangs
on the wall. Olaf Prinz and a friend
were allowed to remove it from the
ruins. And a resourceful farmer had
also used the rollers and runners of
a former glider to build a trailer
that had now blessed the time, which
is why the old parts are now hanging
in the "Liberation Tower". |
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Keep monitoring this page for a
future update when we finally get to
visit the Liberation Tower |
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EXHIBITIONS: |
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click thumbnails to enlarge:
When we first
visited the Area of Operations of
"Varsity" in 2017
(left) wreath
laying ceremony with British paras
and the mayor of Hamminkeln,
A reenactor demonstrating an M3 .45
caliber machine gun
and a historical vehicle ride out in
March 2019 |
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Back to Commemoration Page |
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