Footsteps of WWII · The Netherlands
Ginkel Heath drop zone, Ede
Battlefield · 17–18 Sep 1944
The story
Ginkel Heath, west of Arnhem, was Drop Zone Y. On 17 September 1944 the 7th Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers landed nearby and spent the night holding the heath against growing German pressure. Brigadier John Hackett's 4th Parachute Brigade was due on the second lift, but ground fog in England delayed it by several hours. When the brigade jumped after 15:00 on 18 September it came down under fire on a contested drop zone, and lost men and time before it could move off towards Arnhem. The delay of the second lift was one of the reasons the division could not reinforce the bridge.
What to look for
A wide, open heath of heather and sand, still much as it was in 1944. The airborne memorial stands beside the N224 (Verlengde Arnhemseweg) on the edge of the heath. Stand by it and look across the open ground the paratroopers had to cross under fire.
Plan your visit
Open heath, free at all times, with car parks along the N224. A commemorative parachute drop is held on the heath each September; it draws large crowds and closes roads.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Airborne Museum Hartenstein, Oosterbeek · 9 km
- Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery · 9 km
- Old Church and Kate ter Horst house, Oosterbeek · 10 km
- Grebbeberg battlefield and military cemetery · 13 km
- John Frost Bridge, Arnhem · 14 km
- Waal crossing memorial (De Oversteek), Nijmegen · 21 km
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
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