Footsteps of WWII · The Netherlands
Grebbeberg battlefield and military cemetery
Cemetery · 11–13 May 1940
The story
The Grebbeberg, a wooded hill above the Rhine east of Rhenen, anchored the southern end of the Grebbe Line, the main Dutch defence position in 1940. From 11 to 13 May the German 207th Infantry Division and the SS regiment 'Der Führer' attacked troops of the Dutch II Corps, including the 8th Infantry Regiment. The Dutch held for three days, but a counter-attack on 13 May failed and the line was abandoned that night, the army falling back to the Water Line. The military cemetery (Militair Ereveld) was laid out on the hill on 20 May 1940; the German dead once buried here were later moved to Ysselsteyn.
What to look for
Rows of white headstones on a slope under beech woods, a Cross of Remembrance at the entrance, regimental monuments to the 8th and 22nd Infantry, and J.J.P. Oud's national army monument. In the woods behind, Dutch casemates and trench lines of the Grebbe Line survive.
Plan your visit
The cemetery is free and open in daylight; it lies on the Grebbeweg (N225) about 2 km east of Rhenen. Walking routes lead to bunkers on the hill. A national commemoration is held here in May.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Ginkel Heath drop zone, Ede · 13 km
- Airborne Museum Hartenstein, Oosterbeek · 16 km
- Old Church and Kate ter Horst house, Oosterbeek · 16 km
- Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery · 17 km
- Waal crossing memorial (De Oversteek), Nijmegen · 20 km
- John Frost Bridge, Arnhem · 21 km
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Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
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