The Luchtoorlogmuseum Fort veldhuis (Airwar Museum Fort Veldhuis) is a war museum located in Fort bij Veldhuis in Heemskerk.
The museum has been housed in the fort since 1989 and was founded by the Aircraft Recovery Group 1940-1945 foundation. This foundation conducts research on the aerial battles that took place during World War II.
There are various objects from the aerial battles during World War II, including aircraft engines, personal belongings of pilots, and aircraft parts. These are often obtained by the foundation through research and recoveries of planes that crashed in North Holland.
Fort bij Veldhuis is a fort of the Defence line of Amsterdam. It refers to a historic defensive system built around the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
The fort is of a Model A type and is named after the nearby farm, Veldhuis. In times of war, the fort could accommodate 310 soldiers. On the west side, there is an inundation sluice, and to the south, there is an ancillary battery. Additionally, there was a defensive earthwork where troops and equipment could be moved safely. However, this earthwork did not serve as a water barrier.
During World War II, the German army used the fort as part of their extensive defensive system along the west coast of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. They built a searchlight bunker with a ramp in the front wall. After the war, between 1947 and 1951, the fort was used as an internment camp for Dutch collaborators. Traces of this period, such as bars on windows and doors, can still be found.
