The Airborne War Cemetery is a military cemetery located on Van Limburg Stirumweg in the Dutch town of Oosterbeek. Officially, this cemetery is known as the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, according to the administrator, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). The owner is the State of the Netherlands.
Construction of the memorial site commenced on June 5, 1945. Unlike the Americans, who centralized their soldiers' burials, the British chose to lay their fallen near the battle sites. With the help of Graves Registration Unit 37, field graves were efficiently relocated and identified. The local community supported this effort, as they returned post-war to an area filled with field graves, some even in their gardens. Swift relocation was vital. After moving all military personnel, the site contained around 1730 graves marked with white crosses. These crosses were replaced by stone headstones in 1952.
After the swift Allied advance post-Normandy landings in June 1944, the Second Army reached the Netherlands on September 11, 1944, near Eindhoven, marking the first Allied presence since May 1940.
Their objective was to secure key river crossings at Grave, Nijmegen, and Arnhem and cross the Rhine before German regrouping. 'Operation Market Garden' involved several divisions, including the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, the Commonwealth 1st Airborne Division, and the Polish Parachute Brigade.
On September 17, 1944, the 1st Airborne Division landed near Arnhem but faced strong resistance, adverse weather, and logistical challenges, resulting in significant casualties. They held a defensive perimeter at Oosterbeek until September 25 when they withdrew across the lower Rhine.
Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery is the resting place for those lost during the September landings and later battles.
The cemetery contains 1,684 Commonwealth servicemen from WWII, with 243 unidentified and two special memorials. Additionally, there are 79 Polish, three Dutch, and four non-war graves.
Total Burials:
1,770
Identified Casualties:
UK 1,407, Poland 75, Canada 32, Australia 4, New Zealand 4, Netherlands 3. Total 1,525.
