75 Years of Freedom
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 มิ.ย. 2020
- In this episode of my tour around The Netherlands I visit three areas in which crucial events took place with regards to the surrender and liberation of The Netherlands in WWII.
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Due to the world wide crisis, my journey from Patagonia to Alaska on my Royal Enfield Himalayan "Dhanno" is temporarily paused. Until I can resume the journey, I am exploring my own country: The Netherlands.
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Here I teach all my filming techniques including getting drone shots while riding!
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![700-kilometer solo motorcycle journey to NORTH CAPE 🇳🇴 [S3 - Eps. 27]](/img/n.gif)
Bet those Harley riders didn’t realise they were riding in the company of greatness.
Yea they missed the Legend.
No. They think that they '' Own the Road''.
was a funeral of a 1% biker
@@derekpirie9188 maybe they do.. lol
@@toqtoq3361 they were . you can't dispute harleys aren't' legendary
Brought a tear to my eye that the Dutch adopted the graves of those poor souls who lost their lives liberating your country. A big heartfelt “Thank you” from Britain.
And one from America. Thank you so much.
Indeed, and as noted by Karish, add another from the U.S.
As a Dutchman myself, I want to say thank you 👍. I salute the soldiers that fought in the war to liberate our country. We will never forget the ones that didn't made it back home 😔
And a tear to my eye too. What a magnificent people. How easily we forget what Germany did to Europe. Then the USA poured untold dollars into Germany, producing the post war 'economic miracle.' And what did Germany pay in reparations for the lives that were lost, and the devastation they wrought throughout Europe? Guess. And now, all Europe bends the economic knee to Berlin.
The most impressive of adopting the graves , is that most of them are very young people as schools play a major role. On the 4th of May ( the nationwide Dodenherdenking or Remembrance Day ) all these people, young and old, vistit their adopted graves and put - as Noraly mentioned- flowers on their adopted grave and light a candle .
Thank you so much for this. My uncle was a US pilot killed in the war in Europe. A few years ago Danny from Rotterdam got in touch with us and we learned that he had adopted my uncle's grave. We were so touched that this man would care that much about someone from so long ago. Thank you Danny and thank you Noraly for remembering those times and the people who were there. Bless you all.
My grandfather( still alive and 99 years old!) was a paratrooper in WW2. He fought in operation Market Garden and Battle of the Bulge. Thank you for showing us what it’s like now!! He went to Holland many years ago for a reunion and the Dutch people treated him like a king! Thank you so much to your country for such wonderful hospitality!
My name is Susan and I e been watching your channel for a while and love it! I ride and race motorcycles here in Colorado. Thanks for such great videos!!
My Grand Father was in the battle of the Scheldt and the northeastern and western Netherlands to clear out the Nazis ,6,367 Canadians died in the battle of the Scheldt.He made it home ,Thank you to all those brave men.
thank you for his service :-)
And thank you as well. I assume there is a Canadian cemetery close by? I will visit there in the next year or two on my next trip to Europe. Would you happen to know the date of the remembrance service?
Of particular personal interest to me that Noraly as my grandfather was one of the allied soldiers defending the bridge at Nijmegen and sadly lost his life there, at the tender age of 25, having almost made it through the rest of the war - leaving my grandmother a young widow and denying her 3 kids a father.....I took my father to visit his grave at the Jonkerbos war cemetry in Nijmegen 20 years ago and it was a very emotional trip. Looking forward (in a weird way) to taking my now 20 year old daughters there someday.....very odd seeing your name on a grave in a foreign country.....great video as ever, learned a lot from that one!
TheMissendenFlyer, I thought that name rang a bell
Very sad to hear of Noraly's Grandfather's passing during this war. She comes from great stock.
So sad your grandfather lost his life and there is many similar and sad stories about this war, my own Grandfather went to work one morning to a pit in 1939 and didn't return home until 1946, being in the TA he was one of the 1st in France, he was taken POW at St Valery around May 1940 being part of the 51st Highland Division left behind to hold the Germans back during the retreat of Dunkirk.
These prisoners were marched from their place of capture to Poland many dying on the way where he spent much of his time in Stalag XIC and other POW camps. I have photographs of him in an early POW camp so early their billets were TeePee tents.
They were allowed to send these photographs home through the Red Cross.
During his time as a prisoner and an escape, he got shrapnel in a kidney so his escape days were over, when he returned home and a few years past his kidney was failing poisoning his body, new medical advances at the time meant he could have the kidney removed. His operation was in Glasgow Royal infirmary in 1953 but they removed the wrong kidney and died 3 months later at the age of 47, 6 years before I was born.
We must remember many young German, Italian and other countries we saw as enemies had boy's and men with families enlisted in something they believed in and they suffered in the same way many dying and millions of Germans civilians suffered also.
What we forget while our troops were at home until 1944 the Russians advanced through Europe since 1940 with the loss of 26 million of their people civilians and military probably more than all countries involved combined and without them we would have lost that war.
My father as a boy of 16 joined the RN underage in 1942 as many did and spent 4 years in the Samatra and Burmese jungles and had horrendous experiences against the Japanese though another incredible story.
I served 6 years myself and I am now anti-war.
What people do not realise when our government led by Mr Blair and the US invaded Iraq resulting in the murder of an estimated 1.2 million people most were innocent women, children and babies, a country that did not threaten us. I say murdered as these wars in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia were illegal and through lies.
As the Dutch adopt a grave its ironic Col Gadaffi and Saddam Hassan ordered the care of allied graves until we invaded after which they got decimated.
I hate the celebration of war and its glorification, I think Remembrance Day should be in memory of all the lives of all peoples that died in these war's including our enemies hence why I wear a White Poppy during the period of Remembrance Day.
I'm sorry this is a bit morbid and maybe not be the place to discuss this but today we get to enjoy our bikes, your channel included in relative peace. Noraly is an amazing girl and thank you for your own interesting channel.
My dad fought in that war for Europeans ! He said he would do it again, as would I. Love youz guys and gals!
I never met my paternal grandfather either. He was gassed in the Great War (WW1) and like most, survived the attack but with chronic lung injuries and died shortly after the war. We don't even have his war record as that was destroyed in the London Blitz.
I'm german and so greatful that nowadays we can visit each other in peace and leave as friends. I surely can not undo the past but it's our duty to keep this peace and tell the younger people about the past and how many people gave their lives for a free Europe. Tot ziens!
Look up Ysselsteyn Cementery. A lot of boys never made it home. The video I saw of the place, left me a very solemn realization of the total cost.
Well, it is not the fault of the German people that WW2 happened..
It was the fault of Hitler and a bunch of his socialist thugs (Nazi)..
I'm Greek and visited Germany many times with my family, I love the country. On one trip we visited Dachau. It was sad but at the same time an eye-opening and humbling experience. I was grateful that Germany didn't destroy such places but sustained them for everyone to learn and understand the dark pages of our history. The monument that was raised at the center of the camp that said "Never again" in different languages had brought a tear in my eye.
@TvMoto UK You know what's a shame mate...? that non-UK people write better English than you. I hate to be a troll but by looking at your message everyone can see why Britain is going down. Peace mate.
@TvMoto UK I'm not sure if i understand your comment correctly. If you're trying to say that Germany didn't pay reparations/debts to the UK, i'm glad to inform you, that it did, according to the London Debt Agreement. Regarding the future of the UK I'm concerned as well but this is surely not driven by inadequate debt payments from Germany.
My Stepfather was at Arnhem, he was a radio operator so parachuted with a heavy radio on his back. When it all went wrong he was hidden in a basement by a Dutch family for some days. He finally escaped across the river by hanging onto the stern of a rowing boat full of Canadian's. All he had left were his underpants.
I was fortunate enough to accompany him back to Arnhem in the late sixties. He spent a lot of time gazing at the bridge and visiting the graves of his comrades. He was a British soldier and he always loved the Dutch people. Thank you for this video, it brought me to tears.
I cried like a baby when you said there was a waiting list to care for the graves of Allied soldiers. It's hard to imagine a culture that remains grateful after 75 years. What a beautiful, long memory you people have. Kindest regards from Rhode Island, US.
This part of our history influences us very strongly. For instance, the European Union was born in an attempt to intertwine our economies in such a way that war would always be a bad option. The Britts may have forgotten this but we haven’t... well i havent. I am forever greatfull to the Allied forces. When Noraly spoke about ‘adopt a grave’ i immediately wanted to do this. The families who lost their grandfather fighting for my freedom deserve for us to maintain their grandfather’s last resting place. Just like we also helped out New Orleans during their floods.
@@nic7nic Not all Britts...
Rhode Island use to be Dutch = Roodt Eylandt old Dutch for Red Island
@@nic7nic according to what you have on your channel, you don't follow anything educational...The English government hasn't made any threats to anyone...but you know that. You just want to say that England is not better than nazi germany, but the same.
@@Populiervogel I did not know that! Very interesting! Thanks for that information:)
A heart felt thank you to the people of the Netherlands for the respect they have shown to the fallen Allied soldiers,and big thanks to you for another great video Noraly, great as always.🇨🇦
💖💖💖
So after writing my prior comment with a tear in my eye, I continued to read the hunderds of comments made before mine, and frankly, at 72 years of age, and normally not really very emotional, have not been able to stop weeping. Bravo for all of those who gave thier lives in pursuit of freedom from tyranny, and same for the citizens of the Netherlands for never forgetting the sacrifices made by those who fought for same. Please dear God let this story be a part of the importance to remember the results of a nation, any nation that can be coerced by flagrantly distorted leaders, no matter how they manage to distort the views of many of their citizens, to resist the developement of the atrocities experienced by past wars. We, as members of the free world, must always agree to stand together in union of peace, freedom, and democracy. We must all work together to avoid the forces of hatred and division that seems to dominate politics here in the USA, and around the world.
🇨🇦 My father-in-law Sgt. Tom Neelands was in the 5th Canadian Armoured Division which first fought in the Italian campaign then redeployed to Northern Netherlands to fight in the liberation of the Dutch people. 7600 Canadian service personnel were killed in action; my then future father-in-law survived the war. He had many stories about the liberation. Thank you for honouring the fallen... 🇨🇦
My town, Almelo, was liberated by the Canadians, do you know which regiment he was in? There is a big Canadian cemetery in Holten, check out their Christmas candles ceremony.
“Adopting a grave” That brought a tear to my eye. Truly. These are the types of things we should all remember, and hopefully we never collectively place ourselves in positions such as those ever again 🤞 Thank you for this video milady.
Amen!
me too. Thank you for this.
And same here Adam and Robert. It's so touching that the memory and the gratitude are still alive 75 years later. In a similar story, an American paratrooper with the 506th, Fox Co., gave me a copy of a letter he had received from a man in France who found his name in a company history. He was the grandson of a Normandy family that lived near St. Mere Eglise, and recounted from his grandmother the story of the fire fight that liberated the family farm. He wrote Sgt. Wallace to say thank you, and to let him know that to this day people in the town still place flowers where two of his fellow troopers were killed.
Choked me up, proper respect.
Same ..
As a German I feel sorry for what my grandfathers did to the netherlands and to the Rest of the world! Beside this horrible past I have to say that today is a Happy day, because there ist a new Video and my Tube scarf arrived today! Big thumbs Up Noraly!
Thanks for saying so but no one should feel responsible for the actions of those who came before us. All we can do is play our small part in making sure our countries do good. Itchy Boots is certainly doing her best to show the goodness of people all over the world.🇬🇧
Need not be : this is history and as today modern Germany is a major partner and solid neighbour for NL : in general germans find our country "locker" so both nations are quite happy.
All turned for the good !
@@stewy62 your right , what people in the past did , is not accountable for the people who live now, but let us never forget this war it should never happen again
@@fryfrysk Except when it is Netherlands vs Germany at football!
I don't feel responsible or guilty. War ist the biggest mistake of all human behavior and AS a psychologist I Met Refugees and Saw what Humans can do to each other.
We just discovered your wonderful channel. We have been watching your videos almost non stop. The series about the Netherlands is especially interesting to us, since my husband and I grew up in Amsterdam and the Hague. We have lived in the US for more than fifty years.
Thank you for sharing. Please be safe!
It is heartwarming knowing that the US troops were remembered and appreciated for this effort and sacrifices in the Netherland even after 75 years. Love these Dutch people. :)
This touch me Noraly my father was one of those WW2 vets that fought in Holland for the Canadian force's he's gone now, he told us how well they were treated by the Dutch people.
Mine too. Royal Canadian Signals, he was in the column driving to Arnhem ("Bridge Too Far"), the Polders, and then went into Germany. I am also from Ottawa and we love our tulips every spring.
The Canadians will always have a special place in our hearts as they were instrumental to the liberation. Thankfully we get to honor their sacrifice every year and the tradition doesn't seem to get any less populair. Unfortunately, the remaning Canadian vets that visit each year are shrinking in number. The fact that the 75th anual liberation day and remembrance day were basically cancelled because of Covid really hurt in the Netherlands, not because we didn't get to party or anything, but because we didnt get to see and thank the visiting vets and their families... knowing they might be gone next year. IT SUCKS, but we think about them, always!
Because the Canadians released them from a nightmare most Dutch people thought they would never survive. During 5 hellish years of what must have seemed endless waiting and (dwindling) hope. In some churches during the ''hongerwinter''/ hungerwinter of 1944/45, the bodies of people who died of starvation, and couldn't be buried because they were overwhelmed by the numbers were stored there, while guards walked around at night with rattles to chase away the rats.
And...dear Lord; the stories of my parents (1919-2004 : 1922-2000)
Too awful to write down.
This was the horrible death prison the Canadians liberated the Dutch people from.
And the reason why they were, and still are, so very grateful.
My Dad as well, Royal Canadian Engineers. He spoke so fondly of how they were received by the Dutch people. Thanks for carrying on your tradition of remembrance.
@@waltertaljaard1488 Canadians, and Americans, and British--the Allies liberated the Netherlands.
I‘ve seen that there are very few comments from Germany this time. I was born in 1964, my grandfather died in Russia in 1943, and I‘m personally grateful to the Western Allies, that freed not only the Netherlands, but also many countries in Europe and also Germany from the Nazis. Thank you Noraly for todays impressive history lesson. I think nowadays your work of showing positivity, is the way into the future. There‘s only one world, and you are a great ambassador! Cheers from Hamburg, Jürgen
Hi, I believe post-war the Soviets never referred to “Germans” in connection with WW2, only “Nazis” which I rather liked because I hate Nazis (where ever they are from) but I love ❤️ Germans. 🇬🇧
@@stewy62 the line that can very often be heard from the soviet media of the day is something like "german-fascist oсcupants".
but you're right - speaking of the war, and the 3rd reich - we usually them "fascists".
there's a flip side to it - in the backs of casual minds, the "german" and "fascist" are kinda interchangeable.
for example, i once asked a colleague "where's the main one?" (meaning our boss, who is german), and she said "who? the nazi?".
I was like "come on, remember where you are))".
@@zloychechen5150 the amount of death and destruction brought to Soviet soil by Nazis was so tremendous that it is still in memory of the people.
That which is an outstanding atrocity in the eyes of Dutch people - killing 800 civilians in a bombing - happened thousand times over in USSR. Out of approximately 27 million Soviet citizens lost in that war 18 million people were civilians, starved to death, lost during battles or systematically executed by Nazi death squads.
@@Freeliner75 Tremendously sad. I cry for the horror and loss of so many lives.
Truth is that 90% Germans backed Hitler and Germans are responsible for horror and civilian and military losses of IIWW. I know that Ms Merkel said that Allies liberated Germany from nazis but this is just form of speech. Back East where millions perished under German rule nobody uses word nazis- just Germans. Liberated countries? France, Netherlands, Czechs,Poland etc. But Germany? This is hypocrisy.
My wife and I loved this episode. It brought memories of our two visits to the Netherlands in 1991. We visited twice and stayed at Soesterberg Air Base (I was US Air Force at the time stationed in Germany). Years ago, I read the book "A Bridge To Far" by Cornelius Ryan and have seen the movie more times than I wish to say! It was a dream fulfilled to be able to visit the British Airborne Museum (Hotel Hartenstein) and drive across the John Frost Bridge during our second visit to Holland. While visiting the Airborne Museum, we had the honor to talk with British Army veterans of the First British Airborne Division who dropped into the Oosterbeek area and their wives who were visiting the museum. I have never forgotten our visit. Love the Netherlands and hope one day to return. We live in Washington state. When it's tulip season here, it reminds my wife and me of our visit to Keukenhof...tulips galore! I would type more, but have to get back to your road adventures! If you like this comment, give it a big THUMBS UP!!!
Ahh! Soesterberg. I had dinner there with American friends who were stationed at Camp New Amsterdam at Soesterberg.
My grandfather’s tank got hit at going over that bridge he’s was 2nd or 3rd tank over the bridge if I recall correctly, he survived and the crew all got out. He always spoke of great fondness towards the Dutch people ❤️
From America, thank you for taking care of our Fallen!
Even though I ride a Himalayan I am *always* happy to see Harleys on the road - it means it absolutely WILL NOT RAIN that day ;-)
LOL !!!!!
As a Harley rider I can absolutely confirm this. 😊
All that chrome!
I know a couple that ride whatever. Always. And I know they don't use a lot of chrome polish. But the other club members think that's a bit weird!
My Honda PC 800 has not been washed (or polished) in over two years . . . yet it runs like a 100 horsepower Singer Sewing machine !!!!!! I ride it whenever I can tear myself away from the Nissan Leaf that also shares the garage. (The Leaf is > Twice as efficient energy wise !)
I just found this video. With so much division in the United States and with everything going on in the world with Covid. Thank You, Noraly. Thank You for making this video and Thank You for remembering.
If you happen to be interested in what you saw on the highway:
those motorcyclists on the highway , it was a club farewell ride for one of their members before going to that member’s funeral
How do you know?
@@shawnwalker2739 There was a vehicle with a floral tribute and another carrying the coffin
@@bernardthompson1888 Oh, didn't see them, thanks!
@@shawnwalker2739 you will see it at 8.20
Yup I noticed the same thing.
'Adopt a grave' such small words to encompass huge feelings. Thank you Noraly.
I am an old man but I just got teary-eyed when you told about adopting a grave, I had four uncles in Europe and one serverly wounded , However, all came home . Thank you.
Thank you Noraly.And the people of the Netherlands for watching over our fallen soldiers.
My word, Noraly this is the most moving episode of all I've watched so far. Thank you and what a beautiful country and rich history. Never forget...
Agree, and this one especially, although each video I've watched is really special somehow. Amazing what/how she captures moments, places, people... I can't stop watching!
Aka Biker Mert. Well young lady, you have seriously tugged on this slightly pre-war (1937) Canadian's heart strings with your wonderful 'Liberation of Holland" video. You may know that your Royal Dutch Family took refuge in Ottawa during the war, where your Princess Margreit was born. As a way of thanks the Dutch Government has, every year since 1945, sent Canada tulip bulbs to adorn our capital city. The Canadian Tulip Festival is held annually in Ottawa for two weeks in May.
A reminder of how easily freedom is lost and how hard the road to regain it can be.
When I was in the U.S. Air Force stationed in Germany in 2004 a small group of us drove to Nijmegen to participate in the 4Daagse or International Four Days March. It was such an amazing experience walking through small Dutch villages in our uniforms with our American flags along with military from other countries too. I will never forget the faces and smiles of the elderly people when we entered their villages some even with tears, one elderly man taking off his hat in a show of gratitude. I always thought about what it would have been like to be there in the 1940s. Thank you for sharing this!
I did the vierdaagse twenty years before you in 1984 and will never forget the elderly Dutch men lining the streets to support us (Royal AirForce and others) turning their backs when the modern day German Bundeswehr and Luftwaffe teams marched by. That was profound yet understandable.
@@dutchmartin1837 Understandable, but not a nice thing for the German soldiers who had absolutely no part in the war.
Thank you for your service.
Noraly gives a history lesson from a motorcycle and basically takes us on a mini tour of part of WWII in less time than it takes most people to finish their morning coffee. Gotta love it. Another fantastically done job Noraly.
Being a Canadian veteran when I first moved to The Netherlands one of the first things I did was take my children to Bergen op Zoom, Groesbeek and Holten war cemeteries. They have a program called Faces to Graves which digs into the background of each soldier. Its pretty special. Once again a nice video Noraly, I was not aware of those fire line markers in Rotterdam even though my mother is from Capelle a/d Ijssel. She remembers that night when they took in burned victims of the fires in Rotterdam.
Thabk you for protecting our home land.
Acually my father (R.I.P.), 14 years of age at the time, saw the paratroopers from operation ‘Market Garden’ come down from his attick window...
Traveling in Europe with my family in 1984 we were looking for a place to park in a town called Groesbeek near Nijmegen. Asked a man on the street where we could park. His response was "you're from Canada, you can park anywhere you want"
My uncle, was in the 82nd Airborne (parachute battalion) in WWII and was proud of it’s history in the liberation of The Nederland. It gives me warm and very appreciative feelings that the Dutch people honor his sacrifice by honoring the graves of those that died fighting there through our efforts to rid the country of Holland and the world of a brutal and despot ideology. Thank You sincerely!
I believe the adoption of graves that began in Margraten has spread to many other cemeteries across Europe.
75 years have passed and this soldiers still live in our memories , polish soldiers fighting for your freedom also ... great !!
My grandfather commanded a British Sherman tank that was amongst those liberating Nijmegen.
I had relatives who were in the US Airborne drops in Europe, then. I really appreciate the respect you and your fellow Dutch citizens have paid to them.
Just outside Arnhem is the Hartenstein Hotel in Oosterbeek, which was the Allied HQ during Operation Market Garden. It is now a museum, and a memorial in its grounds bears the following inscription which is worth reproducing here:
TO THE PEOPLE OF GELDERLAND
50 years ago British & Polish Airborne soldiers fought here against overwhelming odds to open the way into Germany and bring the war to an early end. Instead we brought death and destruction, for which you have never blamed us.
This stone marks our admiration for your great courage, remembering especially the women who tended our wounded. In the long winter that followed your families risked death by hiding Allied soldiers and airmen, while members of the Resistance helped many to safety.
You took us then into your homes as fugitives and friends, we took you forever into our hearts.
This strong bond will continue long after we are all gone.
1944 ~ SEPTEMBER ~ 1994
This video is very touching. I am retired from the US Navy and I so appreciate you remembering the sacrifice of the Dutch people and the allies during in those dark days. Your videos are so well done. Thank you so much!
Thank you for your service.
This was so good. you had my heart on this one and tears. I was a paratrooper for the 101st Airborne Division and this unit was one of those that took that first bridge I believe. Market/Garden - Market was the airborne operation and Garden was the ground force. such a special video. thanks so much for this. many of my family fought over there during this time. so glad the dutch remember and so touching on the adopting of a soldier. RIP those buried there.
robert lumsden thank you and your comrades for liberating us from evil
When I was in the Bundeswehr, I had the honour to work with a few Dutch soldiers for a few weeks... That made me realize how great it is that our countries have a good relationship nowadays and we can work together without hate and occupation...
Tears in my eyes.
Bless your heart for telling this story.
Thank you from a second generation US Citizen whose grandparents emigrated from the Netherlands around the turn of the 20th Century.
On another note, I enjoyed the scenery and architecture, especially the cable-stayed bridges.
The love and appreciation that the Dutch people show is so amazing and wonderful.
I'm enjoying learning more from this channel than I ever did in school!
Thanks for your time making these videos and continuing to show the unbeatable views from two wheels. Ride on and prosper! 🇺🇸
Also, many thanks for using your drone to give us such beautiful, visual perspectives of those notable sites.
My grandfather was in that war. Makes me proud that they helped the world overcome. He lived to be older. Grateful to be American. Those were tough times.
Your gratitude for the brave Allies and Americans who gave their lives to liberate your country makes me weep. In a time when American reputation in the world is not so high, it helps to have people express their gratitude for the sacrifices our country has made for others. Bless you Noraly. P.S. My uncle gave his life fighting in the European theater of WWII.
Just a reminder that it was mainly the Canadian troops who stod for the liberation of Netherlands.
My Uncle was one of the soldiers in Market Garden, he survived the operation and continued fighting for freedom
Also a tear on my cheek at the end with the story about the adopted Allied graves....But a smile on my face at Lima passing all those Harleys like they were standing still!
@@toqtoq3361 To meet up with the GS riders.
It looked like those bikes were following a pickup truck towing a trailer loaded with flowers and wreaths--perhaps, they were all heading toward a commemoration ceremony of some type?
@@kenc2257 Yes, I assume a funeral. Fair play to them.
@@HAIRYBIKER777 Yes it was, there was a casket on one of the trucks. Respect comes in many forms, ride safe.
As a former British Serviceman, (Royal Marines) we get taught lots of Military history from around the globe but not all of it. I could quite happily sit down in a room and listen to you for several hours Noraly. No matter what you are talking about you grab the attention of the viewers and talk with so much passion. Thanks to the Dutch people for adopting a serviceman’s grave x
A personal documentary about the capture and liberation of Holland, with respect shown to those who died fighting, accidentally meets a funeral for a biker. Pure theatre.
I am moved to know that, there is still long list of waiting people for adoption after 75 years. Greatness is not what can be told, but it's what can be felt. Selute to Dutch people and to those how gave thier ultimate sacrifice to make world a better place. I loved this episode, please do more episodes on World war 2 and try to share some more stories.
As a former Canadian Military member. I've never saw a nation as appreciative to what a nation and the allied forces did to liberate them as the dutch. I always was embarrassed as a soldier cause the Dutch would thank us and we didn't actually do anything. But I know it's because I was serving in a military that did.
I want to say thank you and all Dutch people for honoring those who have their tomorrow for your today.
Thank you, sir 🇳🇱💗🇨🇦
I've heard some stories about my grandad, who walked from Rotterdam to German and back with 50Kg of potatos, because there was no food. After the last potatos they swapped to flower root. this was after the bombings, after that we had 'de hongerwinter' (Dutch famine of 1944-45).
so i would say, Thank you sir and don't thank us,
most of the dutch people will thank you through trying to be a good person with good values.
whether we ride choppers or enduro's, since this is a bikervlog, doesn't matter.
I am now Mrs Cattell on his channel. When I served with the British army on the Rhine I took part in the Nijmegen marches. It was amazing all allies took part and no country partied until the the last soldier came home. Proud to have served and love Well done Noraly for bringing this history to the people. I have also been to Oosterbeek and John Frost bridge in Arnhem. I shed a tear for the fallen. Fond memories of of a school holiday at Nordvijk aan zee. Noraly please keep doing it for the girls thanks love and hugs xxx
My father was a U S army medic in WW2. He survived the war and was a good man. Greetings from Texas.
Interesting and emotional, in September 1944 my Dad was in France headed for Bastogne with the 10th Armored Division.
Fortunately he returned home in 1945.
10th Armoured played a crucial role in the defense of Bastogne as CCB took 3 blocking positions on various acces routes towards Bastogne on day 1 and 2 delaying the german offensive and creating time for the 101 Airborne to arrive ( on day 2 in the evening).
CCB remained the full 10 days of siege of Bastogne untill Bastognes relieve by Pattons third army speerheaded by 4th Armoured.
@@fryfrysk Yes, some history I wasn't aware of until well after he was gone. And of course, he never spoke of it. Thank you Fred.
That is wonderful that so many US soldiers, many of whom likely died before they had a family, are thought of and honored regularly by the Dutch people. And Dutch folk actually vigorously pursue the opportunity to do so!
My Uncle was there,although not the Netherlands,but mostly on the western front Rolling with Gen. Patton,and his third Army in the 315th Field Artllery,Battery B. My Step Father who was in the Navy,and after making 37 crossings of the English Channel during D Day. He was then dispatched on a detail that sent him towards Norway in search of escaping Nazi's.I live here in NC,USA where we are home to the 82nd Airbourne "All American,All the way" !!Some fiends of mine have a Uncle that is buried there in Holland. His name is Ralph Ashworth. I have heard of how the locals volunteer to keep up the gravesite. Thank You for thinking so much of our folks over there.
We owe everything to that generation. My Uncle was with the 8th Army and fought all the way through Africa and later at Monte Casino. We live this life because of the lives they gave.
My grandfather died in Berlin in April 1945. He was the captain of the Red Army tanker :(
Ф
Noraly thank you my Dad was one of the paratroopers that was there and lived through it. You have been and will remain in our hearts and continue to demonstrate your incredible talents for those that can’t travel any more.Also you give us so much positivity during what we have been going through in America in the past few years. You help us smile and keep positive and thank you. Andy eluded to the scares you give us and they are real every time you tumble.We love you need you and so many here are my age and older that really enjoy your vlogs. Documentary’s is where you really shine but we would miss you so much. As a Vietnam veteran and from my Dad what a splendid Father’s Day video. Stay safe and Godspeed.
While attending university in 1978 I spent a summer semester in Drachten . The local adults remembered the liberation and treated us Americans with wonderful thanks. They would invite us into their homes to share a meal. It was a great rural community! So glad to hear how respectful the wonderful Dutch are still showing their gratitude for the sacrifice of the Allied troops who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the Nederland. After retiring from the military myself I would love to go back and retrace that summer on a motorcycle. Keep up the super blog!!
Thank you for your service.
My father and two of my uncles fought in Europe during World WWII. One of my uncles was with the 82nd Airborne Division during the Market Garden operation. It is very gratifying to know that the Dutch people remember the sacrifices of Allied soldiers and care for these graves with such solemn regard. Thank you from America. Be well and safe in your journeys!
Well done Noraly, very interesting history lesson and I say unequivocally " thank you " very much from the USA. The "adopt a grave" concept was very special.
To see Rotterdam today as opposed to what it was when I was there in 1963 is truly amazing. The warhead only been over for about 15 to maybe 18 years previous. Thank you for a wonderful show of your country and the wonderful boy that it still honors our soldiers from World War II. My father served three years in the US Army during World War II and as hard as it may be to understand, he was fighting a German uncle and two cousins. His mother had immigrated from Germany around 1910. And thankfully he came home from the war. This 76-year-old young man truly appreciate your travels and the effort you put into them to make them available to us.
❤ I respect you sir
Even when I was growing up in the 1970's, the war was still so much in people's memories and still influenced everything.
Since, all this has faded to text book history.
I LOVE that the Dutch people adopt the graves and it is such an important thing to them! My distant relatives taking care of my more recent relatives. Does an old guy's heart good!!!
Echt enorm veel respect hoe je onze WWII geschiedenis hebt samengevat. Ik werd er zelfs een beetje emotioneel van. 🇳🇱🦁🇳🇱
As a young British officer stationed in Germany in the 1970s, I took my soldiers to visit Overloon - the location of the last major armoured battle in the Netherlands. They and I found it fascinating and humbling - apart from the mad parrot at the cafe that kept attacking us!! I visit there would be interesting, Noraly. Coronavirus has its upside in that you have the time to show us your lovely country - and how proud you are of it!! Best Regards.
Freedom is priceless. Very well done. Outstanding. Thank you, Noraly. Greetings from Canada.
The Canadians are often forgotten when speaking about liberators!!! They have done so many dangerous jobs like liberating the Antwerp harbor. And they remain too modest after all. Thanks Canadians for having given our freedom back!!!!! Greetings from Belgium
@@tuttebelleke For sure.. and thank you :) Over 7600 Canadians died liberating the Netherlands... You hear a lot about the Americans and the British and while we are modest, it always is nice to hear our country mentioned occasionally :)
In fact the Netherlands was largely liberated by Canadian Forces !
And the Polish paratroopers. Almost never mentioned. I feel sad about that.
🇳🇱💗🇵🇱
Thank you all, liberators ! 💗🤝
My Father was Flight Engineer on a Mk 4 Stirling Bomber from 570 Squadron based at RAF Rivenhall in Essex, England and he towed 3 Gliders stuffed with troops and equipment on 3 different days, 1 to Nijmegen and 2 to Arnhem on 17th, 19th and 20th September 1944. He said the sky was full of parachutes, aircraft and gliders and it was a sight he never forgot.
I had the honour of accompanying my father, a Canadian veteran of WW2, to the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. The respect and love shown by the Dutch people to all of the veterans is overwhelming.
I am amazed by your journeys and appreciative of your "local" videos. Thank you.
Noraly it was such a heartfelt and very touching video that you presented to us....we in this present time can only wonder as to the horrors and fear that your kinfolk had to endure at that dark time in history.......i also am proud as to the part my past family in the UK played in part as to the liberation of The Netherlands and other countries that felt the wrath of the Nazis . My fathers cousin was one of those brave airmen... he was part of the 617 Squadron who sadly lost his life over Merbes-Le Chateau in Belgium at 14,000 feet on 20th December 1943 due to flak and is buried in Belgium ........once again a lovely presentation .
Harleys in Holland and here I rode a bicycle in Holland instead of my motorcycle, truthfully I enjoyed the bicycling in Holland. 😁
Thank you to the people of the Netherlands for taking care of Fallen Allied Soldiers as a Retired USAF member myself I appreciate that.
Edit ❤️ the drone footage.
It seems so rare for Me to Hear of any Kind of Appreciation For the U.S. or the other Nations that Helped Defeat the Germans and Japanese Aggression.
All I Hear is How Bad American is.
Though I don't Believe it for a second.
I Know America is A Very Good and Generous Nation.
While Growing Up I Can Remember the WW11 Veterans. They were Missing arms and Legs.
I Had an Uncle that if He was Asleep we were Absolutely Forbidden as Children to Go Near Him or Wake Him Up. Because He Often Woke Up On the Fight.
Thank You for this Video Noraly and the Good People that take Care of and Honor those Graves.
Best Wishes! M.H.
Thank you Noraly, for remembering our liberation. As a former Dutch Citizen (Now Canadian), who lived through WW2, I appreciate this VERY much. Thank you for remembering. As a Canadian Veteran and proud member of the Royal Canadian Legion, I am proud to know that the memory of our liberation is STILL very much alive. Here, we are busy with our Poppy Campaign as we speak.
Noraly thank you so much for taking us along the Market Garden route! I've been a student of that operation for years and it was marvelous to see the locations by way of your ride, the drone footage, and your excellent narrative. If only the Allied command had listened to Dutch resistance Market-Garden might have been more successful! The Dutch officers that advised the commanders of the operation said that the Dutch military had gamed out an attack on Arnhem, and the way to fail in the exercise was to attack by the single road from Eindhoven to Arnhem. Of course, that's exactly what Field Marshall Montgomery did. The surrounding ground was just too soft for military vehicles. Plus the civilian resistance had kept a clear eye on the retreating Germans, and knew that the retreat had ended before the operation was laid on. They also knew that the Germans had reinforced a number of key positions. We should have listened to the Dutch civilians! But this you know if you read Cornelius Ryan's A Bridge Too Far, or saw the movie based on the book. There are also snippets of the operation from the perspective of the 506th PIR - 101st Airborne in Band of Brothers, both the book and the mini-series. Of course you could only do an overview here, but it was very well done indeed. Thanks again Noraly for putting the geography and the scenes in front of us so beautifully!!
Field Marshall Monte was an egotistical individual who probably didn't even listen to his mother!
@@libertyone5853 Its easy to say when you're not in his position, all leaders at that level have an ego. I'm a 10 year retired British infantryman 3 operational tours. It's easy to criticize from a computer keyboard....
@@colingoldthorpe5918 Amen!
Thank you Noraly, if only more of us remembered and respected the sacrifice so many people made for the freedom we enjoy today.
The Dutch have shown imense gratitude and respect, a lesson for many.
Looking forward to your next infotour, they just get better and better. Saludos
Thank you Noraly and to the Dutch people for remembering those lost in defending freedom
Wow, we across the pond don't really know how much you guys really appreciate us, however, I humbly accept your gratitude on our behalf. I'm a 26-year US military vet who retired in mid-2000s, and my great uncle was also a retired vet who served in WWII, long gone now. I was offered embassy duty assignment in the Netherlands in the early 2000s (2001) but decided to stay over in the Far East, the Asian region of the world as I had grown to really love it for a total of 18 years. I do regret not serving any tour of duty in Europe when I had ample opportunities to do so. Anyhow, you have a beautiful, clean country that looks serene. I'm sure you have a personal great appreciation for your country having traveled much of the world on a motorcycle. That can be as arduous as military combat depending where you are travelling :-)! Thanks for the history lessons and the painstaking time it takes to edit and produce the quality videos so that we can enjoy you sharing your travel adventures and odysseys with us. Your heart is big and you are one of a kind. Stay safe and God bless!
Thank you for your service.
I love history and commend the Dutch heroes of the past for their concerted defense against the Nazis, and for those who sought to protect the Jews. Noraly, thank you for your videos and the extensive work you put into them.
I learnt more about the German occupation of the Netherlands in 16 minutes from Noraly than I did living there for 9 years! Including loads of time in Rotterdam! God Bless the real Dutch people!
It was a nazi occupation.
Rocket Roge We like to airbrush “awkward” historical truths to make them palatable to a modern audience...
Noraly your last comments sent a shiver up my spine and I teared up- So many people sacrificed and so many people are still grateful. Thx.
Somehow I missed this particular video when it came-out. Glad I found it now.
My Dad was one of the many who fought for the liberation of Europe, in France, the Low Countries and finally in Germany.
He passed away about 12 years ago but he always reminisced fondly on the graciousness and gratitude of the people that were being liberated. Let us all hope and pray that a War like this will never again be allowed to happen.
What a great language we have, specially words like "Willemsbrrrug" en Grrebbeberrg" must sound amazing to foreigners!
Hahhaaha. Absolutely! I have no idea how you manage to produce those sounds with your mouths. It's amazing :)
I replayed and said the real pronunciation of Nijmegen several times. I hope to deploy it sometime. (I'm American)
"raar" pronounced by a someone from Rotterdam....sweet!!!
you should try "Scheveningen"
Thank you for the history lesson.... I was totally unaware of the allied grave adoption program... that is awesome!... may we never forget of their sacrifices
Thank you Noraly for touching on this topic. The Dutch penchant for gratitude towards her liberators is so heart warming. I served with the RCAF '79 - '90, four years over seas and had the opportunity to visit The Netherlands a couple of times and once on exercise at Vliegbasis Leeuwarden. Love the Dutch, wonderful people 🇨🇦 ❤ 🇳🇱
After reviewing my father's military record, I discovered that he was in the relief unit 5th Battalion, Dorset regiment that crossed the river to successfully rescue the Paras at Oosterbeek. The previous unit was annihilated. There is a Dorset Wood and a Dorset Square that I now have to ride my bike to.
Hi, Norlay. I appreciate very much that you touched these tragic events at the start, during, and at the end of WW2 in your country. Rotterdam (much like Belgrade, Warsaw) was destroyed out of pure malice, with no military gain. During my youth, I remember my grandparents and parents talking almost every day about occupation, the horror of dark trucks, moving at night, the resistance and about relatives and friends, who never returned from the Lagers. It is just too often that the younger generations do not know anything about WW2 and about the suffering and the sacrifices of so many people in Europe and elsewhere. The WAR has sadly become the movie theme, a subject of political rivalry by "interpreting" and twisting of the historical facts.
My father served in the pacific on a Seaplane tender, the line broke for the army air corp just before him, they directed him to the Navy, all his friends passed away during WW2, that went into the Air Corp in Europe. Just amazing the strength of those young men, going into the unknown. Thank you for doing this my father would have enjoyed it. I am among the youngest of the children of that generation hero's all.
Thank you again Noraly for providing us a bit of history of the surrender and liberation of The Netherlands in WWII.
So moving........ when I visited Holland as a young soldier, the Dutch offered to adopt ME! Just wonderful. (My name helped!)
Cute! And thank you for your service.
Since my childhood I have been aware of the great respect the Netherland people hold for Canadian (and all Allied) soldiers... My best friend's parents immigrated to Canada after WW II. Thank you to your nation for the neverending care to honour and remember our fallen. 🇨🇦
Thank you so much for sharing this video it means a great deal to me and my grandfather I am a veteran of the Gulf war and he was a WW II Veteran .I remember when you first told me the dutch people adopted a grave to take care of it was one of the few times I ever saw him show emotion thanks.🇺🇸
Thank you for your service
I had several Uncles who fought during WWII. My Uncle Buzz Messer was a Sargent who fought under Patton in Belgium. Early in February of 1945 on the Belgian and German border, he was leading a patrol. He stepped on a landmine in the early morning darkness and lost his leg. He very nearly died. He would entertain us kids by taking his leg off. Thank you for today's show. I teared up in places. A lot of good men died in that war. Take care. Vaughn
As a current Trooper with the 101st Airborne Division, I am proud to say we also took the opportunity to celebrate this historic operation this year. We chose some of our top Soldiers to send to Holland to visit some of the key sites of our part of the operation. A young Captain from my unit was able to attend the tour and he was thoroughly impressed by the warm welcome the Dutch citizens provided. Thank you for sharing this remembrance. I am so grateful to the fine citizens of Holland who honor our fallen heroes by caring for their final resting place.
My grandfather fought in operation Market Garden with the 101st Airborne U.S. Army. He was wounded at the bridge over Wilhelmina Canal and sent to a hospital in the states where he met a Lieutenant nurse to later marry. It’s great to see what these places are like now.
I was not aware that such a program as the adopt the grave existed and I found it quite moving to the point like many others here shed a tear. A very nice tribute to all of the Allied soldiers, but especially touching for me as an American who grew up with the guidance of that generation. They were our heroes, teachers, coaches, neighbors and role models. Personally, I had many relatives, family friends and older acquaintances that participated in the European Theatre. Many and so typical of them like a very close cousin that passed only a few years ago never spoke of their experiences. Only when he was into his 90s did he begin to reveal his memories. I visited him as often as possible in his latter years and soaked up all that I could. That was a special generation for sure and I am sure they would be appreciative that they are all still cherished after 75 years. He/they were a very practical group, hands-on, deliberate and straight-forward like you. There is no doubt that they would love your channel and this episode as much as I have.
Thank you for this video. My grandfather whom I never knew, died at age 28 and is buried Henri Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium.
I want to thank all the people of the Netherlands for the care and respect that they show to their fallen and our fallen that made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live free. My father was a Marine and fought in the Pacific Theater. I just discovered your channel as I fellow rider and I appreciate your videos very much and the quality of them. Cheers from North Carolina, USA. My bike is a Triumph America.