De Naald: The Airborne Monument at Oosterbeek
28 July 2026De Naald stands opposite the Airborne Museum at Hartenstein. The villagers of Oosterbeek built it themselves, honouring the 1st British Airborne Divis…
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Samuël Swarts, a Dutch Grave at Oosterbeek War Cemetery
24 July 2026A Jewish furniture maker who escaped deportation, Samuël Swarts died carrying water to the wounded at Oosterbeek in September 1944, and lies among the…
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The Lonsdale Speech at the Old Church, Oosterbeek
17 July 2026An arm in a sling, a bandaged head, a wounded leg. Major Lonsdale climbed the pulpit of Oosterbeek Old Church and spoke to the survivors of Arnhem.
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The Temporary American Cemetery at Son
4 July 2026For a few years after 1944, a field near the Waterhoef farm at Son held one of the first American cemeteries in the Netherlands. German prisoners dug …
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Urquhart House: The Attic at Zwarteweg 14, Arnhem
27 June 2026Zwarteweg 14 in Arnhem looks like any other terraced house. In September 1944 the commander of the 1st British Airborne Division hid in its attic whil…
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The Barracuda Sherman Tank on McAuliffe Square, Bastogne
17 June 2026Two holes in the armour and four of five crew who came home. The story of Barracuda, the Sherman that has stood on McAuliffe Square in Bastogne since …
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The Market Garden Briefing at Leopoldsburg
6 June 2026A Sherman tank outside Leopoldsburg station marks where Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks handed XXX Corps the plan for Operation Market Garden, one d…
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Thinking He Was Safe: The Final Journey of Flight Officer Dana T. Mudd
28 May 2026On the edge of the Dutch town of Uden, the war entered a dangerous in-between phase in September 1944. Uden had been liberated during Operation Market…
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The Waal River Crossing Documentary Is Out, and I Was the On-Camera Historian
23 May 2026WAAL RIVER CROSSING: 1944, narrated by Paul Giamatti, is now out. I served as the on-camera historian for this World War II Foundation account of the …
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A New Memorial to Captain Lionel Queripel VC at Wolfheze
21 May 2026Captain Lionel Queripel VC stayed behind alone in a ditch near Wolfheze on the evening of 19 September 1944, covering his men’s withdrawal with an aut…
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The Surviving German Anti-Tank Blocks at Nijmegen Bridge
14 May 2026On the north bank of the Waal at Nijmegen, close to where the road bridge comes down on the Lent side, two grey concrete blocks stand in the open. The…
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Robert Cole: The Medal of Honor He Never Knew He Had Won
8 May 2026A parachute-shaped stone stands at the edge of a field in Best, in the Netherlands. The marker carries the Medal of Honor citation of Lieutenant Colon…
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Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2026
1 May 2026News from last week. The Battlefield Explorer Tours has received a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award for the fourth year in a row,…
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The Polish Banner at the Airborne Museum Hartenstein
27 March 2026The banner of Sosabowski’s Polish paratroopers, smuggled out of Warsaw, anchors a temporary exhibition at the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek.
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Interviewed by Tourpreneur
14 October 2025A couple of years ago I sat down with Tourpreneur, a platform focused on helping tour operators build sustainable, professional businesses. In the int…
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We’re a 2025 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Winner, Thanks to You!
23 July 2025We’re proud to share some exciting news: The Battlefield Explorer has been awarded the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award for 2025. This award is gi…
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Five Key Reasons Operation Market Garden Fell Short
20 June 2025Operation Market Garden fascinates and frustrates me in equal measure. As a battlefield guide, I’ve walked these grounds countless times, explaining t…
Read more → Filming a Suicide Mission: The Extraordinary Waal River Crossing
3 June 2025Yesterday was an incredible day spent along the banks of the Waal River in Nijmegen, working with Tim Gray and his fantastic documentary crew of the W…
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10 Surprising Facts About the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem
20 April 2025The Battle of Arnhem is one of those legendary WWII stories that never gets old—partly because there’s always more to discover. Operation Market Garde…
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Mentioned in Patton’s Prayer – Alex Kershaw
3 February 2025In 2023, I had the pleasure of guiding acclaimed author Alex Kershaw and his friends on a detailed battlefield tour around Bastogne. We explored key s…
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Andy Kutler’s latest book, The Fight of Their Lives
13 November 2024I’m pleased to share that I’ve been mentioned in Andy Kutler’s new book, The Fight of Their Lives. Andy is known for careful research and engaging sto…
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On TV: World War II: Secrets from Above
7 October 2024In 2023 I was featured on the National Geographic series World War II: Secrets from Above! In Episode 4, Season 2 on Operation Market Garden I was one…
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WW2TV: Cutting Hells Highway – Koevering
25 September 2024It’s been on YouTube for more than four years but I’d thought I’d post it here too. For the excellent WW2TV YoutTube channel by Paul Woodadge I hosted…
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In the footsteps of Flight Engineer Alcock, 196 Squadron.
5 September 2024Yesterday was one of those magical tours. With his son and wife we followed in the footsteps of Flight Engineer Alcock of 196 Sqdn RAF. He flew 4 miss…
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Operation Market Garden 80th Anniversary Events near Eindhoven and Veghel
4 August 2024This is a non exhaustive and probably incomplete list of upcoming 80th Anniversary of Operation Market Garden events that are planned in the 101st Air…
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A battlefield tour with the Dutch Army Reserves
5 April 2024This battlefield tour was a nice change of pace after a number of tours with small private groups. With no less than 75 men and women from the Dutch A…
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Three countries in one day!
31 March 2024This year I’m expanding my work area a bit to include the Hurtgenwald and the Battle of the Bulge. After reading and studying for months it’s time to …
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In the Footsteps of Hugh Lake
7 June 2023Today we visited the Arnhem area in the footsteps of Lance Sergeant Hugh Lake from 9th Company Field Engineers / 1st Airborne Division who was awarded…
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We Happy Few / Easy Company tour
2 May 2022What a fantastic weekend, with We Happy Few 506 we organized a Band of Brothers event in Eindhoven. Present were Mark Laurence (Dukeman), Matthew Leit…
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Liberation of Sint-Michielsgestel +77
26 October 2021On October 23rd 1944 the village of Sint-Michielsgestel was liberated by British troops of the 7th Battalion Black Watch, part of the 51st Highland Di…
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Bastogne – Two Day Battlefield Tour
13 October 2021On request I also do a Bastogne / Battle of the Bulge tours and I was asked by a group of friends, which had been on an Arnhem tour last year, to do a…
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Airborne March but different
28 September 2021In 1991 I moved to Arnhem and in 1992 I participated in my very first Airborne march. This is the annual commemorative march around Oosterbeek, the bi…
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Hell’s Highway bus tour
15 September 2021On September 11th I was the guide on a Hell’s Highway bus tour, the tour was organized by Joel Stoppels Battlefield tour with which I’ve worked in the…
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A visit to Margraten & Henri Chapelle American Cemeteries
13 June 2021Yesterday with my friend Edwin from Battlefield Discovery we visited the two nearby American Cemeteries to pay our respects and visit our adopted grav…
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Airborne Museum & Cemetery in Oosterbeek
11 June 2021In late 2019 and early 2020 the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek went through a big refit and when it was ready to open it couldn’t because of Covid. The…
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A chance encounter, meeting the daughter a MIA C-47 pilot
30 May 2021On the 17th of September 1944 at the start of Operation Market Garden C-47 “Chevelet” was heading towards the Netherlands, on board were ten pathfinde…
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Testimonial
29 August 2019Arnhem & Market Garden Battlefield tour report – By Mark Barnes Please note, the option to take a tour in a World War II Vehicle is no longer availabl…
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