WW2 Family History Tours
Uncover your family history in WW2
Do you want to know more about your history?
What has your family been through?
Where have they been and when?
What was life like then?
What were their stories in the bigger picture?
What can still be found?
We research your family's stories and organize one or more days where we visit the relevant places and bring those stories to life.
The stories of our ancestors
The story of the Second World War is above all the story of the people who experienced it. Our ancestors. With tourguidesforyou we can help you find the story of your ancestors and family and visit the places where it happened. Hundreds of thousands of American, English, Canadian and Polish soldiers fought in Belgium and the Netherlands or participated in the war in some other way. The people who experienced five years of German occupation all had their stories, and then of course there are the Jewish citizens who were either sent on transport to the east or somehow managed to go into hiding in order to perhaps survive the war. And then of course there are the German soldiers and occupiers, and those stories should also be heard.
People are increasingly researching their parents and grandparents, or other family members, to find out what they have experienced. We have been able to help several people find (part of) that history.
Places of action in the Netherlands in WW2
Canadians
The Battle of the Scheldt
Liberation of North-East Netherlands
Britten
Operation Market Garden by ground troops
Battle of Arnhem, 1st Airborne division
Battle of Overloon, liberation of the eastern Netherlands
Americans
Operation Market Garden around Nijmegen and Eindhoven
Liberation of Limburg
Battle of Hurtengewald Wald (Germany)
Battle of the Bulge (Belgium)
Poland
Battle of Arnhem, 1st Airborne division
Liberation of the Netherlands
Netherlands in WW2
The Grebbeberg/Hotel de Wereld
The occupation in the Randstad
Two Atlantic
Camp Vught and Camp Amersfoort
German perspective
The invasion and occupation
Fighting the alies
Persecution of Jews
The Jewish Quarter in Amsterdam
Camp Westerbork
Cemeteries etc.
Margraten (American)
Henri-Chapelle (American in Belgium)
Oosterbeek (British and Polish)
Holten, Bergen op Zoom, Groesbeek (Canadian)
Ysselsteyn (German)
Loenen (Dutch)
Want to know more?
Please feel free to contact us to discuss the possibilities and to request a quote for a personalized tour including preliminary research and tour planning.
Call me on 31 (0)640 629171 or fill in the form on the right.
Want to know more?
Experiences
An engineer in Eindhoven
Fiona came to the Netherlands with her mother whose father had been in Eindhoven during Market Garden. They had some postcards and an address of a house where this man was billeted. We found that house, and also several other places where he must have been, and I was able to explain to them the background of that battle in which their (grand)father had played a role. A beautiful day with two lovely people.
Read more
David Dobie's foster son
David Dobie was an officer in the 1st airborne division who led his troops to Arnhem during Market Garden. He was wounded, managed to escape and was hidden for a while with a family in Ede. His foster son went with me to Arnhem for a day, where I was able to show him where he had landed, where he had been wounded and we were also able to find the house where he had been in hiding.
Read more
A tribute
Russell came to Arnhem and Nijmegen for two days, where his grandfather had fought during Market Garden. In uniform, he also came to show his respect. It was the weekend of September 17, when many things are organized and commemorated. We got in touch with the organization and Russell was taken along as a special guest. A very emotional experience.
Read more
The Poles in Arnhem
Bernhard was training in the Irish army and had to give a presentation about the Polish contribution during the battle of Arnhem. He came for two days to visit mainly the places where the Poles had fought, and to learn more about Market Garden. I was able to show him what he needed for his presentation and made sure that his wife Donna also had a nice weekend in the interesting and also beautiful surroundings around Nijmegen and Arnhem.
Read more