Classic Car Road Trip

Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: The Netherlands was invaded and occupied by nazi-Germany in the beginning of May 1940. The southern part of the Netherlands was liberated by the Western Allies during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. The northern part of the Netherlands remained occupied until May 1945. In the beginning of 1945, the liberation of the northern part of the Netherlands was started under the code name Operation Cannonshot, this military operation was conducted in conjunction with Operation Quick Anger. Operation Cannonshot started on 11 April 1945, the Canadian forces crossed the IJssel from the east near the village of Gorssel, between the villages of Voorst and Wilp, the troops crossed the river with amphibious vehicles. Heavy fighting took place in the Wilpse Klei, a floodplain along the IJssel, and in and around the village of Wilp. During the liberation of the Wilpse Klei and the village of Wilp, 37 Canadian soldiers lost their lives.

Operation Cannonshot is remembered each year at the IJssel Crossing Memorial and at the memorial plaque mounted on the wall of the Church of Wilp. The IJssel Crossing Memorial is situated at the spot where the Western Allied forces crossed the IJssel. About fifteen WWII military vehicles and their owners took part in the memorial tour and memorial ceremonies of Operation Cannonshot. In our own Ford Jeep, together with the other WWII army vehicles, we drove through the bocage landscape in the Achterhoek, a rural region east of the river IJssel, where in April 1945 the soldiers of the 48th Highlanders of Canada pushed forward to liberate the northern part of the Netherlands. The Highland Regiment Pipes and Drums performed at both of the ceremonies. The memorial tour and memorial ceremonies were organised by the Groene Soos and the Interest Group Wilp. The Operation Cannonshot 2019 memorial tour ended at the Ford Museum Tullekensmolen at Beekbergen, a village in the beautiful landscape of the Veluwe.

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   Commemoration Operation Cannonshot and Memorial Tour 2019: Driving on the dusty sand roads of the Achterhoek region in the Netherlands. Operation Cannonshot was an Allied military operation at the end of WWII. Operation Cannonshot was launched on 11 April 1945 to liberate Apeldoorn, Deventer and the Veluwe, the forest-rich area between these cities and Arnhem.

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   Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: A WWII Jeep driving along the river IJssel during the Operation Cannonshot Memorial Tour 2019. In the distance lies the IJssel Crossing Memorial on the bank of the river. Operation Cannonshot is remembered each year at the IJssel Crossing Memorial between Voorst and Wilp.

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   Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: A DUKW and a Ford GPA Jeep on the river IJssel, passing the IJssel Crossing Memorial. The memorial is situated in the floodplain of the IJssel, on the bank of the river between the villages of Voorst and Wilp. The monument consists of a large boulder with an engraved plaque.

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   Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: A DUKW on the bank of the IJssel at the IJssel Crossing Memorial. A DUKW, pronounced as duck, is a 2.5 ton six-wheel-drive amphibious vehicle used in WWII. The US produced over 20,000 DUKWs during WWII. The vehicle was first used during the invasion of Sicily in 1943 and also during the Invasion in Normandy in 1944.

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   Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: A DUKW on the bank of the IJssel at the IJssel Crossing Memorial, a Ford GPA Jeep floating on the river IJssel. The Ford GPA Jeep, also known as Seep, is the amphibious version of the Ford GPW Jeep. During WWII, 12,778 Seeps were constructed. Seeps were used in the Pacific and during the invasions of Sicily and Normandy.

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   Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: A member of the Groene Soos laid a wreath at the IJssel Crossing Memorial on the bank of the IJssel. The Highland Regiment Pipes and Drums performed at the commemoration ceremony of Operation Cannonshot. A Ford GPA Jeep floating on the river in the background.

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   Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: A WWII Jeep transporting a commemorative wreath. The Jeep is on the way to the commemoration of Operation Cannonshot at the Village Church of Wilp. In the beginning of 1945, the liberation of the northern part of the Netherlands was started under the code name Operation Cannonshot.

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   Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: The members of the Highland Regiment Pipes and Drums marching towards the village of Wilp, the pipe and drum band is followed by a convoy of authentic WWII army vehicles. The members of the Highland Regiment Pipes and Drums all wear a Regimental Tartan of Scotland. 

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   Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: A wreath is laid at the Operation Cannonshot monument in Wilp by children from a local school. The monument consists of an engraved plaque mounted on the wall of the Village Church of Wilp. The plaque commemorates the soldiers of the 48th Highlanders of Canada who died during Operation Cannonshot.

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    Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: The Dutch pipe and drum band the Highland Regiment Pipes and Drums performed at the commemoration ceremony at the Church of Wilp. During Operation Cannonshot, 19 Canadian soldiers fell in Wilp, some farmhouses in the Wilp area were destroyed and nine residents were killed.

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    Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: The Highland Regiment Pipes and Drums Band marching along the Kerkstraat (Church Road) in the village of Wilp, the WWII military vehicles are parked on both sides of the street, including our own Royal Air Force blue Ford GPW Jeep. The Highland Regiment Pipes and Drums often performe at WWII commemorations.

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    Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: A Ford GPW Jeep in the village of Wilp. Wilp is probably one of the the oldest villages in the Netherlands, the old cast iron village water pump is situated in the Kerkplein (Church Square), nearby the Church of Wilp. In the past, the water pump was not only a source of water, but also a meeting point for the inhabitants of Wilp.

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    Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: The remnants of a V1 rocket launching site hidden in the woods near Joppe and Eefde. The enormous protractor angle gauge to launch V1 rockets in the right direction is just visible in the concrete floor. The remains of a narrow gauge railway can still be seen, the railway was used to transport the V1 rockets.

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    Commemoration Operation Cannonshot and memorial tour 2019: Driving our own Jeep on dusty sand roads of the Achterhoek, a region in the east part of the Netherlands, where during Operation Cannonshot in 1945, the 48th Highlanders of Canada pushed forward to liberate Apeldoorn, Deventer and the high ground of the Veluwe between these cities and Arnhem. On 14 April 1945, Arnhem was liberated and within a month the whole of the Netherlands.

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    Commemoration Operation Cannonshot and Memorial Tour 2019: The Operation Cannonshot Memorial Tour 2019 ended at the Ford Museum Tullekensmolen in Beekbergen. The small museum holds a collection Ford classics from the period 1907-1935. The museum also holds a collection of miniature cars, toy cars and other children's toys dating from the mid-20th century.

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    Commemoration Operation Cannonshot 2019: The Operation Cannonshot Memorial Tour 2019 ended at the Ford Museum Tullekensmolen at Beekbergen. The museum is housed in an old water mill dating from 1535. The museum is situated in Beekbergen, a rural village nearby the Hoge Veluwe National Park and the Kröller-Müller Museum.