Allied Airmen Memorial Harderwijk

Monument in memory of the crew of Allied aircraft that crashed into the water in the vicinity of Harderwijk during WWII. Many bombers flew over the Netherlands towards Germany, often over open water. 117 crew members crashed near Harderwijk. The monument was unveiled in 2012.

117 Allied airmen were killed near Harderwijk during the war. These include Americans, British, Canadians, South Africans and New Zealanders. 45 of them are buried in Harderwijk. The other Allied pilots are on fields of honor; and some of the pilots were never recovered.

During World War II, many bombers flew over the Netherlands to bomb targets in Germany. On both the outward and return journeys, the pilots preferred to fly over open water.

At that time there was German anti-aircraft artillery near Harderwijk, which shot down several aircraft. Several of the crew members were subsequently washed ashore in Harderwijk.

To commemorate the fallen of World War II