Roel Dekkers

From my childhood, I was fascinated by the history of our country at school.

I was particularly interested in the Second World War after hearing stories from my grandfather about his experiences in the Boxmeer area.

The German invasion, the occupation, helping people in hiding and Allied pilots, and the liberation—my grandfather had experienced it all and could tell fascinating stories about it.

All this was fuelled later in my 40-year career in the Dutch Army, where I was confronted with the Second World War in various ways during my training.

I started reading more and more books about the Second World War, especially about the towns and villages where I was living at the time, and it intrigued me more and more.

I researched one of the largest operations of the Second World War, often referred to as the forgotten battle, which began on 8 February 1945 in Groesbeek and moved through the Rijkswald to capture the Rhineland in order to build a bridge over the Rhine, which had failed in September 1944.

This operation, called Operation Veritable, was followed by Operation Blockbuster and the final crossing of the Rhine, Operation Plunder and Varsity.

I continued to immerse myself in the experiences in the Rhineland and, after becoming a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides, I started working on my assessments to obtain my coveted Batch, which I finally achieved on 17 September 2019 (No. 95), the eighth in the Netherlands.

The most rewarding and beautiful part of my tours is when I get to give a tour to people with a special request, who want to follow in the footsteps of one of their parents or who want to know how and what battles a specific regiment fought in the Rhineland.