German War Cemetery Netherlands

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Ysselsteyn German War Cemetery



Ysselsteyn German War Cemetery is a military cemetery interring casualties of the First and Second World Wars. It contains over 31,000 soldiers from around 25 countries, including SS-men and Dutch war criminals. This cemetery is located in the village of Ysselsteyn in the municipality of Venray in Limburg, Netherlands, and is 32 km (20 mi) east of Eindhoven. Ysselsteyn is the largest Second World War German cemetery and is the only Nazi-German cemetery in the Netherlands. Following the war, the Nazi soldiers were reburied in the cemetery. The deceased include Germans, Dutch, Poles, and Russians who fought on the side of the Nazis.

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An honor guard at the funeral of a German soldier of the Nazi Wehrmacht who died from wounds in a field hospital at the beginning of World War II. The Western Front.

Most burials are soldiers killed during the German occupation from May 1940 to May 1945 in the Netherlands. Around 250 of the dead (Nazi-German Wehrmacht and SS, as well as collaborating Dutch), were killed by the Dutch resistance. Around 3,000 of the burials were soldiers detailed to occupation duties, including razzias, deportations, illegal incarceration, Jew-hunting, and other war crimes. 250 more deaths (Wehrmacht) are from the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes and Hürtgenwald that were initially interred next to the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.

In a circle near the entrance lie 85 German soldiers who died in World War I and whose bodies floated to the Netherlands down rivers, mainly the Meuse. The Netherlands remained neutral during the First World War.

Over 5,000 unknown burials are located in the cemetery and were marked incorrectly as "Ein Deutscher Soldat" (A German Soldier).

After World War II, all German fatalities were buried there. In 1976 administration was transferred to the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge). The designation as a German burial ground is disputed as many buried there were non-Germans serving in the German armed forces, comprising 25 nationalities. Dutch, Belgian, Russian, Czech, and many tens of so-called "Volksdeutsche" from Poland, the Danzig Free State, Luxemburg, Slovakia, and even Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan may also be buried there.

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The cemetery covers approximately 28 ha (69 acres). Most burials are in individual graves marked by a grey concrete cross that includes (where known) the name, rank, and dates of birth and death. A tall cross stands in the central memorial plaza. Roads extending right and left from the plaza contain a carillon and common graves.

A memorial stone honors Captain Johan Lodewijk Timmermans, a Dutchman who served as manager of the cemetery from 1948 to 1976 on behalf of the Dutch government. Upon his death, his ashes were scattered at the cemetery per his request.

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Neo Nazi's with the flag of the Third Reich and the Waffen SS march over the German war cemetary of Ysselsteyn. Fact is that also non-Nazi Wehrmacht soldiers, First World War German soldiers lie there who are not connected to Nazism.

From the 1960s, protests were lodged against the German dead and the cemetery. The protests were revived in 2013, when the Dutch Anti-Fascists' League AFVN discovered that since the year 2000, the German ambassador had been holding yearly commemorations there. In 2020, the AFVN started a petition against the visits of the ambassador with Dutch and German Jews joining the effort, along with Beate Klarsfeld and the management of the former Dachau concentration camp. The ambassador ended the practice.

In 2020, the American Ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra visited the cemetery and tweeted photos of the graves.

Volkstrauertag

The annual commemoration in Ysselsteyn takes place on Volkstrauertag. That is the day on which Germany commemorates the dead who died in armed conflict. The first commemoration was in 1922. The Volkstrauertag takes place on the Sunday closest to November 16.

Volkstrauertag in Ysselsteyn



On November 18, 2018, the German soldiers who are buried there were commemorated at the German cemetery in Ysselsteyn. A number of Dutch Brothers in Arms were also present at this commemoration.

In Ysselsteyn almost 32,000 fallen soldiers from the Second World War and 85 from the First World War lie on approximately 17 hectares. A cross has been placed for every soldier who died. The data (name, burial location, date of birth and death, rank if known) are applied to the natural stone in white. About 5,000 unknown soldiers are buried there. On the crosses is written: "Ein Deutscher Soldat".



Many international soldiers and invited guests were present at the Volkstrauertag in Ysselsteyn. For the first time a hero was mentioned, a veteran of the pararegiment from England. The musical accompaniment was provided by the wind group Karl-Kisters-Realschule Kleve-Kellen. The greeting was provided by Dirk Brengelmann, ambassador Germany. Besides mayor of Venray, mr. Hans Gillissen, also spoke the Evangelist Theology Niklas Peuckmann as well as the introductory words for the commemoration of the dead by mr. Norbert Killewald. In between, Emma Brown's piece of music was played.

The impressive commemoration was concluded during the wreath-laying music of the Fanfare Mounted Weapons, after the Taptoe and Der gute Kamerad.


Soldiers of the Bundeswehr also laid a wreath at the German military war cemetery Ysselsteyn in 2016.

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The former Flemish Interest (Vlaams Belang) politician Carrera Neefs laid flowers at the grave of the Dutch SS officer Willem Heubel at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn


The grave of the SS-Obersturmführer of the 5th Company of the 83rd SS Regiment of the 34th SS-Frw.-Grenadier-Division "Landstorm Nederland", Willem Heubel

The cemetery gets irregular visits from Neonazis. In November 2020, a Belgian woman placed flowers on the grave of the first Dutch SS-volunteer Willem Heubel (1910-1945). A Dutch national socialist activist, Dutch Nazi party NSB member and as a SS Hauptsturmfuhrer commanding the 5th company of the 83rd SS Regiment of the 34th SS Volunteers. Grenadier-Division "Landstorm Nederland". Died on 28 April 1945, age 34, at Elst during a fight with the Canadians.


The former Flemish Interest (Vlaams Belang) politician Carrera Neefs with the flowers she laid at the grave of the Dutch SS officer Willem Heubel at the German military cemetery in Ysselsteyn


The same woman in Flanders at a far right meeting




With a Flemish Flag, the Flemish Nationalists want to abolish Belgium and erect the Republic of Flanders with this flag as the National flag.

The past, present and the near future always seem to go hand in hand with these Nationalist politicians. There is always a lot of Blood & Soil (Blut und Boden), Blood & Honour, mythology, heroification of Nazi and fascist 'martyers', fallen and folkore, history, brown roots and links with collaboration, Flemish or Dutch Waffen SS, Wehrmacht volunteers and glorification and ethnocentrism, xenophobia, peoples nationalism, racism, antisemitism and islamophobia with these people. Also old folk costumes and Bavarian and Austrian dresses are popular amongst these people, and old Second World War German war songs.

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[karl]

Pieter

I have past heard of a military cemetery in the Netherlands but not sure if this {Ysselsteyn} is the one. When to visit one though, it should be with respect irregardless of the nationality of the dead. For each solder paid the price of death and should be respected for that. For that solder will never grow old but only to reside in his/her place of burial for the warmth of their bed has been replaced with the cold of the grave they now reside in.

Karl