The Deelen Dump in Holland

[welbike]

Hi All, went to a very interesting presentation about the "Deelen Dump" last night, where at one time about 35.000 mostly canadian (used) Vehicles were amassed.

This took place at the Aircrash museum, adjacent to Deelen airfield, where the vehicle dump was located from 1945 to 1947. there were lots of very rare pictures and a 10 minute film, about the vehicles, the presentation went about the background of the various deals going on, and the incredible stealing and pilfering that went on during the 2,5 years of operation of the dump, with and without knowledge of the people who ran the camp, and even after a 1000volt electrified fence was put up!!

Also a former workman spoke briefly about his time there, and how parts were smuggled out under the guards noses, and sometimes up to 5 whole trucks at the time!!

Also stories, which I had heard before from ex workmen there, years ago, resurfaced, and went from crushing HD WLC's with a sherman tank, to riding WLC's into a bomb crater, and jumping of at the last moment, and see who got his furthest into the hole!!!

There was also a big insight about the financial picture, and how much the vehicles cost at the time, and how they were evaluated etc. etc. all this info is owned by the museum.

Many items that were dugup on the site are also on display, but most is left on site, as who wanted hundreds of Canadian built lathes, which filled up one bomb crater???

If anyone is interested in this, I highly recommend to visit the museum, when in the neighborhood, they show the little film there aswell, alas not for sale.

here a link to the museum, could not find an english language button?

http://www.museumvlbdeelen.nl/index-1.html

Cheers,

Lex Schmidt

[Alex van de Wetering]

Canadian Army Newsreel, No. 105 (1945)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBIX...HlmW&index=143

Does he say "Arnhem airport" (=Deelen) at 6:54?

Some lovely footage of CMP's, Diamond T's, Scout cars and armoured cars being demobbed.

DEMOB news item starts at 6:26. At least one Monkey face at 7:18.

Alex

[David Dunlop]

I wonder what the soil would be like there, if it would be friendly to anything buried there for so long?

Also wonder if the ground water has suffered any effects from all the vehicular fluids dumped there and items buried whole?


David

[welbike]

David, the soil there is loose sand, no clay or anything, so anything found nowadays is beyond using I would say, have various parts that came from there 20 years ago, mostly motorcycle blackout masks etc. and they were only just salvageable, but also not from Deelen, but Oosterbeek, a part for a 75mm Pack Howitzer, that a friend dug up, and is cast steel, and very usable!! is on one of my Pack Howitzers right now!

PS, better not talk about the environmental issues, someone might want to clean it all up, but the costs would not be justifyable.....

Image (5).jpg mar29#19.jpg Pack 2003.jpg

Cheers,

Lex

[Neilie (RIP)]

At the risk of being chided for displaying models on this forum, I thought some may be interested in my scratch-built 1/76 scale Ward Lafrance M1A1 Heavy Wrecker of the 1st Railway Operating Coy RCE similar to the one in the photo a few posts up.

Cheers,

Neil