National War Cemetery Grebbeberg

Following the war, the remains of German soldiers were relocated to the German War Cemetery in Ysselsteyn (Limburg). Since 1946, the remains of Dutch war casualties have been reinterred regularly at National War Cemetery Grebbeberg. This resting place also includes soldiers who died elsewhere in the Netherlands during the invasion in May 1940 and had originally been buried in family graves. Today, there are over 850 military graves in the cemetery. There is a permanent exhibition at the cemetery’s information centre, ‘We have never spoken about it’. The exhibition affords special attention to three Dutch soldiers: Corporal J.A. Vermeer and Private D.J. Heinen, who both died on 12 May 1940 and are buried in the cemetery, and Lieutenant N.W. Lingen, a veteran who survived the battle. The Grebbeberg played an important role in defending the Netherlands from German forces. It was part of the defensive position taken up in the ‘Valleistelling’ (Valley Strongpoint), better known as the Grebbe Line.