First of all how i met him. A friend of mine i collecting info and paperwork about the liberation of Holland especialy the Leudal area (Limburg).For more then 15 years. So he contacted a lot of vets who fought here. Verry unknown is that the 6th Airborne stayed almost a month in Holland at the Maas river. (Also the Canadians). 2 weeks ago we had the 60 commoration of liberation of Holland.
Im working also in a lokal museum and commite that organised the happenig. In our area stayed more than 40 veterans(have a lot of new friends now )
we had to take care of them all week. That week also the friend of mine told me that Len Helerud (1CPB) was coming! So he asked me if i hade spare time to drive him around the battle fields of the Rhine area! Of course i have!!!
So we meet 2may and took the drive at 3may. It was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!
I picked him up around 930 and of we went. About 1030 we arived at Bergerfurth, where the dressingstation was in a church. .
There was also a temperely graveyard at the time, where Len is standing at the picture. A lot of his mates where buried here and moved after the war to Groesbeek
So you can see the old church is gone, where the dressing st. was, only a statue on the rare building is wat remembers of the old church. There is also a remberance stone, but only the German dead a remembered on it..
The new church what is beside it was bild in 1971.
Of we go to the droppingfield where 3th para brigade came down.
This is a piece of the droppinzone, and Len remembered something... The little forrest you see in the picture is the forrest where they found Jeff Nicklin (CO 1CPB) hanging dead on his parachute.
Its verry od to be there and hear the stories, this is realy happened, verry strange, you had to be there to feel it.
The next thing we found was the slittrench of Len, where he stayed a whole day. Its just at the end of the treeline. Where he and the rest dug in. He told me a story!
A enemy tank was advancing and at the same moment, a glider of the RA landed behind it, the crew poped out and whitin a minut they put the 6pounder in action and shot the tracks of it. The 3 inch morters of the Canadians where with smoke adjusting on the tank, you wont believe it, just the moment the crew of the tank poped the hatch open(bailing out after being shot by the 6 pounder) a smokebomb fel in the turret..
It was a verry nice day, and got a real friend now, a pitty he lives in Canada and i in Holland. Its a houner to meet him, one of the many who risked there lives to give us freedom. His name is Len Helerud B-Coy, 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion.
Len and me...
Cheers
Jeroen
Im working also in a lokal museum and commite that organised the happenig. In our area stayed more than 40 veterans(have a lot of new friends now )
we had to take care of them all week. That week also the friend of mine told me that Len Helerud (1CPB) was coming! So he asked me if i hade spare time to drive him around the battle fields of the Rhine area! Of course i have!!!
So we meet 2may and took the drive at 3may. It was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!
I picked him up around 930 and of we went. About 1030 we arived at Bergerfurth, where the dressingstation was in a church. .
There was also a temperely graveyard at the time, where Len is standing at the picture. A lot of his mates where buried here and moved after the war to Groesbeek
So you can see the old church is gone, where the dressing st. was, only a statue on the rare building is wat remembers of the old church. There is also a remberance stone, but only the German dead a remembered on it..
The new church what is beside it was bild in 1971.
Of we go to the droppingfield where 3th para brigade came down.
This is a piece of the droppinzone, and Len remembered something... The little forrest you see in the picture is the forrest where they found Jeff Nicklin (CO 1CPB) hanging dead on his parachute.
Its verry od to be there and hear the stories, this is realy happened, verry strange, you had to be there to feel it.
The next thing we found was the slittrench of Len, where he stayed a whole day. Its just at the end of the treeline. Where he and the rest dug in. He told me a story!
A enemy tank was advancing and at the same moment, a glider of the RA landed behind it, the crew poped out and whitin a minut they put the 6pounder in action and shot the tracks of it. The 3 inch morters of the Canadians where with smoke adjusting on the tank, you wont believe it, just the moment the crew of the tank poped the hatch open(bailing out after being shot by the 6 pounder) a smokebomb fel in the turret.. It was a verry nice day, and got a real friend now, a pitty he lives in Canada and i in Holland. Its a houner to meet him, one of the many who risked there lives to give us freedom. His name is Len Helerud B-Coy, 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion.
Len and me...
Cheers
Jeroen
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