Programme

During the Soesterberg Summer Offensive, we park the most impressive collection pieces from the depot on the concrete strip next to the museum. This way we make room in the depot for a unique behind-the-scenes look.

Aircraft on the apron

• North American ‘Super Sabre’ F-100D
• McDonnell Douglas Phantom II F-4E
• Lockheed Martin F-16BM ‘Orange Jumper’
• Lockheed TF-104G ‘Starfighter’
• Northrop NF-5B ‘Freedom Fighter’
• Gloster Meteor T.Mk.7
• Fouga CM.170 Magister
• Fokker S.14 ‘Machtrainer’
• Hawker Hunter F.Mk.4
• Cessna T-37 Tweet
• North American F-86F ‘Sabre’
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21PFM ‘Fishbed’
• Breguet SP-13A (BR.1150) Atlantic
• Lockheed SP-2H Neptune
• Fokker F.27 300M ‘Troopship’

Have you always wanted to look inside the cockpit of a real military aircraft? The Fokker F.27 and the Breguet Atlantic are open this weekend. Our volunteers will tell you all about them

Have you always wanted to see a real Chinook from the inside? The transport helicopter in the museum is open for viewing on Saturday 29 August and Sunday 30 August!

Take a flight in the simulator and experience what it is like to fly an F-16 yourself.

The squadrons are of course not to be missed at the Air Force Square! The following Air Force squadrons will be present (with crew):

• 298 squadron
• 312 squadron
• 313 squadron
• 322 squadron
• 323 squadron
• Royal Netherlands Air Force Historic Flight (KLuHV)

We are still awaiting confirmation from the remaining Dutch squadrons.

This year too, we expect flypasts and demonstrations by the Royal Netherlands Air Force on both Saturday and Sunday. More information to follow!

Tanks and other vehicles in the museum are impressive, but those tonnes of steel only truly come to life when the engine is started. Our collection includes several vehicles that can still be driven. And that is exactly what we are going to do!

Tank show times:

• 11:30
• 14:30

Our experts will tell you more about the various vehicles during the show.

Vehicle line-up

• Leopard 1V combat tank
• Pantser Rups Tegen Luchtdoelen (PRTL)
• AMX-PRGWT (armoured tracked casualty transport)
• Fuchs-EOV armoured vehicle
• M577 armoured tracked command vehicle
• M578 tracked vehicle
• DAF YP-408 armoured wheeled command vehicle
• DAF YA-4442 truck ‘4-tonner’
• M688 tracked vehicle
• M113 tracked vehicle
• Mercedes-Benz 290GD

Guest vehicles Royal Netherlands Army: 434 Recovery Platoon

• Leopard 2 recovery tank (Buffel)
• Manticore off-road vehicle

Guest vehicles Royal Netherlands Army Requisites Commission (RCKL)

• Leopard 1 engineer tank
• Leopard 1 bridge-laying tank
• DAF YP-408 PWGWT (armoured wheeled casualty transport)
• YPR-765 PRGWT (armoured tracked casualty transport)

Guest vehicles War Heritage Institute Belgium

• Leopard 1 “Fahrschulpanzer” driver training tank
• CVRT Samson armoured recovery vehicle
• CVRT Samaritan armoured ambulance
• M113A1-B MTC maintenance vehicle with HIAB crane

Guest vehicles Defenture

• GRF off-road vehicle
• Mammoth off-road vehicle

Guest vehicles Classic MV’s

• M5 Stuart Recce tank

Guest vehicles private collection

• DAF YA-616 truck with HULO crane
• DAF YA-4440 truck

All vehicles are subject to availability.

In addition to aircraft, you will find the most impressive military vehicles from the depot on the concrete strip. The tanks and other vehicles from the show can also be viewed up close.

• Leopard 1V combat tank
• Centurion recovery tank
• Pantser Rups Tegen Luchtdoelen (PRTL)
• YPR-ERA armoured tracked vehicle
• AMX-PRGWT (armoured tracked casualty transport)
• Fuchs-EOV armoured vehicle
• M577 armoured tracked command vehicle
• M578 tracked vehicle
• DAF YP-408 armoured wheeled command vehicle
• DAF V1600 half-track bomb disposal vehicle
• DAF YF-324 truck
• DAF YA-4442 ‘the 4-tonner’
• DAF YA-126 truck
• DAF YA-314 truck
• DAF YA-328 truck
• M62 International recovery vehicle
• Mercedes-Benz 290GD
• Suzuki King Quad

Guest vehicles Royal Netherlands Army

• Leopard 2 recovery tank (Buffel) | 434 Recovery Platoon
• Leopard 2 engineer breakthrough system (Kodiak)
• Armoured Howitzer 2000NL (PzH2000NL) | JISTARC
• Boxer armoured wheeled vehicle
• Manticore off-road vehicle | 434 Recovery Platoon
• Scania Gryphus transport vehicle | 434 Recovery Platoon

Guest vehicles Royal Netherlands Army Requisites Commission (RCKL)

• Leopard 1 engineer tank
• Leopard 1 bridge-laying tank
• DAF YP-408 PWGWT (armoured wheeled casualty transport)
• YPR-765 PRGWT (armoured tracked casualty transport)

Guest vehicles Royal Netherlands Marechaussee

• Toyota armoured vehicle High Risk Security
• Various motorcycles Brigade Operational Service & Support
• OOV-striped vehicles Military Police Care

Guest vehicles War Heritage Institute Belgium

• Leopard 1 “Fahrschulpanzer” driver training tank
• CVRT Samson armoured recovery vehicle
• CVRT Samaritan armoured ambulance
• M113A1-B MTC maintenance vehicle with HIAB crane

Guest vehicles Defenture

• GRF off-road vehicle
• Mammoth off-road vehicle

Guest vehicles Classic MV’s

• M5 Stuart Recce tank

Guest vehicles private collection

• DAF YA-616 truck with HULO crane
• DAF YA-4440 truck

Guest vehicles Conscript Military Police

• Moto Guzzi
• Land Rover 109 KMar
• Land Rover 88 KMar
• DAF YA-66 KMar

Guest vehicles Cold War Conscripts (41DKO)

• Moto Guzzi
• DAF YA-328 truck
• DAF YA-126 truck
• DAF YA-126 radio vehicle
• DAF YA-66

For all vehicles: subject to availability.

Experience power, technology and history at close range! During ‘Tanks Up Close’ you come face to face with a tank, while our experts tell you the stories behind the impressive armour.

The programme of ‘Tanks Up Close’ will be announced soon.

During this edition, you will also find a small militaria market on the Army Square. There are a number of stalls with military collectables (for example from the First and Second World War). Books, military scale models, patches and other collectables are also on offer.

You will also find the one and only Soesterberg Summer Offensive merchandise here!

At the 11thAMB Airsoft Team you can view various airsoft weapons and other equipment. Airsoft guns are replicas of real firearms used in the popular sport of airsoft.

Feel the ground shake when the Leopard 1 bridge-laying tank goes into action – a remarkable feat of engineering you won’t soon forget. The bridge-laying tank can be seen in the tank show, but will also give a demonstration on the concrete strip.

Built on the chassis of the Leopard 1 combat tank, this vehicle carries no cannon, but instead an imposing scissors bridge capable of spanning 22 metres in a very short time. This allows tanks and other armoured vehicles to cross small rivers, ditches or other impassable gaps with ease — without the crew having to leave the vehicle.

In the Royal Netherlands Army, this type of vehicle has since been partially replaced or modernised by the newer Leguan bridge-layer, which can span up to 26 metres.

Meet the THeMIS by Milrem Robotics: an advanced unmanned tracked vehicle that demonstrates how smart technology supports and enhances the deployment of military personnel on the ground. Within the Dutch Armed Forces, the ‘Robots and Autonomous Systems’ (RAS) unit operates the THeMIS.

This modular platform has been developed for a wide range of tasks, including transport, logistical support and operational deployment in high-risk conditions. Thanks to its robust mobility, versatility and unmanned capability, the THeMIS increases the combat power, endurance and safety of units in the field.

During this demonstration you will experience up close how innovative technology and military practice come together in one powerful system.

During armed conflicts, enemy soldiers are often taken prisoner, these are known as prisoners of war. They are captured to prevent them from returning to combat.

Curious about what a prisoner of war collecting point behind the front line looks like? The re-enactment group Dienstplichtige Marechaussee brings a prisoner-of-war camp in the field to life, complete with a fully equipped interrogation room. During this interactive demonstration you can experience and discover up close how a prisoner of war collecting point works.

They search until they have reached the maximum. The Veteran Search Team is an emergency response organisation that supports the police during search operations for missing persons. Veterans and uniformed volunteers are on standby to take action when needed. During the Soesterberg Summer Offensive, they offer a unique insight into their work.

In an interactive demonstration, the team shows which skills and techniques they deploy during a search operation. How sharp is your power of observation? Can you describe an environment without naming what you see, or memorise in one minute which materials are in front of you, without writing anything down? A demonstration that shows what goes into searching for a missing person.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force will of course also be present at the Air Force Square! Several squadrons will be present:

• 298 squadron
• 312 squadron
• 313 squadron
• 322 squadron
• 323 squadron

We are still awaiting confirmation from the remaining Dutch squadrons.

The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee will be present with various vehicles and a challenging kids’ activity.

Vehicles Royal Netherlands Marechaussee

• Toyota armoured vehicle High Risk Security
• Various motorcycles Brigade Operational Service & Support
• OOV-striped vehicles Military Police Care

400 Medical Battalion provides medical care for the entire armed forces. From first aid to surgical capacity and intensive care in high-quality mobile hospitals. Curious about how that works? Visit the military field hospital.

Would you like to know more about working for the Air Force, Army, Marechaussee or Navy? Put your questions to the soldiers from ‘Werken bij Defensie (Working for the Armed Forces)’. Or take part in the exciting kids’ activity and find out if you have what it takes to become a soldier.

Step back in time and experience the Cold War from the perspective of a Dutch conscript soldier. The re-enactment group Dienstplicht Koude Oorlog (41DKO) (Cold War Conscripts) carries out checks on the grounds of the National Military Museum. Can you get past the checkpoint?

Vehicles static display:

• Moto Guzzi
• DAF YA-328 truck
• DAF YA-126 truck
• DAF YA-126 radio vehicle
• DAF YA-66

Former conscript military police officers take you into the world of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. If you use the shuttle service, these conscript military police officers will ensure a safe arrival and escort you on motorcycles to the entrance of the museum!

Vehicles static display:

• Land Rover 109 KMar
• Land Rover 88 KMar
• DAF YA-66 KMar

Activity ‘Prisoner of War Collecting Point’:

Curious about what a prisoner of war collecting point behind the front line looks like? The re-enactment group Dienstplichtige Marechaussee (Conscript Military Police) brings a prisoner-of-war camp in the field to life, complete with a fully equipped interrogation room.

The Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina with registration 16-212 is a flying boat with a remarkable history. In 2020, with the start of a restoration project, a new chapter began for the last Dutch Catalina. Together with the Stichting Neptune Association, we are working to return the aircraft to its (visually) original condition. Curious about that process?

During the Soesterberg Summer Offensive you can watch the restoration live in Hangar 8. We will show you how the restoration of a flying boat works, and the restorers will answer all your questions.

Next to the tank arena you will find the Battle Zone during the Soesterberg Summer Offensive. A laser game arena where your camouflage skills are vital!

In this exciting laser game mission, Team Alpha and Team Bravo go head to head. Which team will defeat the enemy undetected?

• Minimum age: 7 years and above

Children can get behind the wheel of a mini-jeep or mini-quad themselves this weekend!

• Mini-jeep: from 4 years. Parent/supervisor walks alongside the young driver.
• Mini-quad: from 8 years.

Are you a real soldier? Children from 4 years can take part in exciting military activities at the obstacle course. Learn to salute, crack a code, tie knots and test your fitness at the mini-bootcamp.