The best traffic-free bike rides in Nieuwe Heide

Lovely resting spot during a bike tour through the Brabant landscape.

Beautiful heathland that blooms from mid-August to mid-September. Definitely worth cycling here, but that also applies to other seasons.

Nice bike ride through the woods

More than 4,500 paratroopers dropped from the sky in this area within 45 minutes on Sunday afternoon, September 17th. This farm, Paulushoef, served as a prime landmark for the pilots, with its name written in large letters on the roof. Following the paratroopers, 53 gliders carrying equipment and troops also landed. Paul van Overveld, a 15-year-old boy, witnessed it all. This farm was located in the heart of the area designated by the Allies as one of the drop and landing zones for the largest airborne operation ever on Sunday, September 17th, 1944. Pilots easily recognized the farm from the air because the name "Paulushoef" was written in large white letters on the roof. Besides some 4,500 paratroopers, 53 Waco gliders also landed there, suspended by a cable behind the Skytrain transport aircraft and released above the landing zone. These gliders transported jeeps, other rolling stock, and troops. The residents of the farms in the Sonnius district assisted the Americans in every possible way. In the days that followed, the area was used even more frequently for landings and the unloading of reinforcements, heavy equipment, and supplies.

The monument consists of four concrete columns, topped with a statue of a pelican on its nest, with its young. The pelican is the Christian symbol of total self-sacrifice. According to legend, the bird feeds its young with its own blood. Around the columns is a relief of soldiers mourning a soldier on the ground. The columns are 6.5 meters high. Joe Mann This monument is a tribute to American paratrooper Joe Eugene Mann and all who fought to liberate Best. Joe Mann was an American soldier in World War II. He served with the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army during Operation Market-Garden and was killed in the battle in Best for the bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal on September 19, 1944, sacrificing himself for his fellow soldiers. He absorbed the explosion of a grenade with his back, thereby saving the lives of his comrades. For this act, he was posthumously awarded the highest American military decoration: the Medal of Honor. He is buried at Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane, Washington State. The story of Joe E. Mann only became known in the region later, through a publication by Cees Wittebrood in the Bata Courier on October 22, 1954. This led to the construction of the Joe Mann Theater and the Joe Mann War Memorial. Reliefs on the Monument The reliefs on the monument depict Joe Mann's heroic act. Sergeant Bertras is depicted on the far left of the front, throwing a hand grenade from the shelter where Joe Mann lay with several wounded men. On the far right is Private Laino, who was severely wounded in the face when a grenade exploded on the barrel of his machine gun. The main motif on the front of the monument is Lieutenant Edward Wierszbowski, bending over the dying Joe Mann. The images on the front extend into the relief to the right of the monument, which depicts the wounded Joe Mann in his shelter. This part of the monument bears the United States coat of arms (eagle with coat of arms). The small relief on the back depicts Saint Odulphus, which appears in the coat of arms of the municipality of Best. The left section depicts Private L. Koller, who was killed by a bullet while he slept. The eagle, which appears in the coat of arms of the 101st Airborne Division, is also depicted there. The foot of the monument bears the inscription, which also appears on the Medal of Honor: "His extraordinary courtesy and magnificent conduct were an everlasting inspiration to his comrades, for whom he gave his life." The statue was designed by Nijmegen artist Ad Berntsen and unveiled by Joe Mann's parents on September 17, 1956, in the presence of Mayor Notermans, the military attaché of the American embassy in The Hague, and 13 Americans from the 101st Airborne Division, among many others.

Robert Cole and Joe Mann On September 18 and 19, 1944, these woods witnessed unprecedented fierce fighting. German troops attempted to prevent the breakthrough of American paratroopers who had landed the previous day and the British troops advancing from the south. Two exceptionally brave men were killed in this battle. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole and Private Joe Mann were both posthumously awarded the highest American military decoration: the Medal of Honor. Listen to their stories here. On Monday, September 18 and Tuesday, September 19, the woods between Son and Best witnessed extremely fierce fighting between units of the German 59th Division and the 502nd Regiment of the US 101st Airborne Division, which was later supported by the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment and the British 15/19 Hussars. The Germans attempted, among other things, to recapture the drop and landing zones at Son and advanced from Boxtel and Best. They wanted to prevent the Americans and British from breaking through. Many soldiers were killed in these battles. Among them were Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole and Private Joe Mann. Both were awarded the highest American military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for their exceptional courage. Here's a listen to their stories.

From September 18, 1944, the area around Son en Breugel was unsettled. American soldiers advanced from Eindhoven. German soldiers entrenched themselves in the tall church tower of Son en Breugel. Everyone hoped for a quick liberation, but instead, it became more dangerous by the day: one day the village was in American hands, the next back in German hands. On American orders, many people, especially children, were evacuated from the area. Eight-year-old Mariet van Kronenburg lives with her parents and eight siblings in the hamlet of De Vleut, which lies directly in the line of fire. One day, at the end of September 1944, an American commander decides that it is irresponsible to let the children live on the farmhouse. Father Jan and mother Tonia are allowed to stay because the livestock needed to be cared for. And son Johan, who has a mental disability, is also allowed to stay, along with a brother or sister. But the other children have to leave. Mariet included. Pears Father Jan van Kronenburg puts his children in the cart – a bucket of pears is also included – and takes them to visit good friends in Sint-Oedenrode. At the Van Schijndel family farmhouse, Mariet sleeps in the attic with her sisters and a few other female evacuees. The boys and men sleep in the hayloft. From the windows, Mariet can see the Sonniuswijk airstrips, where American gliders and paratroopers land. The Van Kronenburg children are allowed to play in the area around the farmhouse. But the Van Schijndel family doesn't allow them onto the airstrips. Only under supervision. On October 20, 1944, Janus, one of the Van Schijndel sons, is working in the fields near the airstrips. Mariet, her sister Jo, brother Kees, and sister Sjaantje, along with two other children, go to call him for lunch. They're allowed to walk back across the runways – after all, 21-year-old Janus is with them now. Mariet and Jo linger, along with their friend. Who knows, maybe one of the American soldiers has some chocolate left… It's not allowed, because Janus is already walking on, but they do it anyway: they walk towards the planes. Green Jacket Then Mariet hears a bang. She looks up and sees a cloud. She runs towards it. Something has exploded; the children who were walking there a moment ago are no longer standing. "I still see my little sister lying there. In a green jacket with a white stripe." Mariet runs away in panic. She stops at the corner of the field, in tears, with her sister and friend. The priest from Sint Oedenrode takes the three girls back to the farm where they are staying. For three days, father and mother Van Kronenburg search for their children. Thirteen-year-old Kees is killed instantly by the force of the explosion. They find him in the convent of Sint Oedenrode. Six-year-old Sjaantje is harder to find. She appears to have been seriously injured and transported from emergency hospital to emergency hospital, but she doesn't survive. Finally, her parents find her in Zeelst. They take her body, wrapped in a blanket, back to her home. The children are buried in Sint Oedenrode, in small coffins made of glider wood. What exactly exploded is unclear. Janus also died and cannot tell the story. One boy, eleven-year-old Ties, survives the impact. He describes the projectile as a small, shiny box. Kees picked it up and opened it.

Nice route, easy to do on an e-bike. A bit narrow though.