Memorial poles along the crash route

Mainly during World War II, several aircraft have crashed in Oostelijk Flevoland. During the reclamation of the polder, many of these aircraft were found and salvaged. In 2008, the "Stichting 4 mei herdenking Dronten" got the idea to register and describe these aircrafts and mark the crash locations with a memorial pole. This in order to implement a lasting reminder of the Airgunners and at the same time to reveal a piece of history that was discovered during the reclamation.

The Aircrew Forever Foundation was established and realised the route. The unveiling of the first pole was on the 29th of April 2011 and was done by Mr. Gerrit Zwanenburg (former salvage officer), Rutger Kuiper (former National Office IJsselmeerpolders and as such, involved in the depopulation of the first airplane wrecks) and one of the longest visiting Airgunners, Ron Powers.

Memorial pole #1 was the first in a series of 16 poles, which were placed in 2011 by the "Stichting 4 Mei Herdenking Dronten".

Based on new insights, the route was updated in 2021 in cooperation with the municipality of Dronten. A number of poles were moved, removed or newly placed. New information about the relevant aircraft and crew was added. The route now consists of 19 poles. 

Click here for an overview of the memorial poles.