“To the 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed ‘Screaming Eagles’, Eindhoven and its surroundings are sacred ground," says Winski. During Operation Market Garden, the allied offensive that started on 17 September 1944 and was supposed to thrust forward from Belgium to Arnhem within a few days, more soldiers died than during the Normandy landings and the battle of Bastogne combined, according to Winski. The exact number is 3,302. “This group of soldiers is our greatest generation, one on whose shoulders we stand,” Winski says.

The American commander then continued to present the events in the days after September the 17th using maps that showed every troop movement, giving the audience members the sense of being present at a military briefing. In the end, Market Garden didn’t lead to the desired result; the advance came to a standstill around Nijmegen. The liberation of the rest of the Netherlands followed only later, in May 1945.

Underestimated

When asked what he would have done differently with the benefit of hindsight, Winski - too young to have fought in World War II himself - answers that he would have informed himself much better on the actual strength of the German troops in those areas. “We severely underestimated them, partly because the commanding officers at the time were too focused on a swift execution of the operation. The size and strength of the German forces came as a surprise to them. And they worked out an infernal schedule for all the troop movements of the allies in a short period.”

Obviously, Winski was also asked how important technology is to today’s American armed forces. “Technology and the American army are closely intertwined, and all the focus lies on protecting soldiers in a war situation as much as possible. That can be done with improved equipment, better vehicles and airplanes, better means of communication.” Should the Dutch government announce, during Prince’s Day today, that is wants to allocate more funds for Defence, this is how Winski would invest the money. “The costs for military personnel are high, but they are indispensable. So, make sure they’re less vulnerable.”