Nooteboom supports the restoration of a historic M5 Half-Track army vehicle

Danny Buurman, All-round Mechanic in the Assembly PRO vehicles of Nooteboom Trailers, works in his spare time as a volunteer at the technical service of the War Museum No Man’s Land in Gendt(NL). Danny asked whether Nooteboom would like to help with the restoration of the historic Half-Track. A Half-Track, also known as a half-track vehicle, is an army vehicle that is equipped with caterpillar tracks at the rear and wheels at the front. After consultation with his manager and COO Raymond Belderink, Nooteboom has decided to support this project and to take care of the blasting, hot zinc spray and painting.

Historical value

The Half-Track, which was used by the American army from 1938, is an important historical vehicle that was used during D-day on the route to the Netherlands, among other things. It drove in the region from 1944 to 1945 and stood in Belgium after the Netherlands and was finally shipped to Chile where it was used until 2008. The museum has brought the vehicle back to the Netherlands and it therefore has an important historical value.

Raymond Belderink, COO Nooteboom Trailers: “As a sponsor you contribute to the preservation of cultural history for the next generation and thus support the museum in their core values. We find that important at Nooteboom and we are also more socially involved in the nearby area.”

Beautiful restoration

WIDO crane rental transported the dismantled half-track vehicle with a Scania truck-mounted crane with a Nooteboom trailer. The vehicle was first completely blasted to remove rust, old paint and dirt. Subsequently, the vehicle was completely scraped and a zinc protective layer was applied to the metal to ensure long-term preservation. Finally, the whole was primed and provided with a 2K component paint. The result of this restoration is impressive, the vehicle looks beautiful and is as good as new.

Niemandsland War Museum

The Niemandsland (No Man’s Land) War Museum, located at Nijmeegsestraat 19a in Gendt, focuses on the period 1939-1945 in the Betuwe region. The region has an important historical value because nowhere in Europe has been fought for as long as here, no less than 198 days. The museum in the old town hall can be visited for guided tours and educational projects in which the story of the war is told by means of a diorama and interactive screens. In addition to the museum, the museum also owns 3 GMC trucks, 3 jeeps, 1 motorcycle, 1 parascooter “Crushman” and now also the restored Half-Track at another location. One of these GMC trucks from 1943 has been converted into a mobile information center in order to be able to offer this to schools for both primary and/or secondary education. This is how history is passed on.

For more information and opening times, please visit www.museumniemandsland.nl Children up to 10 years are free.