THE CITY of Arnhem is only a few kilometres away from Argyle's Dutch training camp at Papendal.

Some of the fiercest fighting in the Second World War took place in and around the locality.

There are reminders everywhere of 'The Battle of Arnhem', and the lives lost.

So, when we had some spare time this week, my Western Morning News colleague Rupert Metcalf and I found out more.

We visited the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek, once a small village but now a thriving suburb of Arnhem.

The museum is in what used to be the Hartenstein Hotel, which briefly was the HQ of British divisional commander Major-General R E Urquhart during the battle.

A huge military operation code-named 'Market Garden' took place in September 1944.

The Allies wanted to liberate the Netherlands and advance on Berlin, avoiding the Siegfried Line, the fortified defence positions between France and Germany.

It was a combination of a surprise attack by parachute troops to capture the bridges over the rivers (Market) and ground troops who would hold them (Garden).

Almost 12,000 British and Polish airborne soldiers fought in and around Arnhem to secure their objective – the bridge over the Rhine.

Around 700 allied troops reached the bridge on September 17, 1944 and fought hard for four days in an endeavour to take it.

The remainder of the 1st Airborne Division did not reach them because of strong German resistance.

Eventually, they withdrew to Oosterbeek, in the area around the Hartenstein Hotel, hoping to keep a bridgehead open until further ground troops arrived.

After five days of hardship and heavy fighting, what was left of the division withdrew across the Rhine.

Our trip to the Airborne Museum was a real eye-opener for me.

For example, the Edense Golf Club, which borders the Papendal training complex, was where the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade were dropped.

And there were landing zones for the 1st Airborne Division to the south-west of the nearby village of Wolfheze.

It is a beautiful part of the Netherlands and it is hard to believe that it was the scene of such bloodshed

Each year, many British tourists visit the Airborne Museum and I can thoroughly recommend it.

It not only tells you about Operation Market Garden, but the Battle of Arnhem from a British and German perspective.

It also tells the stories of the brave Dutch civilians who were caught up in the conflict, and suffered the consequences.

We also spotted a tank with the name 'Argyle' written on it outside the entrance to the museum.

ARGYLE pre-season tours usually involve a lot of travelling to the games, and this one has been no different.

For example, there was the trip to Obertraun in Austria two years ago, when both of the matches were played in Germany!

Or there was the time in Sweden in 2005 when Argyle travelled more than two hours into Lapland and played what amounted to a pub team on a park pitch and won 9-0.

Or, on a previous visit to Obertraun, there was the time when the Pilgrims' squad had a long coach trip across Austria to Wels.

There they found a pitch covered in small craters, and which was subsequently flooded by a torrential downpour. The game did not take place.

The first of Argyle's three matches in the Netherlands was staged in Sint Willebrord, not far from the border with Belgium.

It took around an hour by car to get there from Papendal.

It was even further to get to the next two games, both of which were in the northern part of the country, in the towns of Anna Paulowna and Franeker.

Anna Paulowna, for example, is in the province of Noord (North) Holland.

It is close to the North Sea, yet the Pilgrims have been staying in the east of the Netherlands.

Even driving mainly by motorways, it was half-past-midnight before Rupert and I returned to our hotel after the game against AZ.

It has, I suppose, given us an opportunity to see a lot of the Netherlands.

But, without wishing to sound churlish, it would have been nice if at least one of the three games had been relatively local to Papendal.