Hotel Hartenstein is museum in Oosterbeek, Netherlands that is dedicated to commemorating the allied paratroopers especially 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions of the United States Army, both of whom primarily liberated the Netherlands with the airborne landings of D-Day and the failed Operation Market Garden. Unfortunately, the outbreak of COVID-19 has hit the museum after undergoing restoration of a major exhibit forcing the museum to remain closed past the reopening date of March 13th. Hotel Hartenstein has suffered around a 300,000 euro loss in revenue.
Members of the milsim group Easy Company 506th PIR have started taking actions to support the museum. The group initially set up a GoFundME for Hotel Hartenstein. They surpassed the initial goal of 2,000 euros and now has surpassed its second goal of 5,000. They have amassed nearly 8,000 euros. Easy Company is not alone anymore, several other milsim groups, mostly WW2 themed groups, and Hell Let Loose developer Black Matter along with Post Scriptum developer Periscope Games have donated to the museum. Both games are WW2 tactical shooters that Easy Company often plays.
The British 1st Airborne are in many ways a counterpart to their own beloved 101st Airborne. Even though we’re Easy 506th, we are trying to commemorate them and their history. We try to commemorate the warriors of World War 2.
Easy Company hosted a 24-hour Twitch stream in which that they gave out keys for Hell Let Loose and Post Scriptum every hour with all of the revenue made from that stream went to Hotel Hartenstein. They also held an auction for a Post Scriptum developer hoodie. Developers of Post Scriptum remodeled Hotel Hartenstein in their game adding it has the headquarters of the British 1st Airborne which is historically accurate as well as adding graffiti to various buildings which were taken from allied graffiti that is scrawled on the walls of Hotel Hartenstein.