In the distant past, the Peel was an area that was hardly accessible over the centuries. Even after the large-scale reclamation, the wet character of the area played a role during WWII. The Germans had chosen the region between the Peel and Maas as a front against the Allied liberation operation, on the one side the swampy area of the Peel and on the other side the river Maas. At that time, De Peel consisted of soft pastures intersected with watercourses and streams, heavy afforestation and only one major traffic road, the one to Venray. The Battle of Overloon (also known as Operation Aintree) has gone down in history as the only tank battle that took place on Dutch soil during the Allied liberation operations. With a completely destroyed Overloon as a result of, among other things, the frequent use of tanks, it was not a real tank battle. Street names in the town of Overloon as well as the museum and a military cemetery are reminders of this event. Part of the stage goes through the forest area of the Overloonse Duinen near Overloon, which owes its name to the original drifting dunes and past the war museum. The forest area is a varied forest area with small heather fields and dunes covered with juniper bushes.