On September 17, 1944 at 11:41 in the morning the first bombs fell from allied aircraft in the area around the Parkweg in Ede. The bombs were intended to attack German targets on the east side of Ede, prior to the Airborne landings later that day. A second attack followed in the afternoon. A total of 71 inhabitants of Ede died as a result.
Since the memorial was unveiled in 2009, there has been an annual commemoration in which school children play a major role. At the end of the ceremony, the memorial is symbolically handed over to another school. A metal plane cut out of the wing above the memorial is handed over to pupils of the next school.