In the Second World War the forest was used by the German Army as a launching place for their V-1 and V-2 rockets. An attempt by the Allies to destroy this facility led to the accidental bombardment on the adjacent Bezuidenhout district. Since 1899 the National Forest Administration of the Netherlands (the "Staatsbosbeheer") has owned and administered the park. Despite its protected status, two major motorways cut through the forest: the A12 and the Laan van Nieuw Oost Indië.