To investigate the catalytically stabilized combustion of hydrogen in a duct, hydroxyl radical and temperature distributions have been measured by LIF and holographic interferometry, resp. A detailed two-dimensional numerical model has been developed. For the heterogeneous reaction mechanism simplifications are introduced which are justified by an analysis of the elementary heterogeneous reaction mechanism proposed by Hellsing et al. 1991. Experimental results and numerical simulation are in good agreement. The numerical model allows the identification of the relevant coupling mechanism between heterogeneous and homogeneous combustion of hydrogen. These are: radical recombination reactions at the wall, diffusive fluxes of H-2, O2, H2O due to the heterogeneous reactions and heat transfer from the wall to the gas. The desorption of radicals from the surface into the gas does not play a significant role in this system.