Holland in World War II: Arnhem Bridge

Arnhem Bridge

El Arnhem Bridge has become a timeless symbol of the bravery of airborne soldiers and was the scene of a legendary battle during the Second World War.

The resulting failure to capture the bridge has led it to be known as "a bridge too far." This bridge is in arnhem, the capital of the province of Gelderland in eastern Holland.

History relates that in September 1944, the Allies had crossed Hitler's Atlantic wall with the invasion of Normandy and, after fierce fighting, the Germans had been forced to return through France and Paris, an already liberated area.

Wanting to build on their momentum and determined to defeat Germany as soon as possible, the Allied forces planned to invade northern Germany. In doing so, they crafted an ambitious airborne assault to capture a series of major river crossings and open a gateway to Germany.

The plan, known as Operation Market Garden, involved dropping thousands of allied troops behind enemy lines to obtain a number of major river crossings. These troops after securing the crossing over the Rhine, including the Arnhem Bridge, had to pave the way for a ground assault. It would be the largest air assault in history.

The areas involved included the United States 82nd Airborne Division under Gen. James Gavin, the 101st Airborne Division led by the British First Airborne Division commanded by Major General Robert Urquhart and General Maxwell Taylor.

In this way, Operation Market Garden took place from September 17 to 25, 1944, but it was very bad for the Allies. The paratroopers dived too far from their lines and few reached their correct targets, communication was an important issue, and the strength of the German response had been underestimated.

The XNUMXnd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, under Lt. Col. John Frost, was tasked with securing the Arnhem bridge, but had only a fraction of their numbers planned after the jump.

They succeeded in capturing half the bridge and fought determinedly to defend for several days against overwhelming odds, but in the end the Germans managed to fix them and regain control of the area.

However, despite the fact that the Battle of Arnhem Bridge and Operation Market Garden as a whole was a defeat for the Allies, the bravery and courage of the troops became part of the legend and even inspired the movie of 1977, »A distant bridge».

Today, the Arnhem Bridge is a modest sight and there is not much to see, although there are monuments and museums. Annual commemorations are held on the Arnhem Bridge to remember the battle that took place there.


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