Holland, October 1944. A reconnaissance patrol from the 101st airborne division had been tasked with capturing two German prisoners of war behind enemy lines. They came back with 32. This is the story known as “the incredible patrol”. It was published in LIFE Magazine in 1945. After that it was largely forgotten. Until now.
ARNHEM – It is a bizarre story, but it is true. A month after the end of Market Garden, six American soldiers were ordered to take two German prisoners of war north of the Rhine. The patrol returned a day later with 32 German prisoners of war. (By: Patrick Arink) The bizarre exploration took place…
While the British airborne division had long since been defeated and Arnhem had been evacuated by order of the Germans, there was still one British soldier in the city center of Arnhem. He managed to stay out of the hands of the Germans until the liberation in April 1945. This is the remarkable story of…
The story of General Hackett’s escape is exemplary of the courage of the Dutch resistance to help English soldiers stranded during the Battle of Arnhem. Brigadier General John ‘Shan’ Hackett was wounded in Oosterbeek on September 24, 1944. Hackett ended up in the Elisabeth Gasthuis. With the help of the resistance, he was able to…
At the end of 1944, 26-year-old teacher Nel Stuij was closely involved in the escape of a number of wounded British soldiers who remained in occupied territory after the Battle of Arnhem. Just before her death in 2012, she wrote down her war memories.“We just did what had to be done.” “When we heard that…
Operation Market Garden officially lasted until September 25, 1944. The battle ended with the withdrawal of the remnants of the British airborne division in Oosterbeek. But a few days later the final agreement of Market Garden was for the Germans. On the night of September 28 to 29, 1944, German divers managed to blow up…
After the British withdrew across the Rhine during the night of September 25 to 26, many paratroopers and air crews were still left behind on the north side of the river. Through a daring escape, 130 soldiers managed to return to the Allied lines a month later. The escape, called Operation Pegasus, is considered one…
After operation Market Garden had ended, the fighting in Arnhem was still not completely over. On October 7, 1944, the Rhine Bridge in Arnhem, which had been fought over so hard, was destroyed by bombing. After the Battle of Arnhem was lost by the Allies at the end of September 1944, the British and American…
The ground for the second Battle of Arnhem was laid while the Battle of Arnhem was still raging in full force in September 1944. On September 23, 1944, the German occupiers decided to evacuate the entire population of Arnhem. With the exception of some firefighters, police officers and Burgers’ zookeepers, all residents of Arnhem had…
The photo above this article is world famous. The photo can be found in many books about the Battle of Arnhem and has, for example, been used as a cover photo of the Dutch book “Another view on the Battle of Arnhem” by Peter Berends. At the corner of Steenstraat near Musis Sacrum, the German…
