Tuesday, September 19, was a dramatic day for the British. At the Gemeentemuseum and via Amsterdamseweg near Oosterbeek, the paratroopers had tried to reach Arnhem, but they were beaten back in both places. The Germans made hundreds of prisoners of war that day. At that time the Germans had several Kriegsberichter walking around in Arnhem,…
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…
For more than 80 hours, approximately 750 British paratroopers, led by Colonel John Frost, had defended their positions on the north side of the Rhine Bridge. Forced by a shortage of ammunition, but mainly because all the buildings that were occupied by the British had been set on fire, they had to surrender in the…
Arnhem was evacuated after the Battle of Arnhem. But the inhabitants of Arnhem South already had to evacuate while there was still heavy fighting in and around the city. By order of the German occupier, Arnhem South had to evacuate earlier. On Thursday, September 21, all residents of Arnhem south of the Rhine were told…
One Dutch soldier was involved during the Battle of Arnhem. Captain Jacob “Jaap” Groenewoud was added as a liaison officer to the headquarters of the 1st Parachute Brigade. Jacob Groenewoud was killed on Tuesday September 19 near the park near the Rhine bridge that now bears his name: the Jacob Groenewoudplantsoen. Groenewoud was an a-typical…
There are still many myths circulating about the Battle of Arnhem for so many decades afterwards. One of those myths is that the plans for Operation Market Garden had no role whatsoever for the German airbase Deelen, just north of Arnhem. Fliegerhorst Deelen was built by the Germans in 1940 as part of Germany’s air…
There are still many myths circulating about the Battle of Arnhem for so many decades afterwards. One of those myths is that Arnhem suffered the greatest war damage during the fighting between the English and Germans in September 1944. The myth that the fights during the Battle of Arnhem were responsible for the destruction arose…
According to the. original plans for Operation Market Garden, the 1st British Airborne Division was to occupy all of Arnhem before being relieved by the Allied ground forces. The Airborne Division’s headquarters would be located in concert hall Musis Sacrum. Musis was chosen because it was close to the Rhine Bridge and because it was…
When you look at the history of airborne landings during World War II, the main conclusion is that air landings were unsuccessful even in the years before the Battle of Arnhem. In September 1944, 12,000 British and Polish paratroopers landed west of Arnhem to secure bridges across the Rhine. At the same time, American paratroopers…
Few people know it, but the Airborne monument near the Rhine Bridge in Arnhem is actually a temporary monument. The final monument was to be placed on the main square in the city center. This monument was designed and realized, but it was never used as the ‘official’ Airborne Monument. What happened: After the liberation…