A Bridge Too Far - Nijmegen and Arnhem

It is difficult to appreciate how the lives of so many were impacted by the War.

It is equally hard to imagine how devestated this area was.

The Airborne Museum did a nice job telling the story.

Uniforms of the British 1st Airborne.

Airborne Museum - the exact location of General Urquhart's command post.

Headquarters in Oosterbeek.

Too many of these on both sides.

John Frost's Bridge in Arnhem.

Not a great picture of Nijmegen bridge - the last bridge needed to relieve the British 1st Airborne.

Steve's new job has taken him to business trips in Nijmegen. On the way to the last visit he took the train from Schiphol to Arnhem and Nijmegen to visit the site of Operation Market Garden, the largest airborne operation of the Second World War. Having seen the movie A Bridge Too Far several times while growing up, it was nice to see the place where these events took place. The Dutch have done a nice job preserving the location of key events, including General Urquhart's headquarters in Oosterbeek which has been converted into an airborne museum. Nearby is the Commonwealth Military Cemetery. Though Arnhem was heavily damaged (as most Dutch cities near the operation) there is a memorial for those men under General John Frost who fought to hold the Arnhem bridge. After these visits, Steve headed to Nijmegen. He left the trip with a better understanding of the operation and, more importantly, how the Dutch people suffered from German reprisals that lead to the Hunger Winter.