A Bridge Too Far..................

[NoncomRetired]

The below photo is of the veterans of the Border Regiment and a gal by the name of Greet Overmeen. As a young child, her and all her other classmates adopted a grave to attend at the british cemetery at Oosterbeek. Greet was then adopted by the Border Regt and attended all their reunions, both in Carlisle and in Holland. She has sadly passed on as so many other in this photo I took many years ago.

The other photo is of the wreath ceremony at the burial of three recently found (at that time) british MIAs in Oosterbeek. I have more photos of Arnhem and Oosterbeek if you care to see them and also of Nijmegen where the 82nd took that bridge, let me know.

[NoncomRetired]

Come to think about it, I might have already posted these photos, if so....senior moment!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at 92, I'm allowed.

[Edward Tinker]

very cool


i lived in the Netherlands for 7 years (93-99) and attended the annual US led Memorial day ceremony in Margratin, an American Cemetery near Aachen, Germany.

I took a weekend course for college that focused on the Bridge too Far. We went (as much as possible) the entire route on the old roads that the British travel, the 82nd landed in and the group ended up at the Arnhem Museum devoted to Operation Market Garden. It was first day lecture, second day drive while the Professor instructed us. It was a most excellent course.

He also taught the 'Battle of the Bulge" course, same principle. His courses were very popular.

[NoncomRetired]

I visited back and forth in 94 and 95. Use to travel up, see friends and go to military shows, most friendly country I ever traveled in or lived in. Great how English was a school required second language too. Everyone spoke English. In Arnheim and Oosterbeek, they sorta cringed when they heard german being spoken.

[Ron Smith]

My Father-in-Law took part in Operation Market Garden. He flew one of the C-47 Glider Tugs.

[NoncomRetired]

I read the History of the Glider Pilot Regt and the USAAF Glider Pilots and both countries had a shortage of Glider Pilots. The USA's shortage was do to the amount who volunteered which is why as soon as the glider hit the ground he found his way back to get in another glider and the british shortage was due to something similar, once their glider hit the ground the glider pilots became part of the same landing forces and in Arnheim, very few made it out alive or captured.

Here is something who is interested, right after the hostilities ended and prisoners released, those that were captured after Operation Market-Garden (brits) they had to participate is a documentary film about the battle. They were sent back to Arnhem and Oosterbeek and actually had to re-fight the battle on the same ground. Using captured german armor and in some cases, german soldiers, they re-fought the battle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theirs_Is_the_Glory

Ed Tinker can agree since he toured the ground, the places used in the movie "The Bridge Too Far" was pretty much identical to the actual places where the battles occurred, Especially Arnhem Bridge, now named the 'John Frost Bridge'.

Originally Posted by Ron Smith

My Father-in-Law took part in Operation Market Garden. He flew one of the C-47 Glider Tugs.

[MikeP]

My dad dropped into Eindhoven with the 506th.
He was wounded a few days later and evacced to England.
He was repaird and reissued in time to make the stand down prior to Bastogne and the night cattle car trip there.
He made it through the end and was suiting up for the Pacific when Hirohito threw in the towell.

[NoncomRetired]

I did a battlefield walk over the 502nd and the 506th 101st area also and went to the exact location where Pvt Joe Mann was killed, he was with the 502nd. Stood across the canal from the famous 'Island' also.

I was attached to Hdqs 506th for awhile before I retired.

Originally Posted by MikeP

My dad dropped into Eindhoven with the 506th.
He was wounded a few days later and evacced to England.
He was repaird and reissued in time to make the stand down prior to Bastogne and the night cattle car trip there.
He made it through the end and was suiting up for the Pacific when Hirohito threw in the towell.

[alanint]

It is amazing to stand in the actual locations where these events took place. I try to go every year and find locations that are fairly well known from the history books and take a "then and now" photograph. Some are favorites like the town square in Bastogne and others more poignant like the Baugnez Crossroads and the horse troughs in Honsfeld.

I also try to visit every US cemetery that is nearby.

[Olle]

My brother and I went to Holland many years ago, and when we got to Arnhem we decided to see the bridge. For some reason (probably the Dutch beer) we couldn't find it, so after half an hour of zig-zaging through the wrong parts of town we decided to give up and get on our way south. Once we turned a corner onto one of the main drags, there it was. It was kind of weird to see it, it looked just like in old pictures and it was like driving into a history book.

[NoncomRetired]

Same with me, as a kid, reading about places and events wasn't enough, I made it an important and interesting pastime in my later years to go and stand in those places myself, from historical events to movie locations.

I never made it to Bastogne though. Corregidor was most interesting, nothing there except what was left after we took the island back and jumping on "The Rock" was an attack for the history books.

All the gun positions still facing seaward.

Originally Posted by alanint

It is amazing to stand in the actual locations where these events took place. I try to go every year and find locations that are fairly well known from the history books and take a "then and now" photograph. Some are favorites like the town square in Bastogne and others more poignant like the Baugnez Crossroads and the horse troughs in Honsfeld.

I also try to visit every US cemetery that is nearby.

[NoncomRetired]

I lost all my photos of the John Frost Bridge in Arnheim. The hardtop road leading up to that bridge on the Arnheim side still have some british MIAs over them.
Here is a photo of the bridge in Nijmegen that the 82nd took or so the movie portrayed. There was and still is a railroad bridge that runs along side the traffic bridge about 300 meters away. When Maj Cook of his 504th crossed in boats and attacked the railroad bridge, by the time they realized the mistake, the Guards Div was already across the mined traffic bridge.
When I visited the crossing area, both sides, that was a goosebumps experience.

BTW, do you remember the lake in the park between the two streets leading up to the bridge and from the bridge, supposedly there is a FW-190 in it, it was shot down, hit one of the two church spirals and went into that lake or so I was told by a dutrch friend of mine that had a basement full of dugup American, british and german weapons and many he had restored. He searched for American MIAs and had found a few when I first met him.

(My mistake, that is the John Frost Bridge now that I noticed the two block houses on the left and right.) I found my photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is the Pegasus sign on the bridge.

Originally Posted by Olle

My brother and I went to Holland many years ago, and when we got to Arnhem we decided to see the bridge. For some reason (probably the Dutch beer) we couldn't find it, so after half an hour of zig-zaging through the wrong parts of town we decided to give up and get on our way south. Once we turned a corner onto one of the main drags, there it was. It was kind of weird to see it, it looked just like in old pictures and it was like driving into a history book.

[NoncomRetired]

Here is the street before the entrance to the Nijmegen Bride, just past the kiosk the street goes left. There was real heavy fighting at that entrance, it was held by german paratroops. The last photo was some of my british para collection. That blouse belonged to a Cpl Kane of the Ox and Bucks who was part of the assault on the Melville Battery at Normandy.

The print hanging on the wall is of the John Frost Bridge during the battle, it was signed all the way around by vets of both Arnheim and Oosterbeek at the 40th Anniversary in Arnheim.

[Olle]

Originally Posted by NoncomRetired

BTW, do you remember the lake in the park between the two streets leading up to the bridge and from the bridge, supposedly there is a FW-190 in it, it was shot down, hit one of the two church spirals and went into that lake or so I was told by a dutrch friend of mine that had a basement full of dugup American, british and german weapons and many he had restored. He searched for American MIAs and had found a few when I first met him.

This was in the late 80's, and I don't remember that lake. I do remember the sight of that bridge though, and the street view in your picture looks exactly like what we saw when we turned onto that street. I have seen a lot of pictures, so there was a lot to take in while slowly driving across the bridge. The movie was shot in a different location, but even if I have seen it numerous times I still couldn't tell much of a difference.

There was also a great museum somewhere in that area, IIRC close to a war cemetary. It was an old mansion with a Sherman sitting in the driveway, and they had a lot of neat stuff. One thing that stood out was a display that showed soldiers and equipment from Germany, USA and England. Seeing the differences between the German's well made hi tech gear and the Allied's somewhat dated and utilitarian looking stuff was probably the most memorable part, and it sure made you wonder how the Germans would have done under a different commander.

[Olle]

BTW: The present bridge is not the same as the original one, which was destroyed later on in the war. However, it's an exact replica: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frost_Bridge

[alanint]

Originally Posted by Olle

One thing that stood out was a display that showed soldiers and equipment from Germany, USA and England. Seeing the differences between the German's well made hi tech gear and the Allied's somewhat dated and utilitarian looking stuff was probably the most memorable part, and it sure made you wonder how the Germans would have done under a different commander.

While the German weapons and armor were generally superior, their uniforms, load bearing equipment, footwear, rations and personal items lagged far behind the US. Our webgear was revolutionary and still in use today, (if you've ever taken a German equipment belt off, all the gear slides to the back or right off the belt unless you control both ends).

[NoncomRetired]

Originally Posted by Olle

This was in the late 80's, and I don't remember that lake. I do remember the sight of that bridge though, and the street view in your picture looks exactly like what we saw when we turned onto that street. I have seen a lot of pictures, so there was a lot to take in while slowly driving across the bridge. The movie was shot in a different location, but even if I have seen it numerous times I still couldn't tell much of a difference.

There was also a great museum somewhere in that area, IIRC close to a war cemetary. It was an old mansion with a Sherman sitting in the driveway, and they had a lot of neat stuff. One thing that stood out was a display that showed soldiers and equipment from Germany, USA and England. Seeing the differences between the German's well made hi tech gear and the Allied's somewhat dated and utilitarian looking stuff was probably the most memorable part, and it sure made you wonder how the Germans would have done under a different commander.

This was the place.................it was used as the Cmd Hdqs and a hospital. It is the museum today. Foxholes were all over the place around it and the famous photo and film of a mortar crew was dug-in the front yard. Those three guys survived the war and when they went back for the making of that film, they dug up that mortar tube that they had buried and it's now in the Border Regt Museum in Carlyle. There is a legend that there was a bounty on their heads because of their accuracy.

The other photo is of the famous 'Crossroads' just down the street from the museum. Most fought over place in Oosterbeek. Two of the corner places were field hospitals, one german, one british. I met up with my dutch buddies in the british one which was and is still a coffee shop. Turn left at the crossroad and it takes you to that cemetery which is the same cemetery about in the photos. You can still see bullet holes in the bricks inside and a mural covers one wall of the inside wounded during the battle.



http://www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem...rderMortar.htm

I had their autographs in the book "The History of the Border Regt", sadly I don't have that book anymore, it was filled with autographs and a gift from the Border Regt for my contribution to the museum of the helmet that belonged to a Pvt Stanley that was KIA and is still MIA. I corresponded with his hole mate when he was shot through the head by a sniper. Stanley was buried in that foxhole and is still there. I corresponded with his sister also and even though his foxhole could be pinpointed by his holemate, Stanley's brother wanted him left there. Benny and I never got the chance to search the ground for him, family wishes. His sister sent me a war time photo of her brother which I gave to the museum also.

[Diver6106]

Originally Posted by MikeP

My dad dropped into Eindhoven with the 506th.
He was wounded a few days later and evacced to England.
He was repaird and reissued in time to make the stand down prior to Bastogne and the night cattle car trip there.
He made it through the end and was suiting up for the Pacific when Hirohito threw in the towell.

I didn't know your Dad was in Op MG... So was mine. He was flying Ridgeway over head in a recon & providing CAS from a B-17, faithfully named Screaming Eagle, see attached. For full story, see Courage Honor Victory history of the 95th BG, or Gen Ridgeway's memoirs. No more watches at the alert center...

[Edward Tinker]

great stuff to re-read

thanks gentlemen

[cirelaw]

Perfect Presentation!! Where would all of us be without our History and being able to share it with us all~ Its wonderful for you and others to recount your familys' past and its' role in our present. Its so nice to be proud!~~ Thanks You and all!