| The ultimate 'Boys Own' adventure as portrayed in 'A Bridge Too Far', the real Operation Market Garden was a disaster for the Allies. The main objective, to secure a series of bridges across the Rhine in advance of a major armoured offensive into Germany, was initially successful with the capture of the bridges at Waal and Nijmegen. It was at Arnhem, however, that things went badly wrong. In a week of bitter street fightin g between 17th - 25th September 1944, British forces suffered over 11,000 casualties and a further 6,000 taken prisoner from a force of 35,000. German losses were comparatively light. the Bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem When you visit Arnhem today, don't be too surprised if there seems to be something strangely familiar about the locations. The rows of brick terraced houses in plush residential suburbs; the church at Oosterbeek; St Elizabeth Hospital; the Hartstein Hotel. Most familiar of all, of course, the famous bridge over the Rhine, immortalised in Richard Attenborough epic retelling of Operation Market Garden, 'A Bridge Too Far'. While some of the original locations were used in filming, the bridge at Arnhem was not one of them. The design of the bridge - with its recognisable single span archway - has remained essentially the same since 1944 but the buildings around it have changed significantly. Attenborough preferred to film at Deventer a few miles to the north of Arnhem where a similar bridge  existed; the adjacent car park was used to reconstruct the wartime buildings overlooking the bridge. In 1978, the bridge at Arnhem was officially named the 'John Frost Bridge' in honour of the 2nd Parachute Battalion Commander (played in the film by Anthony Hopkins) who spearheaded the small advance unit of paratroopers to reach the bridge on 17th September. Memorial to British Airborne troops situated near the Bridge For four unrelenting days, Frost and his men valiantly held the north end of the bridge in the face of a massive onslaught by elite Waffen SS Panzer troops. Cut off from the rest of the 1st Airborne Division, it was only after the ammunition ran out that Frost finally surrendered, having lost the bulk of his 750-strong force. Today, a memorial plaque in honour of Major-G eneral Frost stands near the bridge, while information boards along the river bank recount the battle in detail. There is also a memorial marking the location of Frost's command headquarters. The bridge itself, however, is not designed for casual sightseers to stop off for a quick look; the main roads around it are extremely busy with an almost constant flow of traffic in both directions. There are places to park up nearby though and good views of the bridge can be enjoyed from the quieter road running alongside the river. John Frost Bridge Memorial Plaque Arnhem is a small but fast-moving city with a swirling mass of traffic and not the easiest road system to negotiate. Fortunately, most of the fighting took place not in the city itself but in the much quieter residential suburbs and villages west of the city, particularly Oosterbeek. While there are many cemeteries, memorials and other places of interest to see they are all fairly close together and can easily be viewed in a day. Once again, Major and Mrs Holt's Battle Map of Arnhem comes in very handy for locating the main sites of interest! Paratroopers of the British 1st Airborne Division and Polish 1st Parachute Brigade were dropped by parachute and glider in the fields to the west of  Oosterbeek, but were unable to reach the bridge in the face of heavy opposition from the 9th and 10th SS Panzer divisions. One of the main British Airborne Division landing sites near Oosterbeek The two main British landing sites are beside main roads and can be viewed from a distance, but it is worth remembering that they are situated on private farm land and closer inspection is probably not encouraged. There are a number of memorials by the roadside remembering the events of September 1944 and the Parachute Brigades who participated. Situated on the north ban k of the Rhine, Oosterbeek is home to the most famous location connected with the 1944 battle after the Bridge itself, the Hartstein Hotel. The hotel with its instantly recognisable whitewashed exterior dates from the mid-18th century and was originally a country manor, then a nursing home and finally a hotel. The Hartstein Hotel Airborne Museum Major-General Roy Urquart (played by a memorably grouchy Sean Connery in the film) set up his command post here and it became the centre of the British defensive perimeter following the failed attempt to reach the bridge. It was also here that the British forces surrendered on 25th September. After the war, the building reverted to being a hotel until 1978, when the Airborne Museum was relocated here, opened incidentally by Major Urquart himself. The museum is well worth visiting with an excellent display of artefacts and photographs, diaromas and an audio-visual presentation as well as a well- stocked book shop. In the grounds of the museum are a number of military vehicles associated with the battle and a memorial to the 'people of Gelderland', presented by veterans of the 1st Airborne Division in 1994 to mark the 50th anniversary. Memorial to the People of Gelderland, next to the Airborne Museum Another Oosterbeek landmark connected with Major Urquart is 'Urquart House', located at 14 Zwarteveg. This is the house where Urquart, cut off from his men following a solo reconnaisance of the area, hid in an attic for two days while the Germans searched the streets and back alleys below for British paratroopers. A plaque fixed to the wall commemorates this episode but the house is privately owned and the residents should not be disturbed by over-eager battlefield visitors! 
The house at 14 Zwarteveg where Major Urquart hid (Thanks to Paul Reed of 'Battlefields of WW2' for permission to use this photograph) The Arnhem-Oosterbeek British Cemetery is signposted off the main road and is located in quiet parkland on the edge of the town, opposite the communal cemetery. It is a very peaceful spot to remember those who fell. The cemetery contains 1,678 British and Commonwealth, 73 Polish and 8 Dutch Graves as well as 246 unidentified. This is one of thirteen CWGC Cemeteries located in the Arnhem-Nijmegen area, while other casualties are buried in churchyards and communal cemeteries scattered across the region. There are also a number of German, Dutch, Belgian, Polish and Jewish cemeteries. 
The Air Despatch Memorial next to the Arnhem-Oosterbeek Cemetery remembers the role of British and Canadian Air Forces who made valiant attempts to re-supply the Airborne troops below. 79 air crew were killed in these dangerous operations, their names inscribed on the bronze memorial panels. Arnhem-Oosterbeek Cemetery 
On the weekend of September 18th/19th 2004, thousands of people gathered here to remember the 60th anniversary of the battle. Flowers were laid at the graves of each soldier by local children. Amid a mass re-enactment of military personnel, vehicles and weaponry pride of place went to eight surviving veterans of the Airborne Division who once again dropped from the skies over Arnhem! The battle may have proved a less than glorious episode for the Allies but the remarkable feats of the individuals who took part will surely never be forgotten. Air Despatch Memorial |