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In World War II, during Operation Market Garden (September 1944), the British 1st Airborne Division and the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade were given the task of securing the bridge at Arnhem. The units were parachuted and glider-landed into the area on September 17 and later. The bulk of the force was dropped rather far from the bridge and never met their objective. A small force of British 1st Airborne managed to make their way as far as the bridge but was unable to secure both sides. The Allied troops encountered stiff resistance from the German 9th and 10th SS Panzer divisions, which had been stationed in and around the city.
The British force at the bridge eventually surrendered on September 21, and a full withdrawal of the remaining forces was made on September 26. These events were dramatized in the 1977 movie A Bridge Too Far. (The bridge scenes in the movie were shot in Deventer, where a similar bridge over the IJssel was available, as the area around Arnhem bridge had changed too much to represent WWII era Arnhem).
As a tribute, the rebuilt bridge was renamed 'John Frost bridge' after the commander of the paratroopers. The official commemoration is September 16.
The current bridge is the third almost-identical bridge built at the same spot. The Dutch Army destroyed the first bridge when the Germans invaded Holland in 1940. The second bridge was destroyed by the US Air Force shortly after the 1944 battle.
A second battle of Arnhem took place in April 1945 when the city was liberated by I Canadian Corps of the First Canadian Army.
For more information about escorted tours to Arnhem and the surrounding area, visit the Explorer Travel (ABTA C1953) battlefields website http://www.battlefieldexplorer.com
Tour the battlefield’s of Europe with war tours - free guide to battlefield tours of the first world war and second world war. featuring maps and details of the trenches and memorials in France and Belgium and Holland. Places to visit include Vimmy, the Somme, Verdun, Ypres salient -also known as ieper and wipers - Thiepval, Flanders field museum, details of accommodation, tourist information and how to get around with easy to use maps. .Great war places to see and visit. Links to other sites. battle of the bulge maps and guides, d-day beaches, arnhem Holland, a bridge too far. bastogne, la roche, ardennes, and December 1944 battle museum. Follow d-day beaches, Utah, Omaha, gold, Juno and sword. Includes details of the Sherwood foresters - Notts. and Derby Regiment from WW1, tour the battlefields of France & Belgium battlefields experience, war-tours and the-Somme
