Is THIS The Most Interesting Bridge in Europe?

ave you ever seen a movie about some historical event and then, later on, gone to the places yourself? When you got there did you find it was as you thought it'd be, or was it all totally different? I mention all this because longtime listeners to my shows when I was on three top LA radio stations (and those who have followed my stories on Traveling Boy) know I'm a real WW2 buff, and that I love visiting many famous European battleground sites from that now forgotten war.

One such place is Arnhem in Holland. Anyone who's interested in some of the more famous battle sites of that era, probably place Operation Market Garden, and the ensuing battle in and around Arnhem, in the same category as say the Battle of Britain, or maybe D-Day on June 6th, 1944. A couple of years ago I was in Germany on vacation with my wife, and decided that since I was relatively near Arnhem (we were at Düsseldorf) I'd go see what it was really like.

Driving there along the Autobahn in Germany was a bit of a challenge because there seemed to be more turnoffs and exits than I had at first realized, which confused me a bit as regards taking the correct route to the Netherlands. In fact, when I crossed the border between Germany and drove into Holland, I was taken aback that I could do just that - I mean there was no customs house, no gates to shut or open, and unless I'd seen a sign that said "Welcome to Holland," I never would have known I was now in another country. Europe, as almost everyone knows, is now a virtually border free geographical area.

If you've read this far (!) the question is would YOU want to visit Arnhem if you were NOT a WW2 aficionado, but just a tourist visiting the Netherlands? Although I have some reservations in saying this, the answer is a resounding yes. It is a charming, picturesque sort of place, tranquil and pleasing to the eye. If you happened to see the 1977 Joseph E. Levine movie "A Bridge Too Far" about this epic WW2 event and compare what you saw in the movie, and what is here today yes, it's even more worthwhile going to this charming Dutch city.

Operation Market Garden was (I think) a far too hastily prepared plan to seize numerous bridges over the River Rhine, and then gain a fast entry into Germany, and so end the war very quickly. Plus the fact that Allied intelligence (?) disregarded information from the Dutch Resistance about a recent, large influx of tanks and SS troops in the area. In the event, it turned out to be a disaster involving over 84,000 allied troops, of whom nearly 17,000 were either killed, wounded or missing. The Germans lost around 10,000.

It is my hope that the preceding words and the photos that accompany this story, intrigue you enough to actually take the time to visit Arnhem, and see for yourself the various "things" connected to that famous (or perhaps the word should be "infamous?") battle of WW2. For a further look at all this, Google words like Arnhem, Operation Market Garden, Oosterbeek and the Hartenstein Airborne Museum. And yes, if you do go, send me an email to jdcradio@cox.net with YOUR comments.

A Bridge Too Far?
This is the so called "Bridge Too Far" from the movie of the same name. As I stood there I closed my eyes and could hear the gunfire, the rat-tat of both allied and German guns, and the scene from the movie where British troops in a house near the bridge, could see all the action unfolding before them. There is also, at the foot of the bridge, a small monument and gun from the conflict. Because it was such a glorious day when I stood there, it was hard, if not impossible, to reconcile that with the mayhem and murder that took place in September 1944. It all made me contemplate the large number of soldiers who died trying to either take the bridge or defend it. In 1978 the bridge was officially named "The John Frost Bridge" in honor of the 2nd Parachute Battalion Commander (played in the movie by Anthony Hopkins) who spearheaded the small advance of British paratroopers to reach it.

A Marvelous Museum
Of all the places in, near and around Arnhem that feature things connected to Operation Market Garden, this is (in my view) the most interesting and the most fascinating. It provides an almost "You Are there" perspective of the battle with life sized models and artifacts from the battle itself on display. It was this house that was featured in the closing scenes of the movie "A Bridge Too Far" where the front lawn is filled with lots of wounded soldiers. It is located near the center of Oosterbeek, and is a short walk from the railway station.

A Peaceful Reminder
This tranquil scene is, well I guess the word is "opposite" to the raging, savage, and mind shattering battles that took place here so long ago. Oosterbeek is home to the Hartenstein Hotel, which dates back to the 18th century - it was originally a country manor, then a nursing home and finally a hotel - and now the Airborne Museum. I say that Oosterbeek is opposite to this serenity, because I also wanted to see another of the much sought after (and this DOES sound strange, and almost bizarre) tourist attractions, The Arnhem-Oosterbeek Cemetery. It is very near this sign and is located in a gloriously peaceful parkland setting. It contains the graves of 1,678 British and Commonwealth soldiers, along with 73 Polish and 8 Dutch gravesites, plus some 246 unidentified. It is also the location - in and around and among these bushes and trees - that both sides' fought an ever increasingly ferocious battle….all so hard to imagine in the peaceful setting you see in this photo. Several years ago I talked to a German historian who regretted that the SS and other German troops in Arnhem had beaten back the Allies. When I asked why, he said that if the British, American and Polish forces had indeed won, they would have gone straight on into Germany as was originally intended. And so dramatically shortened the war, and changed history.