Is This The Most Interesting Bridge in Europe?

Words and photos by John Clayton

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.

Have 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 in Peninsula People, 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 in 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 to 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.

I Arnhem 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 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 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.