Arnhem- St. Eusebius Church

Arnhem was the site of a significant battle during 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 17 September 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 they were not successful in securing both sides of the bridge. The Allied troops coming to relieve them encountered stiff resistance from the German 9th and 10th SS Panzer divisions, which had been stationed in and around the city. The Allied troops acted under the assumption that there would be no resistance in the area. Did they have better info and chose to ignore it? That's not clear.

The British force at the bridge eventually ran out of ammunition and was captured on 21 September, and a full withdrawal of the remaining forces was made on 26 September. 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). 

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 the Netherlands in 1940. The second bridge was destroyed by the US Army Air Forces shortly after the 1944 battle. As a tribute, the rebuilt bridge was renamed 'John Frost Bridge' after the commander of the paratroopers.

A second battle of Arnhem took place in April 1945 when the city was liberated by the British 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division fighting as part of the First Canadian Army.

Our first stop in Arnhem was St. Eusebius Church. This is the largest building in Arnhem. On the site of a previously existing church, construction on this church began in 1452! It took approximately one century to complete the building. During Market Garden, the church was extensively damaged but was restored after the war. No longer used for religious services, the site commemorates the bravery of the paratroopers who attempted to capture the bridge. There is a mostly glass elevator that will take guests up into the tower for some history and great views. You can see the site of the fought-after bridge. Along the way you get a close up of the church carillon.

The photos show the bridge in 1944 (top) and in 1994.

Our photo of the bridge 2015.

B climbed down the rickety ladder to enter the crypt which was dark but he said there are some skeletons down there.

This has nothing to do with WWII history, but we happened past a yarn shop and I went in to browse. Made a little purchase. Some day the yarn will probably be a shawl or scarf. Saw this cute bench outside the shop.