Finally, in October 2017, one of my often-postponed travels happened. I spent 3 days following the path of one of the most daring failed operations of World War II – Operation Market Garden which was immortalised in a book by Cornelius Ryan and a movie directed by Richard Attenborough called A Bridge Too Far. The plan was simple. Operation Market was about 3 allied paratrooper divisions capturing several bridges in occupied eastern Netherlands along the German border while Operation Garden consisted of the XXX Armoured Corps running through from Belgium and over several small and 3 major bridges at Grave, Nijmegen and Arnhem, flanking the German defensive Siegfried Line and rolling into the Ruhr area thereby ending the war by Christmas of 1944.
The operation was considered a failure as the bridge at Arnhem over the Rhine could not be held and the XXX Armoured Corps never actually reached Arnhem – that was the bridge too far! But for the inhabitants of cities like Eindhoven (home to Philips and its once-famed football team, PSV) and Nijmegen, it was a success because it liberated them from German occupation in September 1944!
I spent 2 nights in Nijmegen with my old and good friend Nelleke van der Vleuten. I have known Nelleke for over 15 years and was always knew that she stayed at Nijmegen and though we have been only sporadically in touch in the past, I naturally mailed her to say I was coming. She and her partner Chris not only generously hosted me but we spent several agreeable hours discussing liberalism, nationalism and several other isms in the comfort of their house, which was brilliant.
Nelleke curated 2 brilliant surprises for me, both related to Operation Market Garden, that were breath-taking and memorable and really showed how lovely a friend she is and how deeply grateful the people of Nijmegen are to Operation Market Garden. For me, they were one of the most touching and inspirational moments, not just of this visit but, if I may be permitted some melodrama, of my life! But some background before that.
In September 1944, most of the Netherlands was under German occupation. The US 82nd Airborne Division was charged with capturing the bridges at Grave (over the river Maas) and Nijmegen (over the river Waal). Because Nijmegen was under German occupation and it would have been difficult to reach the bridge through the town, it was decided to attack the bridge from the other side. This meant crossing the Waal on collapsible canvas-and-wood boats just west of the town. For various reasons, The Crossing (as it was called in English and De Oversteek in Dutch) had to be delayed and was finally done at 15:00 hrs With Nelleke at her lovely garden The beautiful Nijmegen bridge over the Waal
on September 20, 1944. 48 young US soldiers lost their lives. But the story had a happy ending as the bridge was captured and Nijmegen was liberated.
Nelleke’s first surprise was to introduce me to Dorine Steenbergen. Dorine used to work with a regional newspaper, de Gelderlander, whose offices used to overlook the spot where The Crossing took place. A new bridge was being planned at the exact spot of the Crossing and Dorine and her colleagues decided that an appropriate way to remember and honour this historic event and the subsequent liberation of Nijmegen was to write about the 48 young Americans who fought and died at a ridiculously young age (they were all in their 20s) in a country thousands of miles from home and in a war they had nothing to do with! Thus started her painstaking labour of love and respect where she spent months criss-crossing across the US and speaking to families of the 48 fallen soldiers. Remember, most were too young to be married and have children and so she met siblings, nieces and nephews and, in some cases, grand-nieces and grand-nephews to piece together this publication titled simply as “The Crossing” in English and “De Oversteek” in Dutch. I am a proud possessor of a copy with a handwritten note from Dorine!
After a quick chat, we walked to the new bridge that was constructed in 2013 – it has to be one of the most beautiful and aesthetic of bridges that I have seen, even after accounting for the fact that I was overawed by its mere location that bore witness to history! We reached the bridge just around dusk where we ran into 4 others, including 2 Dutch army veterans who had also served in one of the UN Peacekeeping Forces, evidenced by their blue berets. And here was the second, goose-bumping, jaw-dropping surprise that Nelleke and Dorine had crafted – the Lights Crossing!
The bridge has 48 pairs of lights, each representing the 48 young US soldiers who died on that fateful day. Every day at sunset, an army veteran walks across the bridge from the Nijmegen side. As the veteran approaches each pair of lights, they light up. And so it goes on till he reaches the other side of the bridge. Then, and only then, do all the lights of Nijmegen come on! I did this walk with Nelleke, Dorine and the others and it felt exhilarating and humbling.
The town of Nijmegen has a truly unique way of saying – thank you!
The indefatigable Dorine Steenbergen
De Oversteek Brug
With Dorine at the Lights Crossing. Photo credit – Nelleke van der Vleuten