A bridge too far
To many tourists, the city of Arnhem is inextricably linked to Operation Market Garden, where the bridge at Arnhem proved ‘A bridge too far’. This dramatic airborne landing operation was carried out in 1944 and a world-famous film was produced in 1977 that was shot in the Region.
In September 1944, the allied forces had prepared an ambitious plan to recapture a number of strategic bridges from the Germans. Due to false information, sheer misfortune and bad weather this daring operation failed miserably. Taking the last bridge, the Rijnbrug near Arnhem, by force proved too ambitious. In retrospect, the allied forces should have been content with recapturing the Waalbrug near Nijmegen, an operation that was truly successful.
The film ‘A bridge too far’ was shot in Arnhem, Nijmegen and Deventer in 1976. Although the John Frost bridge in Arnhem is still the same bridge it was in 1944, it was surrounded by modern buildings as early as 1976. The Wilhelmina bridge near Deventer was therefore used as a substitution for certain parts of the movie, which was directed by Richard Attenborough.
If you would like to find out more about Operation Market Garden and what really happened in Arnhem and Nijmegen during war time, please visit:
- the Arnhems Oorlogmuseum 40-45 in Schaarsbergen (in Dutch Only)
- the Airborne Museum Hartenstein in Oosterbeek
- or Het Nationaal Bevrijdingsmuseum in Groesbeek near Nijmegen
