Day 4

 Arnhem - "A Bridge Too Far" / Operation Market Garden

Today was a lesson in World War II and a very famous attempt by the allies to break the Germans, which failed when they were unable to secure the bridge over the river here in Arnhem which was the basis of the film, "A Bridge Too Far."  We left the ship at 9 am and drove through the town of Arnhem for a few minutes before heading to the Airborne Museum which is housed in the Hotel Hartenstein - which was in the center of the battle area and served as a hospital during the fighting.

Movie poster "A Bridge Too Far"

The bridge which was the center of the battle and subject of the film

(just steps away from where our ship is docked)

The Hotel Hartenstein - then

The Hotel Hartenstein - now

When we arrived we were given a self-guided audio box to explore the museum.  It was interesting and we both enjoyed it - which if you know Kim and I is a MAJOR compliment because we are not fans of museums generally.  We had been told that one of the best exhibits was a realistic portrayal of the battle on the bottom level.  During this part of the museum presentation you entered a mock-up of a plane that made you feel like you were one of the troops being landed in a field near the battle zone and then you would your way through dioramas of the battle zone.  It was very well done, and the exhibits all had stories of the men and women who gave their lives trying to break through the German defenses and free Europe.

Monument to gliders that brought in the troops who did not parachute in

Tank from the battle outside the museum

Two allied warriors on board a flight into the battle - view out the cockpit at left

Battle-ravaged area of town with bridge in the background

After the museum we drove a short distance to the British cemetery.  It was moving and interesting.  I told Kim I felt badly that I was a history teacher, TAUGHT World War II lessons in my classroom and I did not know about this battle or the thousands of lives that were lost fighting to free Europe here.  A few of the most interesting stories from the graveyard were told around some of the grave markers below.  Tomorrow we are off to Kinderdijk to see the UNESCO World Heritage windmills.

If you look closely at the names - these two were twins who were both killed at this battle

Note the spacing between the markers in the photo of the twins and in the row in the background here.  Now note how much closer these five markers are.....Because this was a flight crew that went down together.

Several markers simply indicate it's a soldier because the identity is not known.  But a few of them, through advanced DNA testing are marked like this one, "Believed To Be" because they feel fairly certain they know who lies here.

After dinner this evening, the girls wanted to go up to the lounge to hear the "entertainment" so Gary and I - being good husbands - agreed to tag along for a few songs.  The first four open seats together were well in the back......Well the third song of the "show" the guys said, "You ma'am, in the back - I see you've been watching us carefully" and they turned the spotlight on Claudia (Kim had moved to the other side of the four seats prior to the song) and as they went further and further into the song they came closer and closer so that they ended up sitting with us.  It was a great way to end the day.

Tomorrow:  Kinderdijk