Holland & Bastogne 1944–45
Nijmegen — Waal crossing & road bridge
Bridge · 82nd Airborne
GuideHolland & Bastogne 1944–45
AreaNijmegen, the Island & Arnhem
TypeBridge · 82nd Airborne
Time to allow30 min
LocationExact spot known
GPS51.85110, 5.87170
The story
On 20 September the 504th crossed the Waal in canvas boats under fire while the Guards' tanks rushed the road bridge. Half the boats were lost; the bridge fell at 19:00. The Waal crossing memorial stands on the south bank.
What to look for
The width of the river is the story.
Nearby sites
- Freedom Museum, Groesbeek · 9 km
- 506th PIR memorial, Elst · 9 km
- Driel — Polish brigade memorial · 13 km
- Grave bridge (John S. Thompson bridge) · 13 km
- John Frost Bridge, Arnhem · 14 km
- Crossroads memorial, Heteren · 15 km
All 48 sites in Holland & Bastogne 1944–45 →
Easy Company: Holland & Bastogne
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The places of Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, following Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne: Hell's Highway, Nijmegen and the Island, the Bois Jacques at Bastogne, the cemeteries of the Ardennes and Haguenau in Alsace.
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