Stories

On 17 September 1944, Gelderland and Noord-Brabant were the battlegrounds during Operation Market Garden. Tens of thousands of paratroopers landed near Arnhem, Groesbeek, Veghel and Eindhoven. A ground army of tens of thousands more soldiers and heavy equipment advanced north from the Belgian border. The Allies intended to conquer the bridges over the great rivers and advance into the Ruhr area—the heart of Germany—via Gelderland. The operation was only partially successful, Arnhem turned out to be a bridge too far, and the battle there was lost. The south of the Netherlands was liberated, the north and the middle remained occupied, and the big cities in the west were facing a terrible famine. Until the liberation in April and May, Gelderland and, more specifically, the region of the great rivers formed the frontline of the war.