This is part one of a three part series on my tour of Arnhem Battlefield in July 2019. Part one is concerned with the village of Driel, where the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade landed and fought.
In July 2019 I flew to Europe for a short trip. One week was dedicated to working on a archaeological dig in Belgium. Another week I had all to myself. What to do? The answer came from my friend Jim. Himself a veteran of the Parachute Regiment and an immense history buff, he said ‘go and visit Arnhem’. I did just that.
Background to the battle
In a bid to end the war by Christmas 1944, Operation Market Garden was devised. Allied forces would invade northern Germany by establishing a bridgehead in the Netherlands. To achieve this, a series of bridges were to be secured by airborne forces and rapidly crossed over by a ground element.
Farthest to be secured was the bridge at Arnhem. This objective fell to the British 1st Airborne Division, the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade, and men from the Glider Pilot Regiment. These units were to land around Arnhem, take the bridge, and hold it for two to three days, until ground reinforcements came.
The reinforcements did not arrive on time. Despite securing the north end of the bridge, the airborne forces were forced to fall back. Most regrouped west of Arnhem at Oosterbeek. Whoever could make the crossing withdrew to the south bank of the Rhine. The Battle of Arnhem, fought from 17 to 26 September, 1944, was won by the Germans and is memorialized as ‘a bridge too far’.1
To the town of Driel
To start off my exploration of the battlefield, I decided to visit the town of Driel. It is located approximately eight kilometers west of John Frost Bridge in Arnhem. This is where the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade, without its anti-tank and light artillery batteries, landed on 21 September and fought.
The route I chose to take led me south of Arnhem and onto Drielse Rijndijk. This road runs adjacent to the Rhine. Having one lane for cars and two for bicycles, it makes for a pleasant ride in the countryside. Not so much for walkers particularly during the summer. Shade is difficult to come by, since trees grow sparsely on either side of the road. This was one luxury that I longed for during my trek!
Along the way there is a monument dedicated to several Royal Engineer units that partook in the battle. They helped to evacuate Allied forces, on the night of September 25, that were trapped north of the Rhine. The monument is situated a short distance east of a ferry site.
This site was a crucial objective during the battle. The Poles were to secure the ferry that operated here and use it to cross the Rhine, in order to assist the airborne forces at Oosterbeek. Upon reaching their objective the Poles found the ferry to be missing. More on this episode of the Battle of Arnhem will be discussed in part II of this series.
The town square and information center
Soon after entering the town on its main road, I was greeted by a tall sign post. Upon it a maker points towards to ‘The Poles of Driel’ information center located within the Nativity of Mary Church. A series of panels, glass display cases with artifacts inside, and a short historical video, tells the story of how the community was liberated by Polish paratroopers in 1944.
The center is open year around and is free to the public. Its panels are printed in Dutch, Polish, and English, so they are accessible to a wide audience. Respectful behavior should be maintained when visiting this location, since its inside a functional church.
A section of the center is focused on Cora Baltussen and the subject of commemoration and rehabilitation. After the battle the Poles were scapegoated by British commanders to deflect blame for the failure from them. For the Polish commander, Major-General Stanisław Sosabowski, this meant being relieved of command. As for the brigade, it was not until 2006 that their contribution to the liberation of the Netherlands was recognized.2 Fighting long for this recognition was Baltussen. She approached and assisted Sosabowski after he landed in Driel and during the battle, she nursed wounded Poles.
Just outside the doors of Nativity of Mary Church is the town center. On this plaza stands two monuments. Ever since the first monument was unveiled here in 1961, this location has been the center of an annual ceremony to commemorate Driel’s liberation by the Poles. The ceremony itself was begun in 1946.
First to be erected was the Polish monument. Sculpted by Jan Vlasblom, it is full of symbolism. A description of the symbolism is found here: https://www.driel-polen.nl/en/monumenten/.
The second monument was unveiled much more recently in 2006. Raised by veterans of the British 1st Airborne Division and members of the Parachute Regiment Association, the Sosabowski Memorial is dedicated to the Polish Major-General who unfairly lost his command. It sits adjacent to the Polish Monument. The inscription on the back of the monument reads: ‘we who have survived raised this memorial to a great Polish hero’.
A tranquil landscape
There is no shortage of pleasant walking paths in and around Driel. The vicinity is great for bicycling but then again, so is the Netherlands in general. Still there is a certain charm to the town. It is as much as part of the landscape incorporating the Battle of Arnhem as Arnhem or Oosterbeek are. Yet Driel is considerably less developed and receives far less traffic that those places.
And one good aspect about the town is the presence of trees everywhere. Shade is plentiful. Indeed it was considerably more relaxing to walk about the area than it was to reach it!
Stay tuned for part II of this series, which will highlight the near-by ferry crossing and the north bank of the Rhine adjacent to Oosterbeek.
Sources
- This phrase served as the title of Cornelius Ryan’s 1974 book on the battle A Bridge Too Far. A film with the same title was based on the book and premiered in 1977. It stars many noted Hollywood actors such as James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, and Gene Hackman. The phrase actually stems from a comment made by a British officer before Operation Market Garden.
- Two years before, in 2004, a Dutch television documentary titled God Bless Montgomery was produced. It brought attention to the fact that the Polish paratroopers were not yet officially recognized for their wartime contributions to the country’s liberation. Queen Beatrix awarded the Military Order of William I to the brigade on 31 May 2006.