Unlike most of my trips, this one was a solo adventure! Do you feel sorry for me...:-) It started at the ungodly hour of 0415 on Sunday the 22nd of February with a quick drive (30 minutes) from my flat in Surrey to London Gatwick airport for a flight with BA to Amsterdam. It is really convenient living in London when travelling to France, Belgium or the Netherlands. This is especially true if you fly to someplace like Amsterdam which takes 45 minutes!
Once I arrived at Amsterdam, I picked up my rental car. NB: If you choose Green Motion rentals then you have to catch a shuttle to the Ibis, all other agencies are in the arrivals section of Schipol airport. I drove south along the A9 for approximately 10kms to the E35 then the E25 straight to Best, which is about 5 KMs from Eindhoven. The entire drive was easy and quick, taking only 70 minutes to travel the 100 or so kilometers.
Hint: It is worth pointing out that the country is the Netherlands and not Holland. The Netherlands are made up of over a dozen provinces of which only two are called 'Holland'.
When I arrived at Best, which BTW is a nice quiet little town of about 60,000, I meet with my Dutch friend, Tom Peeters. Tom is an expert on the history of Operation Market Garden and, along with a friend, runs a great website dedicated to the campaign.
The reason that I mention the fact that Tom is an expert on the history of Market Garden is purely because I am not. This blog is about my travels and adventures and only provides high level details. If you want to learn more than I suggest visiting Tom's site and by ready 'Deliver us from Darkness' written by my friend Ian Gardner. The book is a very detailed history of 3/506 specifically during the operation.
Okay, on with the post eh.
After meeting up with Tom, the first place we visited was a memorial to the IXth Troop Carrier Command. It was specifically poignant given that one of the first to die was Corporal Robert Ritter. The Corporal was the radio operator on a C-47 which had been hit by flak. The pilot ordered the crew to bail out once the 'stick' had jumped. Unfortunately, Corporal Ritter's parachute malfunctioned and he lost his life. The memorial is located close to the middle of the southern drop zones and not far from the landing zone for the gliders.
Okay, it is worth putting things into a bit of perspective before proceeding with the post. There are a number of drop zones that were used by the 101st. They extended from between Best in the west to Son in the south and up to the northwest of Veghel. The southern DZ was used by the 506th, the 502nd was just to the northwest (south of the Dommel River) while the 501st had two drop zones, one of which was southwest of Veghel and one to the west. However, one group mis-dropped at Heeswijk. The area covered by the drop zones was huge, covering an area of approximately 10-12 kilometers north to south and 5-6 kilometers east to west. Additionally, the southern DZ's were split by the landing zone for the gliders.
The orientation of the DZ's was important as it directly related to the objectives of each unit over the coming days (17-21st September 1944). Essentially, without going into too much detail, the main objectives were the bridges over the main natural barriers in the region which were the Wilhelminakanal to the south and the Dommel to the north. The 101st were to secure the route north for XXX corps north from Eindhoven to Veghel. The 82nd secured the route from Grave to Arnhem.
Our next stop was at Paulushoef which was just west of the memorial and almost smack dab in the middle of the southern drop zones. Despite it being referred to by many as the rallying point for the troopers, it was just one of the few houses in the area and it had a source of water. The house is still owned by the same family. Ironically, one of the sons of the owner during the war was wounded in an American air attack before the landings. One of the sons of the former owner created the own memorial to the 101st, his daughter now lives in the house there's also a plaque on the side wall.
We then made our way to Best. The town was the scene of substantial fighting as the 502nd attempted to secure the bridge crossing the Wilhelminakanal after the news that the Son bridge had been destroyed (more detail following). On the way to the site, we stopped at the memorial to Lt Col Cole. The Colonel was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for leading the bayonet charge at Carentan in Normandy. The memorial was erected only a short distance from where he was killed while trying to organise his troops to attack Best.
After visiting the memorial to Lt Col Cole, we drove west towards Best and the site of the bridge which was the focal point for fierce fighting. In particular, a band of 40+ troopers that ended up being cutoff on the north side of the canal when the Germans counterattacked in force. The area has changed significantly with a number of stores north of the bridge and a 20ft high berm. However, the area where the group dug in still remains as part of a park. A nice memorial has been erected to Joe Mann, Joe was one of the stranded soldiers who, despite being wounded numerous times, threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades. For his sacrifice, Joe was awarded the CMOH. It is a touching site where you can still see the remnants of the fighting positions left by the soldiers.
To be honest, the battle for Best alone deserves significant coverage...Tom has researched and written about the battle.
The next stop was to the east at Son. The area was the scene of more intense fighting, although arguably less intense than at Best! The area around Son was also where 2/506 (and Easy Company) operated as they were responsible for the right flank of the operating area. Just to the north of Son was a two story sanatorium for TB patients. There was also a convent and girls school on the east side of the main road and a monastery and boys school on the west side. The convent is now a hotel but became Taylors HQ after the battle.
The photo above was erected near the spot where the American forces first entered Son.
The Germans had placed to 88 artillery pieces just north of the Son bridge to deter the advance of the 101st. The guns took a heavy toll before being knocked out, one by a bazooka team. After the war, one of the monks erected a wooden cross as a memorial to those that lost their lives there...it has now been replaced by a permanent memorial.
We crossed the 'new' bridge over the canal. Originally, there was a metal bridge which swiveled on a central barrier to allow boats to pass. The delays in the American advance allowed the Germans to blow up the bridge. This resulted in further delays as the US commanders had to call in British engineers to build a type 40 Baileys bridge.
The photo above illustrates how wide the canal is at Son...
The canal and the location of the bridge became the focus of a counterattack by the Germans using the 107th Panzer Brigade. The Germans had wanted to move west to cutoff the road to Eindhoven but were thwarted by the lack of suitable bridges and roads to support the tanks. Instead, a group moved north then west along the south side of the canal. Fortunately, they only made it to within a few hundred meters of the bailey bridge.
Leaving the Son bridge, we followed the 'hells highway' south towards Eindhoven. The outskirts of Eindhoven saw more fighting as the Germans had placed another two 88's astride the road. We had a chance to see the location where Capt Killey was killed by a sniper, just on the northern outskirts of the city.
The pictures above are of the church just south of the spot where the Captain was killed. There has been some debate as to whether the fatal shot was fired from the belfry..but it is more likely that it was from the base of the church that the shot was fired.
We continued south into Eindhoven. The city has grown considerably and extended outwards to areas which had previously been farm land. I've included a few pictures of the city, including one for football (soccer) fans..PSV Eindhoven stadium!
The next stop was for the 2/506 fans who read my posts. We traveled the 5 kilometers or so to Nuenen famous for being the birthplace of Van Gogh. The village was the site of the HQ of Capt Winters for one night in the building pictured below.
There's also a memorial to 'Easy Company' located nearby. Unfortunately, the memorial is slightly misleading in that it includes a soldier not part of Easy company. I've also included the compulsory photo of a windmill...can't not have one in a post about the Netherlands can you? ;-)
I'd like to close this part of the post by reminding all my readers that this is very high level and there's loads of detail that I could have added given more time and space. I'd also like to repeat my thanks to Tom for his time and advice. I apologise in advance if I messed anything up. Last few pictures of the great Greek meal that we had in Best...
Thanks for reading my post...the next one will cover my trip to Arnhem!
After visiting the memorial to Lt Col Cole, we drove west towards Best and the site of the bridge which was the focal point for fierce fighting. In particular, a band of 40+ troopers that ended up being cutoff on the north side of the canal when the Germans counterattacked in force. The area has changed significantly with a number of stores north of the bridge and a 20ft high berm. However, the area where the group dug in still remains as part of a park. A nice memorial has been erected to Joe Mann, Joe was one of the stranded soldiers who, despite being wounded numerous times, threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades. For his sacrifice, Joe was awarded the CMOH. It is a touching site where you can still see the remnants of the fighting positions left by the soldiers.
To be honest, the battle for Best alone deserves significant coverage...Tom has researched and written about the battle.
The next stop was to the east at Son. The area was the scene of more intense fighting, although arguably less intense than at Best! The area around Son was also where 2/506 (and Easy Company) operated as they were responsible for the right flank of the operating area. Just to the north of Son was a two story sanatorium for TB patients. There was also a convent and girls school on the east side of the main road and a monastery and boys school on the west side. The convent is now a hotel but became Taylors HQ after the battle.
The photo above was erected near the spot where the American forces first entered Son.
The Germans had placed to 88 artillery pieces just north of the Son bridge to deter the advance of the 101st. The guns took a heavy toll before being knocked out, one by a bazooka team. After the war, one of the monks erected a wooden cross as a memorial to those that lost their lives there...it has now been replaced by a permanent memorial.
We crossed the 'new' bridge over the canal. Originally, there was a metal bridge which swiveled on a central barrier to allow boats to pass. The delays in the American advance allowed the Germans to blow up the bridge. This resulted in further delays as the US commanders had to call in British engineers to build a type 40 Baileys bridge.
The photo above illustrates how wide the canal is at Son...
The canal and the location of the bridge became the focus of a counterattack by the Germans using the 107th Panzer Brigade. The Germans had wanted to move west to cutoff the road to Eindhoven but were thwarted by the lack of suitable bridges and roads to support the tanks. Instead, a group moved north then west along the south side of the canal. Fortunately, they only made it to within a few hundred meters of the bailey bridge.
Leaving the Son bridge, we followed the 'hells highway' south towards Eindhoven. The outskirts of Eindhoven saw more fighting as the Germans had placed another two 88's astride the road. We had a chance to see the location where Capt Killey was killed by a sniper, just on the northern outskirts of the city.
The pictures above are of the church just south of the spot where the Captain was killed. There has been some debate as to whether the fatal shot was fired from the belfry..but it is more likely that it was from the base of the church that the shot was fired.
We continued south into Eindhoven. The city has grown considerably and extended outwards to areas which had previously been farm land. I've included a few pictures of the city, including one for football (soccer) fans..PSV Eindhoven stadium!
The next stop was for the 2/506 fans who read my posts. We traveled the 5 kilometers or so to Nuenen famous for being the birthplace of Van Gogh. The village was the site of the HQ of Capt Winters for one night in the building pictured below.
There's also a memorial to 'Easy Company' located nearby. Unfortunately, the memorial is slightly misleading in that it includes a soldier not part of Easy company. I've also included the compulsory photo of a windmill...can't not have one in a post about the Netherlands can you? ;-)
I'd like to close this part of the post by reminding all my readers that this is very high level and there's loads of detail that I could have added given more time and space. I'd also like to repeat my thanks to Tom for his time and advice. I apologise in advance if I messed anything up. Last few pictures of the great Greek meal that we had in Best...
Thanks for reading my post...the next one will cover my trip to Arnhem!
