The bridge at Nijmegen
22nd September
“Orders were received that we were to capture and hold Arnhem, but before we set out they were changed. We were now to be responsible for the industrial towns of Elst and Elden, and we accordingly set out along the narrow tracks which led to the main road into Nijmegen. These tracks were slightly raised and on either side we could see the long straight dykes which ran away parallel and at right angles to us, segregating the fields into precise rectangles. Each group of fields was surrounded by a long tall sparse line of poplars which made us feel that this was really Holland.
As we drove into town we marvelled that the great steel bridge across the canal was still intact. Surely that would have been an excellent natural line for the enemy. There were not a great number of people in the streets of the town and the welcome we received was cold in comparison with that of the great towns of France and Belgium.
As we pulled out of the North side of the town and drove on to the imposing approach to the massive steel bridge which spanned the Waal, we could see that we were moving along a skyline which must have been visible from many miles of enemy territory. The Germans had not been slow to appreciate this and the approach road on which we were travelling was being shelled. Fortunately, they were ranging a little short and the shells were bursting on a house at the bottom of the embankment to our right.
Our newest member was operating the wireless set in the middle of the half-track, and as a shell came a little closer than rest, and I could see him visibly jump after which he shivered with a form of nervous tension that became so intense that I was obliged to take over wireless set.
He had been considerably shaken at Oostham when the church was hit and I was afraid that this life would probably soon prove too much for him. We drove across the grand broad bridge and, rather to my surprise, turned West. Evidently orders had once again been changed
The river on our left was broad and impressive and it was easy to see that the narrow raised road on which we were travelling was designed to contain its swelling fury during the flood season. Later, we came to know these raised roads intimately. There was normally a small one close to the water’s edge and a larger one several hundred yards back. They were known as the summer bund and the winter bund respectively. This was an entirely new type of country to us and we were able to appreciate straight away that vehicle movement off the roads was an impossibility. After some two miles of this road to the West, which showed signs of having been only lightly held by the enemy, we turned North and came to rest in the village of Andelst. We were required to hold this village against any threats from the West. As darkness was already falling we moved into an orchard and proceeded to dig two pits in the dark.”
Narrative: The bridge at Nijmegen stayed in enemy hands in the early days of Operation Market Garden and this was a crucial factor in the British being unable to support the airborne troops who had landed further north at Arnhem.