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War crime: six British prisoners of war shot dead

in General information/September 23
A plaque commemorates the massacre that took place in Brummen on September 23, 1944.

While there was still heavy fighting in Oosterbeek, a war crime took place on September 23, 1944 that receives little attention in reporting on the Battle of Arnhem. Six British prisoners of war were shot dead in Brummen by a crazed SS non-commissioned officer. After the Battle of Arnhem, the prevailing image on both the…

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Theirs is the Glory: a unique document about the Battle of Arnhem

in General information
A spectacular screenshot from the movie Theirs is the Glory.

On September 17, 1946, exactly two years after Operation Market Garden started, the British movie ‘Theirs is the Glory’ premiered in London. The film, starring British airborne veterans, was shot between the ruins of Arnhem and Oosterbeek in the summer of 1945 and is a unique document about the Battle of Arnhem. The movie, you…

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Field marshal Walter Model flees head over heels from Oosterbeek

in General information/Oosterbeek
German Field Marshal Walter Model in August 1944. (Photo: Bundesarchiv.)

It was a complete coincidence, but one of the highest German military commanders on the Western Front had its headquarters just a few miles from the British landing zones. German Field Marshal Walter Model led Army Group B, and was responsible for all German troops between the North Sea and Northern France. A few days…

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The death of Generalmajor Friedrich Kussin

in General information/Oosterbeek

One general was killed during the fighting in Arnhem and the surrounding area. This was the German Generalmajor Friedrich Kussin. General Kussin was the Stadtkommandant of Arnhem. In that role he was responsible for the regular German troops in Arnhem. Kussin drove shortly after the British paratroopers landed on Utrechtseweg near Wolfheze on Sunday September…

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Montgomery: “It will mean a lot if someone can say:” I fought at Arnhem. “

in After the battle/General information
In his caravan, Field Marshal Montgomery explains the situation at the front to British King George VI. (Photo: Imperial War Museum.)

After the retreat from Oosterbeek, General Roy Urquhart reported on the progress of the battle at Arnhem and Oosterbeek at the headquarters of Field Marshal Montgomery. The next morning, before leaving Montgomery headquarters, Urquhart saw Montgomery come out of his caravan. He waved a letter. “I wanted to give it to you,” he said to…

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Montgomery was the only one who thought Market Garden was “90 percent successful”

in After the battle/General information
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery consults with British General Horrocks (left) and Prince Bernhard (right) in Belgium in early September 1944. (Photo: Imperial War Museum.)

Nowadays, the image of Montgomery has been adjusted considerably downwards, but in early September 1944, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery was at the height of his fame. Montgomery was the hero of El Alamein. He was the British commander who had driven the Germans out of Africa, and after D-Day he was the one to defeat…

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Not the Hartenstein hotel, but Musis Sacrum was intended to be the British headquarters

in Arnhem/General information/What you didn't know about the Battle of Arnhem
During the Second World War, Musis Sacrum, located in the city center, was in use as a 'Wehrmachtheim' for the Germans stationed in Arnhem.

According to the. original plans for Operation Market Garden, the 1st British Airborne Division was to occupy all of Arnhem before being relieved by the Allied ground forces. The Airborne Division’s headquarters would be located in concert hall Musis Sacrum. Musis was chosen because it was close to the Rhine Bridge and because it was…

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The statement “a bridge too far” was made before the Battle of Arnhem

in General information/What you didn't know about the Battle of Arnhem
Three German soldiers proudly pose with a captured Jeep and two British prisoners of war at Musis Sacrum, in the center of Arnhem. (Photo: Bundesarchiv.)

Whoever says “Battle of Arnhem” says “a bridge too far”. The phrase is the title of the book that Cornelis Ryan wrote in 1974 about Operation Market Garden, and it is also the title of the film made by Richard Attenborough in 1977 in response to the book. Browning Many people think that the expression…

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William of Orange played a heroic role during the battle

in Arnhem/General information

To immediately clear up any misunderstanding. This story is about a pigeon. But the story of “William of Orange” is special and however far-fetched the facts may sound in this article: the story is completely true. Radios An important factor in the failure of the Battle of Arnhem stems from the fact that the British…

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