River Waal Crossing Memorial, north bank
The Market Garden Operation of a rapid drive towards the German border with Holland, depended upon the capture by airborne forces of a series of bridges over rivers such as the Maas here at Nijmegen. German opposition at the road bridge looked likely to prevent the XXX Corps ground forces reaching the besieged British paratroopers before they were overcome, so the American 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment made a remarkable crossing of the river under heavy German fire - in fact they made six crossings in all which were vividly illustrated in the film, A Bridge Too Far'. The Memorial, unveiled by General Gavin on 18th September 1984, was designed by Marius van Beek and Professor Dr. F. J. A. Huygen. The left hand column reads US. 82nd AIRB DIV WAAL CROSSING 20 SEPT. 1944 504 PARACHUTE INFANTRY, 307 ENG, 376 FAB HQ IN COOP. WITH 501 PAR INFANTRY GUARDS ARMOURED DIV. In the background of the picture is a power pylon. The track of the lines across the Waal follows the approximate route of the crossings. On the ground in front of the Memorial is a stone slab carrying the names of the 48 men who were killed
