RAT Conference Nijmegen 2007

[Jona Lendering]

Aha that would be great as we don't know any places to sleep in Nijmegen. We'll probably end up sleeping under a bridge. But that wouldn't be unusual

Actually, I think many of us will find the bridge at Nijmegen quite interesting: it was one of the main Allied targets during Market Garden (a.k.a. Battle of Arnhem). The bridge was saved due to the heroism of one man only, Jan van Hoof, who cut away the electricity cables to the mine that the Germans had put inside the bridge. After this, the 82nd Airborne Division was able to take the bridge.

Van Hoof did not survive the fights near Nijmegen. There's a small monument for him on the bridge.

This photo shows Nijmegen after the war: the city is destroyed, but the bridge is safe.