Arnhem - Operation Market Garden

Depart central London. Follow part of Club Route as it crosses ‘Joe’s Bridge’ on its way to linking up with the US 101 Airborne Division, a route soon to earn the nickname of "Hell’s Highway”. Dinner and overnight

Breakfast. Morning at Ginkel Heath for Para drop and wreath laying ceremony. This will include a visit to the Hartenstein Museum, the headquarters of 1st Airborne Division and the centre of the Oosterbeek pocket. Dinner and overnight

Breakfast. Attend the Special Service of Remembrance at Oosterbeek Airborne Cemetery, to pay our respects. We will consider the operations of 1st (British) Airborne Division at Arnhem. From the drop zones to the infamous “bridge too far” to the “witches’ cauldron” of Oosterbeek, we will look at the key events of the battle as they unfolded through to the evacuation of the survivors at the end of the operation. Dinner and overnight

Breakfast. We will spend today looking at the operations of the US 82nd Airborne Division on the Groesbeek Heights and the capture of Nijmegen and the critical bridge across the Waal. Our first stop will be at the 504th PIR DZ at Grave and the capture of the Grave bridge. We will then make our way to the Heumen Bridge, before moving to the Grosbeek Heights and the fighting that developed on Hell’s Highway. Early capture of the Nijmegen Bridge over the Waal was critical to the success of Operation Market Garden. After lunch in Nijmegen, we will visit the site of the assault river crossing conducted by 3/504th PIR and the capture of the road bridge by the tanks of 2nd Grenadier Guards.

Breakfast. This morning visits to the 101st Airborne Division drop-zones and actions to capture the bridges at Sint-Oedenrode and Veghel. The bridge at Son over the Wilhelmina Canal was famously blown and we will consider its loss and its final capture and the capture of the bridge at Best. . Return to London