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In the footsteps BATTLEFIELD TOURS

A Bridge Too Far Tour

Operation MARKET GARDEN, September 1944

A three-night/three-day tour of the ambitious attempt by the Allied Airborne Forces to capture the five key bridges that stood between Field Marshal Montgomery's 2nd British Army and the frontier of Hitler's Nazi Germany. Our tour begins with the crossing of Joe’s Bridge at Lommel by the Irish Guards who were the spearhead of XXX Corps. It follows the route of “Hell’s Highway” through the operations of US 101st 'Screaming Eagles' Airborne Division who were responsible for capturing the first two bridges at Eindhoven and the US 82nd 'All American' Airborne Division before culminating in a study of the operations of the British 1st Airborne Division and 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade at Arnhem, which proved to be A Bridge Too Far.

We start our tour at Harwich Ferry Terminal when we board the overnight ferry to cross the North Sea to the Hook of Holland.

Day One

Breakfast is taken on the ferry before we dock at Hook of Holland. After disembarkation we drive to Lommel Bridge on the Dutch-Belgium border where we begin our story with the British XXX Corps as they wait to cross the bridge and drive up the road that became known as ‘Hell’s Highway’.

We follow this route north bypassing Eindhoven to Son en Breugel where we discuss the actions of the US 506th PIR. From Son we drive west towards Best where we discuss the actions of the US 502nd PIR on 18th September 1944 and Private Joe E Mann who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions that day.

We rejoin ‘Hell’s Highway’ and continue our drive north to stop at Grave Bridge to discuss the actions of the US 504th PIR. From Grave Bridge we drive to Overasselt and the DZ ‘O’ Memorial to continue our story of the US 504th.

Our next stop is Grosbeek where we see the General Gavin Memorial and DZ ‘N’ before visiting the excellent National Liberation Museum. From here we drive to Nijmagen to discuss the actions of the US 82nd Airborne at the bridge before continuing north to book into our tour hotel.

Day Two

We spend the morning looking at the British Airborne landings and the actions that took place as they tried to negotiate the three routes to Arnhem Bridge. We visit many of the battlefield sites including the road junction where Lance-Sergeant John D Baskeyfield won the Victoria Cross.

In the afternoon we visit the Airborne Museum and the nearby CWGC Cemetery to pay our respects.

Day Three

In the morning we drive to Arnhem Bridge where we discuss the actions of Lt Col John Frost’s 2PARA before making our way back to the Hook of Holland.

On our return to Hook of Holland we offer you the opportunity to call in at one of the many wine warehouses to top up on your supplies before entering the ferry port to catch our afternoon return ferry to Harwich.