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Eerde, September 17th 1944
Third Battalion of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment lands on Drop Zone A, outside Eerde. Both pictures were taken at the crossroads of two rural dirt tracks, locally known as Wolven Steeg and Veerse Heide.

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Now & Then photographs)
 

Tanks of the 2nd Army enter Eindhoven from the South on Stratumse Dijk. Note the paratroopers at bottom of picture digging a foxhole in the garden of the old town hall of Eindhoven. The building is no longer there and we had to use a ladder to recreate the "Now"-photo.
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Eindhoven, September 20th 1944
Two days later the street is in ruins after the Luftwaffe's bombing raid on the liberated city of Eindhoven, which killed 200 civilians.

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Nijmegen, September 20th 1944

A jeep driver speeds to bring a wounded trooper of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division, to an aid station. The wounds were sustained during the bloody battle for the Waal River Bridge. This is Dominicanen Straat in Nijmegen.

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A Tommy gunner of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne lies dead at the bottom of the steps of the North ramp of the Waal River Bridge. This paratrooper had, shortly before meeting his death so close to the 504th's objective, heroically crossed the river in small row boats under heavy fire.

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Canadian engineers of the North Shore Regiment use a mine detector to remove mines on the approach to the bridge on Arnhemse Weg in Zutphen in the province of Gelderland. German troops had blown this bridge some days earlier to slow the Allied advance into Eastern Holland.

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The bridge on Arnhemse Weg has collapsed into the river. Because the road deck remained relatively intact, engineers have marked a safe river crossing with white tape.

In 1947 this bridge was rebuilt and named "Canadians Bridge" in honor of the liberators of Zutphen.

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A Bren Carrier is parked on Heeckeren Laan and its crew enjoy the spring sun.  Dutch citizens have come out of their homes to welcome the Canadian liberators.
 

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Field grave of Frederick Walter Hopwood of Mollington (Cheshire), killed in action on the 17th of September 1944. After the battle Private Hopwood was reentered at the Oosterbeek Airborne Cemetery.
In the United Kingdom Hopwood's name is honored on a war monument in Shotwick (Cheshire). 
Since the age of approximately 11, Battledetective Tom has had a particular interest in this soldier as shown in a drawing in an elementary school project he made at that age.

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Local hero Piet Kerssens is welcomed into his hometown 's-Hertogenbosch on Hinthamer Straat. Between 1941 and 1944 Piet had been in and out of German captivity for trying to escape to England. In August 1944 he was able to join the advancing Allied Forces and in October he was instrumental in liberating his city. Unfortunately Piet was wounded in action on October 26th at the bridge opposite the railway station, 1944 and died the following day.

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This dramatic and often published image of the liberation of 's-Hertogenbosch was taken by Army photographer Peter Handford.  A British tank takes position at the Esso fuel station on Willemsplein. Not to refuel but to attack the Willems Bridge. Mr. Van de Sande from 's-Hertogenbosch carries his young daughters into safety.
Today the Esso station is no longer there and a local man showed us the spot.

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On this day Dutch policeman Fake Krist, who had been a fanatic Nazi, collaborating with the Germans, was executed by Dutch Resistance fighters. The Germans retaliated at this same location on Wester Gracht and shot 10 innocent civilians and torched four houses.
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Grote Berg in front of the main police station.
The city of Eindhoven has just been liberated by the US 101st Airborne Division and members of the P.A.N. (Partizanen Actie Nederland; Partisans Action Netherlands) ride patrols in - and on top of- a jalopy. Citizens cheer them on. Later this day, the crowd in front of the police station grew when the word spread through the city that arrested collaborators where brought to the police station.

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