Liberation Route Marker 100: Joe's Bridge

Joe's Bridge
On September 17, 1944, the British XXXth Army Corps departs from here to enter the Netherlands. The bridge does not fall to the British without a fight. A week earlier, it is captured by the Irish Guards in a surprise attack on the Germans. But the Germans don’t surrender the bridge so easily. They counter attack in an attempt to recapture it. This results in several civilian casualties. The Guards hold their position and the bridge is named after their commander, J.O.E. Vandeleur.

This bridge played a crucial role in the execution of Operation Market Garden. The ground offensive of the British XXXth Corps began here on September 17 1944. In the vanguard, the Irish Guards entered the Netherlands, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur.

Those same Irish Guards had captured this bridge during a surprise attack on September 10. From that moment, the bridge was named after the commander of the unit that had carried out this feat. It was called Joe's Bridge.

Over the following days, the bridge came under attack from the German side. During the fighting, besides military losses, there were also civilian casualties.

Audiospot - Joe's Bridge

Liberation Route Europe is a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. With hundreds of sites and stories in nine European countries, the route links the main regions along the advance of the Allied Forces in 1943-1945.
The entire route consists of themed routes that can be travelled by by hiking, walking, cycling and car. These routes pass numerous historical and interesting sites and tell stories from a multitude of perspectives that were important in the final phase of World War II.
Many routes feature listening spots, offering the opportunity to listen to a historical story at a location. In addition, many ‘Vectors of Memory’ have been placed, indicating that the passer-by is on one of the Liberation Routes.
The routes can be found on the Liberation Route Europe website or in the app through which many stories can also be listened to.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Liberation Route Europe
• Photos: Liesbeth van Diggele