Liberation Route Marker 503: The railway bridge over the IJssel

The railway bridge over the IJssel
The old railway bridge in Deventer is militarily important during the Second World War. Germans use the railway to transport war materials such as the V1 and V2 from east to west. Food and other desirable items go from west to east. On Sunday morning the 15th of October 1944, people are shocked by extensive Allied bombing of the bridge. Many air strikes follow, but the bridge remains in tact.

Deventer's wartime history is inextricably linked to bridges. At the site of the present railroad bridge was a completely different railroad bridge until the early morning of May 10, 1940. During the German invasion this was blown up by the Dutch Engineers, after several failed attempts, in order to prevent a German armored troop train from crossing the IJssel. This finally succeeded in time, as the swing bridge over the Overijssels Kanaal at Snipperling was also disabled.

Soon after the capitulation the Germans began repair work and the construction of a temporary emergency (railroad) bridge. Only trains were still allowed to use the bridge. The immediate area became “Militarisches gelande,” forbidden territory: anyone entering it ran the risk of being shot at. This east-west railroad via Deventer was one of the railroad lines connecting Berlin with the western Netherlands. The constant flow of supplies to the front and the transports of flying bombs to German launching positions in the western Netherlands, were reasons for the Allied Supreme Command around October 1944 to ensure that the railroad bridge in particular had to be taken out of service.

On Sunday morning, October 15, 1944, Deventer was startled for the first time by a major bombing raid on the railroad bridge. 34 bombers from the 137th Wing of the Royal Air Force dropped 24 thousand-pounders. Although the railroad bridge was damaged by several aerial bombings, it remained in use. In the final phase of the war, the motive changed: then it became important for the Allies to preserve the railroad bridge for the liberation armies. On April 6, 1945, the German forces blew up the railroad bridge in a very thorough manner, from the ground without hindrance from the enemy.

Audiospot - The railway bridge over the IJssel

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: Dick de Bruijne