Arnhem ... Wot! no Bridge?

Picture of Arnhem in the early 1930's (?). The Rhine Bridge - later known as John Frost bridge - didn't exist at the time. The only access to the town from the south, from the direction of Nijmegen, is along the Rijksweg West across the ship bridge at De Praets.
The Rhine Bridge was built between 1932 and 1935 and connected the town centre of Arnhem with the new extension of Arnhem across the Nederrijn, the Malburgen district in Arnhem-Zuid (on the aerial the open riverflats north of the Huissense Dijk). The site of the road bridge, which was opened on 10 april 1935, is indicated by the red arrow (photo courtesy: Facebook/ Arnhems peil).


The old Ship Bridge (or pontoon bridge) at Arnhem. The middle section of the bridge could be floated out to allow ships to pass (see photo below).




In November 1915 a test was carried out to run a locomotive and a couple of wagons loaded with pulp paper over the shipbridge. A small railway line was laid over the bridge and the stucture was reinforced. However the test went awry. As soon as the train entered the bridge it collapsed under the weight of the locomotive. The bridge was never used for rail transport again.

 

Aerial of the Rhine Bridge under construction dating from 1934. Construction of the bridge was already progressing well. The road surface on the bridge ramps were still missing. The bridge was opened to traffic on 10 April 1935, without any festive display. The official opening was delayed due to a fierce political debate and much resistance from the Arnhem population about whether or not a toll should be levied on the bridge. The government had expressed this as an explicit wish. After much discussion, that plan was ultimately rejected, and so on 10 April 1936 the bridge was finally officially opened by Queen Wilhelmina and the crown princess Princess Juliana (photo courtesy: Facebook/ Oud Arnhem).


Above: an early picture of 1935 of the just completed Rhine bridge taken from the tower of the Eusebius Church. Below: This 1937 picture also shows the new bridge. The houses on the other side of the river are the first steps towards the new Malburgen residential area.
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This oblique aerial from September 6th, 1944 - taken by an Allied reconnaissance plane in the run-up to Market-Garden - shows both the ship bridge and Arnhem road bridge. The middle section of the former is floated out. To the left the town, to the right the hamlet op De Praets.

The Rhine Bridge signified the end of the ship bridge that connected Arnhem to the polder of the Betuwe since 1603. Around 1900 it became clear that the ship bridge could not handle the growing car traffic. In 1913 the city council decided to build a fixed bridge in the extension of the Lauwersgracht. This would also give Arnhem the opportunity to reclaim the polderland of Malburgen and Meijnerswijk for an urban expansion on the southern bank of the Rhine. With the fixed Rhine bridge the construction of houses in the Malburgse polder also began. Initially there was little enthusiasm among the people of Arnhem to live on the south bank. Advertising vehicles were needed to persuade them to exchange the high ground on the right river bank for the low-lying polderland.

Within ten years of its opening, the Rhine Bridge was destroyed two times: a first time on 10 May 1940 by the Dutch Army. Immediately after the Dutch capitulation on 15 May 1940, the demolition of the destroyed Rhine bridge and the construction of a new bridge was started. The new Rhine bridge was ready in the spring of 1944. In October 1944 Allied medium bombers destroyed the bridge for a second time. In the years after the war the bridge was restored again and reopened in 1950.


The official opening of the restored bridge took place in April 1950, the bridge was already in use again by 1949 (Photo courtesy Facebook/Oud Arnhem)


Since 1978 - just after the film 'A bridge too far' was released - the Rhine Bridge was renamed John Frost Bridge, to honour the heroic actions of the 1st Airborne Division.

Courtesy: Vaste Rijnbrug

 

One of the pontoons (no. GWA 14) of the old Ship Bridge has been preserved and can be viewed since 2013 on the south bank of the river, at De Praets. Pontoon no. GWA 14 was used from 1885 until 1935.

 

"This oblique aerial from September 6th, 1944 - taken by an Allied reconnaissance plane in the run-up to Market-Garden - shows both the ship bridge and Arnhem road bridge."

That oblique likely had a bearing on planned "Comet" coup-de-main, by 2nd (Airborne) Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment, on the road bridge, to no coup-de-main on "Market".

A real AAA negligable, worth the risk; To AAA a major concern, high risk. Hmmmmmm.

Always remember, never forget,

Jim.

 

Jim It was not the AA that caused the cancellation of the coup de main elements of Comet to be cancelled when it became Market. If you look at the attached document you will see that it states :The 8th Air Force (who were to provide the fighter cover) cannot fly between dusk and dawn and the coup de main element is hereby scrubbed”. If you look a the flight plans for both operations they follow the same route. My father (A Coy South Staffords) was briefed to land by glider at Arnhem bridge and believed that they would have been able to capture both ends in their pre dawn attack

 

Super stuff John, thanks for posting up, very much appreciated.

And I agree with your father's thoughts on the proposed coup-de-main, absolutely.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

The people of The Netherlands show huge appreciation to those who liberated them.
The joy they show with veterans is wonderful.

 

Arnhem 1945. Four AM photos i have put into one .Original photos from my collection.
You can see the blown up bridge and the new pontoon bridge on the right.
Keith

 

To tie in with the photos Keith, should you not have seen it before, 1945 contemporary colour footage.

First up is Nijmegen Bridge, but from around 50 seconds in some great shots of the temporary pontoon bridge and the destroyed bridge alongside (think I've posted the link to the video up on the forum before - maybe).

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

For the destruction of the bridge in Oct 1944 see: NIJMEGEN BRIDGEHEAD: II.SS Pz Corps' counterattack in October 1944

 

After the plaque on the John Frost Bridge in Arnhem disappeared, a new plaque has now been unveiled.

 

Link to an interesting lecture (in Dutch) re the Battle of Arnhem from the perspective of a civilian couple (the parents of the lecturer) living at the southern access (Sleedoornstraat) to the Arnhem Bridge.

Historische Herberg Arnhem

 

Arnhem Map 1672

Ancient map of Arnhem which shows the situation in 1672. The town was still fortified with bastions and a moat. Not without reason. In 1672 the town was captured by the French Armies under Louis XIV (The Sun King). Or, "Rendu aux Francais par les Hollandais" as the map says. The Battle for Arnhem 0.0.

Marching a formidable army of 80.000 men north through the Rhineland, Louis XIV crossed the Rhine at Wesel. He followed the classic invasion route into Holland, by invading the country (or rather, the young Republic) from the east, just as the Spanish Armies had done several times before him during the Eighty Years' War (1568 - 1648). As a matter of fact: the Allies (i.e. First Canadian Army) eventually followed the same path in 1945!

For the French crossing ("Le Passage du Rhin") in 1672 see my battlefield tour: Visiting the battlefields in 2020 & now in 2021.



The ship bridge at Praets connected the town with the southern bank. Also note the small Port, which has been replaced after the war by the so-called "Blue Waves" a fountain surrounded by parking spaces.

At the time there also was a canal, called De Grift, dug in 1611 for horse-drawn barges, which at the time formed an important connection between Arnhem and Nijmegen. It is indicated on the map as the 'Canal qui va à Nimegue'. On both sides of the canal there were wide dikes with towpaths, which could also be used by land traffic, hence the Griftdijk. The canal has long since gone, but the name Griftdijk still exists.

Map of Arnhem from 1903

A more 'recent' map of the town of Arnhem from 1903. From 1817 onwards, the city's outer defences were transformed into winding promenades and leafy parks - in Dutch aka singels. The town also expanded. New residential areas were built to the north and north-east and from 1845 it had a railway connection. But even in 1903, the pontoon bridge still was the only connection to the southern river bank and Nijmegen.



Link to high resolution copy of the 1903 map: https://permalink.geldersarchief.nl/7CD7923B6D06402C823D712D9AD2D71D

Arnhem expansion plan 1922

In the expansion plan of 1922, new residential areas were added to the city (orange) and finally a new roadbridge was planned in the extension of the Eusebiussingel that would connect Arnhem with the southern bank of the Nederrijn. Though construction of the motorway connecting Arnhem with Nijmegen was started in the 1930s, it was not completed until 1946. Traffic had to follow the 'old' Rijksweg via Elden, Elst and Lent towards Nijmegen. The latter route still exists and is called Rijksweg-Noord (to the north of Elst) and Rijksweg-Zuid/Griftdijk (south of Elst).

 

An old postcard of the 'old' Eusebiusbinnensingel with the Arnhem Bridge surfaced on FB Oud-Arnhem last February. The postcard is from the late 1930-ies.

This must have been the building situation as encountered by the British paratroopers when they arrived at the bridge on the Sunday evening of September 17, 1944.



Same area: how much less idyllic is the situation now:

 

Arnhem bridge 5 days before the Airborne Battle:



For a high resolution image see: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...nhem_5_dagen_voor_de_gevechten_om_de_brug.jpg

 

Canadian War Museum - Relief Models

© Canadian War Museum​

The Canadian War Museum archives contain a relief model of the Nederrijn near Arnhem. It was created by the 1st Canadian Modelling Team (Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers), located in Tilburg in early 1945. Apparently, there are other reliefs, as there are entries in the collection for Groesbeek, Reichswald Forest and Xanten. However, there are no photos available for these. Someone should take a look at that

 

Oh man, it would be SO COOL to look at those.

 

Another beauty was recently posted on Facebook (FB Oud Arnhem), an aerial of the bridge and old town of Arnhem taken from the east. Among other things it gives an excellent view of the buildings ranged along the Eusebiusbinnensingel. The white building with a small dome in the background to the left between the trees is the Museum. In the foreground the new residential area known as Rijnwijk, which has been torn down recently (see my previous post at: Rijnwijk near Arnhem bridge is history).



An aerial of the same area taken in July 2003 - spot the differences, or perhaps easier, find the similarities!

 

Just out of interest not WW2 but some pictures taken on the Polder to South of Bridge at a Tattoo by the men of 10 Para (TA) on 25 Anniversary.nice flat landing for Gliders ( Hope these pics come out,have more if of interest )

 

Fantastic redtop! Thank you for sharing those.

Referred to in the household here as the "What if" anniversary.

Kind regards, and again thank you, always,

Jim.