This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem, which was fought during the Second World War as part of the Allied Operation Market Garden.
The British 1st Airborne Division and 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade landed near Arnhem Bridge on the Rhine, alongside US-led landings at Eindhoven and Nijmegen. For over a week, the lightly armed paratroopers fought with incredible courage against German units and tanks, including SS Panzer Divisions, before over 2,000 men were withdrawn back across the Rhine by 25 September. Another 7,500 were killed or captured. The operation would later be immortalised in Richard Attenborough’s 1977 film, A Bridge Too Far.
Our charity remembers all the British and Allied soldiers who fought and died at the Battle of Arnhem. To mark this significant time in history, we will be sharing stories of Arnhem veterans we have supported in the past and continue to support to this day.
We are delighted that some of the film’s actors have shared their memories with us as a tribute to our late beneficiary, Sid Sallis, and all those involved in the real-life Operation Market Garden in 1944.
