Another Bump in the Road

On the main road to Nijmegen, north of Veghel, near a small village the locals called Voederheil, Captain Speirs lowered his binoculars and swore to himself. The fleeting grey figures he had seen moving about in the buildings ahead could …

1944-09-18

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On the main road to Nijmegen, north of Veghel, near a small village the locals called Voederheil, Captain Speirs lowered his binoculars and swore to himself. The fleeting grey figures he had seen moving about in the buildings ahead could only be Germans, and that meant yet another delay. His men were tired. He was already eight hours behind schedule, and now he had to deal with another blocking force. After conferring with Lt. Heyliger of Baker Company, they moved out. As he turned to leave, Speirs could hear Heyliger muttering something about “just another bump in the road”.

Voederheil, Holland

The Battle of Nijmegen or Liberation of Nijmegen occurred in the Netherlands from 17 to 20 September 1944, as part of Operation Market Garden during World War II. The Allies' primary goal was to capture the two bridges over the Waal River at Nijmegen – the road route over the Waalbrug (Waal Bridge) and Nijmegen railway bridge – and relieve the British 1st Airborne Division and Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade at Arnhem, 10 miles (16 km) north of Nijmegen. The Allied infantry units at Arnhem were surrounded by German forces, and involved in heavy fighting for control of bridges over the Rhine. Delays caused by hastily-organized German reinforcements at Nijmegen ultimately led to the failure of Operation Market Garden. It took the Allies longer than expected to secure a land route to Arnhem, where the British and Polish forces were forced south of the Rhine and sustained massive casualties. In addition, fighting at Nijmegen cost hundreds of civilian lives, and caused significant damage to many buildings in the city.

Wikipedia: Battle of Nijmegen

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