Medal of Honor

The American hold on the Nijmegen Bridge was tenuous and the Germans were determined to retake or destroy it. Reinforced by the remnants of the 9th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, the Germans launched a series of violent counterattacks on the bridgehead which grew in intensity throughout the night and …

1944-09-21

A075

The American hold on the Nijmegen Bridge was tenuous and the Germans were determined to retake or destroy it. Reinforced by the remnants of the 9th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, the Germans launched a series of violent counterattacks on the bridgehead which grew in intensity throughout the night and early morning. Near noon, a scratch-built German force consisting of over a hundred SS infantry with armor support made a last effort against the left flank of Colonel Tucker's weary paratroopers. One of the first paratroopers to spot the approaching Germans was a bazooka gunner, Private John Towle. With complete disregard for his own safety, Towle immediately set out to blunt the attack all by himself. . . John Towle joined the Army from his birth city of Cleveland, Ohio in March 1943, and by September 21, 1944 was serving as a private in Company C, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. On that day, at age 19, near Oosterhout in the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden, Towle engaged a German force with his rocket launcher in an attempt to disable two enemy tanks and a half-track. He was killed during the battle and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor six months later, on March 15, 1945.

Nijmegen, 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-organised 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.

German

American

Scenario Type = Standard