Battle of Nijmegen

Battle of Nijmegen
Part of Operation Market Garden
during World War II

The Waal Bridge and north-east central Nijmegen, damaged during the battle.[1] Photo taken on 28 September 1944 from the Dominican Church.[2]
Date17 – 20 September 1944
Location
Nijmegen, Netherlands
Result

Allied victory

  • Nijmegen, the road and rail bridges conquered
  • Allied march resumed, but too late to win the Battle of Arnhem
Belligerents
 United States
 United Kingdom		  Germany
Commanders and leaders
United States James M. Gavin
United States Julian Aaron Cook
United States Reuben Henry Tucker III
United Kingdom Brian Horrocks		 Nazi Germany Walter Model
Nazi Germany Leo Reinhold
Nazi Germany Karl-Heinz Euling
Nazi Germany Karl Henke
Strength
82nd Airborne Division
XXX Corps
Guards Armoured Division
United Kingdom 2 Spitfires[3]

Elements of:
9th SS Panzer Division
10th SS Panzer Division regrouped as:

  • Kampfgruppe Reinhold
  • Kampfgruppe Euling
  • Kampfgruppe Henke
Casualties and losses

United Kingdom
200-300 killed or missing
(XXX Corps/Guards Armored Division)
1 Spitfire[3]

United States
139 killed
479 wounded
178 missing( 508th at Wyler and Beek)[4]
200 casualties[5](504th Waal River & Bridge)		 300+ (Waalbrug south)[6]
267 (Railway bridge)[7]
80 (Waalbrug north)[7]

The Battle of Nijmegen, also known as the Liberation of Nijmegen, occurred 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.[8] 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.

  1. ^ "Historische @tlas Nijmegen". Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  2. ^ Rob Essers (14 January 2011). "De Waalbrug gered doch Nijmegen verwoest!". Stichting Noviomagus. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Saunders155 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Battle of Nijmegen: Taking the Bridges Over the Waal
  5. ^ The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Spanjaard was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Nordyke, p. 148–149.
  8. ^ Niels de Laat (26 October 2013). "De Waalbrug was niet kapot te krijgen". De Gelderlander. Retrieved 26 August 2016.