The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Waal River Crossing - Sep. 20th, 1944 - Feb. 10th, 2003

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[SAMWolf]

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"The Second Omaha Beach"
Crossing the Waal

Waal River Crossing by the 3rd Battalion,
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
U.S. 82nd Airborne Division -- Nijmegen, Holland

"I know not how to aid you, save in the assurance of one of mature age, and much severe experience, that you can not fail, if you resolutely determine, that you will not."

--Abraham Lincoln, July 22, 1860 Letter to George Latham

This scene depicts the daylight Waal River Crossing in canvas boats propelled by paddles on September 20, 1944, by the Third Battalion of the 504th Parachute Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, straight into the teeth of German machine guns and artillery. This is one of the most famous assaults in modern military history.

The 504th sustained over 50% casualties (approximately 25% casualties crossing the canal and another 25% casualties taking the northern end of the Waal River Bridge). To add perspective to this heroic action, it is interesting to note that the Light Brigade at Balaclava sustained 40% casualties, and General George Pickett's Division at Gettysburg sustained 60% casualties in its charge against Union forces at Cemetery Ridge. The difference between the 504th's action and those of the Light Brigade and Pickett's Division is that the 504th accomplished its mission despite taking similar horrific casualties. In his book, A Bridge Too Far, author Cornelius Ryan cites sources who describe this action as "...a second Omaha Beach landing." (A Bridge Too Far - Page 92)

The 504th undertook this mission in broad daylight because the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, General James Gavin, was operating under orders to advance as fast as possible to open the way for British 30th Armored Corps, under the command of British General Sir Brian Horrocks, to move up the road to Arnhem and relieve British and Polish airborne units that had been fighting there for several days. When General Gavin ordered this daylight crossing, minutes and hours counted. General Gavin knew this mission was going to be extremely difficult and gave the 504th's commanding officer, Colonel Reuben Tucker and the commander of the Third Battalion - designated to make the crossing - Major Julian Cook, a list of "proven combat leaders" from other 82nd units that he could augment to the 504th to help him lead his men across the canal. Lieutenant Joseph Brennan of the 505th Parachute Regiment was one of the officers who joined Cook's battalion for the crossing.

In recounting his story of the crossing, Captain Brennan said they wanted to get across the 400 yards of open water as fast as humanly possible and those without paddles used their rifle stocks as paddles. One of the troopers in his boat, all too aware of his slim chances of surviving and probably not thinking straight, began paddling furiously with his rifle barrel.



The Waal River Bridge, in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, just a few miles south of Arnhem, was the last critical bridge on the road to Arnhem where British and Polish airborne units were desperately fighting in an attempt to hold the Arnhem Bridge over the Rhine River (the ultimate objective of Operation Market Garden) against vastly numerically superior SS forces. The American 101st Airborne Division in the region of Eindoven, Holland, and the American 82nd Airborne Division in the region of Nijmegen, Holland, had both accomplished their missions of capturing critical bridges thus securing the road up which the British 30th Corps was to advance to Arnhem.

Following the successful capture of the Waal River Bridge by the 504th by what was then past sunset, commanders of the 30th Corps waiting in Nijmegen at the southern end of the bridge informed General Gavin that they planned to send the armored column across the captured bridge when infantry and more gasoline and other supplies caught up with them, most likely in the morning. One account of this decision was that they had been ordered not to advance at that time by the Allied Command with British Lieutenant General Frederich "Boy" Browning holding overall command of Operation Market Garden. An oral history account by Lieutenant Thomas Pitt, one of the survivors of the crossing, cites the 30th Corps commanders present as saying they would not move their armor at night. This version was corroborated by Captain Joseph Brennan who also made the crossing. This decision was and still is a source of controversy. There were many factors to consider including intelligence reports indicating that the Germans had massed forces on either side of the eleven-mile road between Nijmegen and Arnhem and were waiting for the armored column to proceed with the intention of pinching them off and crushing them.



This turn of events did not sit well with General Gavin and the 504th which, had they known this information in advance, could have made the crossing that night and sustained far fewer casualties. The 504th had sustained 134 killed, wounded and missing, more than half its strength. (Cornelius Ryan - A Bridge Too Far - page 476) Of the 10,000 British and Polish airborne forces parachuted into Arnhem, and left stranded by the armored ground forces that halted at Nijmegen, only 2,000 were able to escape and rejoin Allied forces.

[SAMWolf]

An interview with Thomas Pitt
S-1, Third Battalion,
504th Parachute Regiment

Problems began to develop when elements of the 505th could not seize the bridge across the Waal River in the town of Nijmegen. At that point meanwhile, the British finally came up there. They attempted a frontal assault a couple of times and couldn’t get it. Anyway the plan was thought up then, by someone to send the troops across the river down from the bridge. There was a factory about a mile from where the bridge was and they were gonna have boats and go across in the boats and come up the other side and take the bridge from both sides at once. Then they would have the Krauts trapped between the two forces and they would probably surrender.

The 3rd Battalion of the 504, (our outfit) was selected to be the guinea pigs. So the first thing that was to occur prior to the actual crossing was that we were to get some air cover. British Spitfires (typhoons) that had long range capability were operating (I believe) out of somewhere in France. Finally after some delay, two spitfires came over and started to strafe the opposite banks and on the opposite dike where the Krauts were dug in and all. About the second pass, they (the Germans) got one of the Spitfires and the other one went home. So that was the end of the air cover.

The British had these large tanks; I forget the name of it (Shermans). They were going to give us some artillery fire and first laid down some fire. There were about some eight or ten of them (tanks) that dug in up closer to the bridge from us. They opened fire and they put a lot of iron down in a short period, but in a couple of minutes the (German) counter battery came. I think about four or five of the tanks got hit and the others pulled out.

They then told us to get the boats and go across the river. The boat was like a canvass material with a wood frame to it and it held about twelve men in a boat. We had to paddle to get it across. We took the boats and came from behind the factory (where the Krauts I don’t think knew we were there). We started down across the sandy shore which was maybe 50 yards long till we got to the water. We were running with these boats and our weapons and what not. In addition to all that crap the old man (Major Cook) said you lay a telephone line across the river so when we can talk back to them, if we need support fire or something. We weren’t sure that the radios would work that distance with the one's we had. So I had a kid from the communications section join us with a roll of wire on a spindle-like thing.

We got into the damn boats and thought it at first it looked like rain in the water. Then we realized it was lead coming from the Krauts on the other side. And away we went. I’ll tell you we were paddling like mad to get across. Quite a few of the boats were overturned; guys in a lot of them were killed in the getting across the thing.

When we got over to the other side to the other bank of the water I don’t know how many boats we had lost in the river. It was a hell of a wide river. We got out of the boats. The two guys that where with us, (the two engineers) had to go back to the other side to get some more people. They had a hell of a time getting them back. By then the Krauts weren’t too worried about them. They were more worried about us. We were coming across another beach-like area (200 to 800 yards wide) before the final dike. They were dug in some on the beach and then back in the dike. We were running by them practically and they were just shooting. The only thing to do was to head for the dike because there wasn’t a Goddamed bit of cover anywhere else or anything. So we finally got about half way back to the dike and this kid whose is peeling off this wire and he says "I ran out of wire should I set the phone up here?" I said "hell with it kid just take it easy now and get to the dike. We will talk to them some other day."

So we finally got over to the dike. The Krauts on the other side. The dike must have been maybe ten yards or so wide at the top and they were on the backside. We spent a little time tossing grenades from one side or the other that was fun and games. They were there with their potato mashers and we had fragmentation grenades. So my job was to hold this left flank so as we moved down towards the bridge the Krauts wouldn’t turn and come behind us. So we proceeded to hold it (the dike). The Krauts tried to come across (the dike) a couple times and we discouraged them enough with what lead we gave them. They stayed there. It got a little later on and the first battalion guys came across. We had cleaned out what was on the beach. By then it started getting dark. It was getting late in the day. They (1st Battalion) came over and said they would take the left flank.

Well, I got my guys and we started down around the dike and towards the bridges. Needless to say the sun was coming down. We came to the first bridge and were crossing under was the railroad bridge. Platoon Sergeant Grouse was with me. When I looked up, I could see these guys and I yelled "Hay what outfit are you with?", figuring which company or what outfit was that. Oh man their was a couple of machine guns opened fire on us and we hit the sand and rolled over under the bridge. Grouse looked over at me and said "Lieutenant, I think they might have been from one of the panzer divisions, why did you want to know that?" He got me good on that one. The Krauts where still up on that bridge.

We went on along the dike-like thing, which really was under the bridge and along the other side. In the dark they didn’t bother us. By the time we got to the other side, I guess they didn’t see us or could care less. I think they had their own problems. We got down it must have been another third of a mile or so and came up where the Highway Bridge was across the river. By the time we got there Cook, who was the Battalion Commander was there. And then the first British tanks came roaring across the bridge. They cleaned it out there. Most of H Company (my old company) and G Company and what not came a little shortly afterwards. I don’t know how many of them. Then came a couple of jeeps and what not and there was (General) Gavin, the Division Commander and his radio man They came over in the jeep and came in this house and we had taken over like the command post that was right by the edge of the bridge. They had come in there to get the information and how we were and how the situation was and things like that. We had begun to take some probes out to see what was out in front of us there as from Arnhem. By then, it was dark practically and there came a British staff car along and out got the British commander. He was, I guess. the corp commander. I’m not sure who he was. But one of the wheels and he came on in with his folks with him and what not. (Col.) Tucker was there and (General) Gavin was there and (Major) Cook was there, myself(Lieutenant Pitt) and one of the communications officers. We were sort of in the back ground when you get wheels like that around.

Gavin said "We will put some men up on the tanks and in front of the tanks and lets head for Arnhem." I think it was 20 some miles or so it wasn’t far, you know. This British commander said "We don’t move our tanks at night." Gavin said "You don’t move them at night? Well if we wait till day light then they (the Germans) will move some stuff in." The Brit said "Well we can’t move tanks at night." Gavin said something to him, he said "If they were my men in Arnhem we would move tanks at night. We would move anything at night to get there." This guy said "We are not. We will move them in the morning."*

So we had a front out there oh, 500 yards to 1000 yards or more perimeter. Then morning came and that road to Arnhem was nothing but German armor and what not and everything. We got no more got started half way up the road. We didn’t get a couple of miles outside the place and that was it.

But final comments, … I don’t think that any man that went across that river that day in a boat and were fortunate enough to make the other side will ever in his life forget it. There is no way you can visualize what the devil it was like. I will never forget it and I have had dreams that I am back in the boat and I am paddling like mad.

[SAMWolf]

An Interview with John Holabird,
307th Engineers,
504 RCT

On September 20, 1944 the war in the West depended on whether American Paratroopers could seize the Nijmegen Bridge before the Germans could destroy it. The fate of Operation Market Garden and 10,000 beleaguered British paratroopers trapped in Arnhem rested on the capture of the bridge. A daring daylight crossing of the Waal river was planned to capture the bridge.

Since our phone call of last week, I have been devling into my past – searching for – who knows what . . . . But you called me – and asked questions that no one has ever asked before – how I felt? What was it like? Before? After? During? And I gave you pretty trite answers. But our discussion has reopened all kinds of pores in my mind – I lie awake at night living or trying to relive – the Waal Crossing . . . .

Wednesday, September 20, 1944: Before the Crossing.

C Company, 307th Engineers had moved closer to the river -- I don’t remember if it was the night before or early in the morning. (I think the latter). Captain "Spike" Harris called me -- and together we walked up the power station on the Waal River with other C Company officers and platoon sergeants. I had no idea why we were going. I don’t think Spike knew much more. We met with Colonel Tucker (CO 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment), Major Cook and other field grade officers. I was sure something BIG was going on because ordinarily we wouldn’t have been party to all those upper ranks of officers. We walked upstairs in the empty power station -- as I recall very clean and modern. Got to the second floor or so and looked out over the river -- it was broad --couldn’t see much current but couldn’t tell from where we were. About then I began to understand what was up -- we were going to cross it - and the Engineers in the U.S. Army were the customary boatmen. Ergo, we were there to plot a night crossing. "Where were the boats?," we asked -- "Coming," they replied. "What kind of boats?" -- "Press out, British canvas assault boats." -- "How soon?" -- "Afternoon."

And then I began to understand that they were really serious about a daylight crossing. Wow! "Who’s going to protect us? That is one wide river" -- "We’ll lay in British armor to hit the other side and to lay down a smoke barrage so no one will be able to see."

It began to dawn on me that this was one rash daredevil idea -- and we engineers were going to be a big part of it.

I guess Spike and the rest of us went back to the company and we moved up in enfilade to the east of the power station on the down side of the levee or embankment. Spike said I was to take a squad of my platoon over first. Do what I could about miners and support infantry etc. etc. etc. I am not sure why he chose me -- but we were not accustomed to question such decisions.



Wednesday, September 20, 1944, 3 p.m.: The Crossing

I recall chaos around 3 p.m. The 3rd Battalion of the 504, some 500 men, were charging about. Officers yelling and what not -- plus our C Company of the 307 – about 100 or so men. I can’t remember being anything but numb -- not quite sure what was happening or what was about to happen.

At some point British tanks lined up behind the levee embankment with cannons heading up -- to send smoke -- plus shells across the Waal River. Finally some British Army "lorries" [trucks] arrived with the assault boats packed on -- I think there were two trucks, maybe more.

We sprang into action. After all, we were the so-called "river crossing experts." We hauled the boats down one by one. Did we figure out to press them out, or did some Brit show us? Who knows? Anyhow, we got one opened up, and I knew this was mine -- was there a command to move out? I can’t remember. I just knew we were supposed to crack this boat down the embankment across the sandy shore and across the fucking river. How did I feel? I was numb and frozen. If I really considered going across in daylight after all that creeping around behind the power station -- knowing what was probably waiting for us -- I suppose I would have crapped out. But I figured that if Spike and the big shots thought we could make it, why not?

So I rallied my squad; grabbed the boat and headed down the embankment about 15 feet. I think the canvas boat was heavier than it looked - then across sandy mud to the river’s edge and into the water. We pushed the boat out to where we could all step in. All hell was breaking loose. Tanks firing, smoke appearing and lots of small arms fire. I had lots of experience with canoes and row boats, plus a period on a freshman crew at Harvard. So I took the stern and shouted, "stroke!" - "stroke!" - "stroke!" as we wallowed across the Waal. I think we were eleven engineers and all had paddles -- five to a side and across we went. There was a whistling of bullets all around us but for some reason, no one was injured. We hit the other bank and took off like cowboys and Indians up the bank. Three of our guys were left to ferry the boat back to pick up another load. (I think they had the toughest job of all!).



Wednesday, September 20, 1944, 3:30 p.m.: After the Crossing

When we hit the shore we were elated! Intoxicated! We had somehow made it across that "broadside" of fire without a scratch. We scampered out of the boats and up the beach to higher ground and took off gradually east where we knew the highway bridge to be.

We didn’t find any mines -- we just ran and ran. We were eight young men, 19 to 23 years old, who had just won a new life and we dashed like a cavalry squadron. Nothing could stop us now! I think there were eight of us - me and seven of the squad -- we didn’t wait for the 504. Forward we ran. There was a pillbox in front of us -- who knows if there were any defenders. We tossed in grenades and shot ahead -- there were two houses. I think uninhabited but we tossed grenades there too and romped on. At some point I bethought me of duties as an officer -- wrote a brief note to Capt. Spike and sent it back by one of my engineers.

We spread out -- from here on I get hazy. I was down to six and we were hooping and hollering all over the place. We sounded to ourselves as if were single handedly to save the Bridge.

Like a bad officer, I got ahead of the group. I remember running through a large pasture; was surprised by the whistling of bullets going by; surprised by seeing dead cows up-ended; wondering of someone was really truing to shoot at me -- me -- the victorious crosser of the Waal. Finally, after and hour and a half, my euphoria began to wane. I found a little 6x6 house -- probably a farm implement storage. Took off my helmet and looked around. It must have been 5 or 5:30 by this time. Bullets still whistling around - but presumably not at me (I hoped) - I wondered what in the world I should be doing? No men, no mission, not really an infantry man conqueror. Two of my men arrived -- we took council -- wondered whether to proceed or get back to the beachhead.

At this point we discovered Major Cook and elements of the 3rd Battalion coming towards us in a ditch. I reported in to Major Cook, told him that everything was OK this far and since I had only two of my squad left I probably should see what I could do at the landing. And we three crawled over the top of some 20 504 men and gradually returned to the beach which was empty but for some battered boats and six dead troopers - not a very brilliant ending for our crossing.



Wednesday, September 20, 1944: Evening

Two of my squad and I remained at the beachhead overnight and made our way across the Waal when a boat came from the other side. My other three joined the 3rd Battalion, 504 moving forward. Sgt. Kero was killed firing a bazooka at a German Panzer (He was awarded a posthumous DSC). The other two returned safely.

I believe the company lost 4 of 5 KIA and about 12 WIA ( I have just found my "diary") of the Holland campaign and I notice that I hardly mention the river-crossing - I guess I was still stunned!).

[SAMWolf]

'If they were my men in Arnhem we would move tanks at night. We would move anything at night to get there.'

-- General James Gavin
82nd Airborne Commander
On being told that the British would not move at night to relieve the British 1st Airborne surrounded at Arnhem

[SAMWolf]

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[SAMWolf]

Thanks, Doughty!

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Everybody.


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[CholeraJoe]

Good morning, SAM. Helluva good thread this morning.

[Jen]

PING to the FReeper Foxhole!

To be removed from this list, send me a BLANK FReepmail with "REMOVE" in the subject line. Thanks! Jen

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!

[AndrewC]

Not to diminish the heroism of the participants, but they should have sent Patton.

[petuniasevan]

Thanks.

See what a high price we paid in Operation Market-Garden?

Much of Europe would rather forget.

If there's anyone out there who hasn't read Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far", you've missed out! Get it and read it!

[SAMWolf]

Morning, CholeraJoe. Thanks.

Market-Garden was one of those operations I can't read enough about, sort of the like the Bulge.

[Giddyupgo]

Thanks for the ping. Beautifully done.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Cote, very appropriate poem today. The 82nd is again in harms way and we at the Foxhole wish them all God Speed and Good Luck.

[CholeraJoe]

Market-Garden was one of those operations I can't read enough about

Good Morning. Today's debacle is courtesy of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.

[SAMWolf]

IMHO, Market-Garden, if run by Patton, would have had a lot better chance of succeeding. Montgomery was not the man to run this kind of operation.

[SAMWolf]

You're correct, "A Bridge Too Far" is an excellent book. I managed to get an autographed copy when it first came out.

[AndrewC]

Hey! Stop talking bad about our allies. If you want a whipping (fill in your appropriate politically incorrect object) use the French.