#Story
Blown-up Infrastructure
On April 6, 1945, during their retreat, German troops blew up the IJssel bridges in Zutphen, destroying both the railway bridge and the road bridge, before withdrawing to De Hoven.
These bridges had barely functioned for four years, as the Dutch army had already destroyed them during the German invasion on May 10, 1940. The Germans later rebuilt them.
After the liberation of Zutphen, the Allies immediately began constructing temporary replacements. Two parallel Bailey bridges were erected, named after Canadian General Harry Crerar, commander of the First Canadian Army. These emergency structures — the Harry and Crerar bridges — were vital for re-establishing supply lines to the western Netherlands and launching reconstruction efforts. General Crerar officially opened the bridges on May 29, 1945.
In the meantime, shipping traffic on the IJssel remained blocked for an extended period due to the twisted steel remnants of the destroyed bridges. It was not until 1946 that the original railway and road bridges were repaired and ceremonially reopened.