#Audiospot
The landing of parachutists and gliders
On Sunday the 17th of September 1944, the sky was brightly coloured. Hundreds of planes flew over and countless parachutists and gliders landed in the fields and meadows around Heelsum and Renkum. An impressive theatrical show and the beginning of the liberation of the Netherlands. But it would play out very differently.
On Sunday September 17 1944, the skies were full of aircraft, gliders and parachutes. The fields around Heelsum and Renkum served as landing zone for hundreds of Allied paratroops and gliders. This amazing spectacle marked the start of the liberation of the Netherlands.
Hundreds of paratroops landed here on that day. They advanced towards Arnhem, but soon found that the Germans had blocked their path. They tried to break through, but this took longer than expected. Only one battallion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Frost, succeeded in finally reaching the bridge in Arnhem. This was the first day of a massive military operation which should have heralded the end of the Second World War. Alas, the reality was different.