Prompt Cast
The Sunset March in Nijmegen: Honoring WWII Heroes and Remembering Tragedy
TLDR The city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands holds a daily sunset march to honor the soldiers who secured a key bridge during Operation Market Garden in World War II. The march also serves as a reminder of the devastating bombing that the city endured during the war.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands honors the events that took place there 76 years ago with a daily sunset march.
01:24
Operation Market Garden was a plan devised by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery during World War II, in which Allied paratroopers would be dropped behind enemy lines to secure key bridges, while ground forces would advance to cut off German forces, with the goal of reaching Berlin quickly and ending the war by Christmas.
02:42
The success of Operation Market Garden relied on capturing the key bridge in Nijmegen, which was one of the longest in Europe at the time, and if it had been blown up by the Germans, the entire operation would have failed.
03:50
The Allies had to find and rush 32 canvas boats to Nijmegen in order to cross the river and assault the north end of the bridge, using the butts of their rifles as paddles, resulting in heavy losses but ultimately managing to lay a telephone cable for communications.
04:57
The modern bridge across the Wall River in Nijmegen, known as Die Overstieg, was built to honor the men of the 82nd Airborne who lost their lives securing the bridge in 1944, and now, every day at sunset, at least two military veterans from Nijmegen march across the bridge while the 48 sets of lights are lit in sequence.
06:04
The city of Nijmegen, which honors American troops with daily sunset marches, was also the victim of a devastating bombing by American bombers in 1944, resulting in the deaths of over 800 civilians.
07:11
The sunset march in Nijmegen is open to anyone, but they especially invite military veterans to participate, and it is recommended to arrive at the meeting point at least 15 minutes before sunset.
