Some 400 paratroopers were dropped on Ginkel Heide in Ede on Saturday afternoon to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the WWII Battle of Arnhem airborne operation called Market Garden, NOS reports.
The paratroopers’ jump was originally scheduled of Saturday morning, but was delayed for several hours due to fog. Some 40 thousand visitors gathered to watch parachutists from England, Poland, Canada, America, Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands make the jump.
The commemoration also included a ceremony, speeches and a minute of silence. Several people and organization laid wreaths, including Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs and his British counterpart Boris Johnson. According to Omroep Gelderland, 32 British and Polish veterans attended the ceremony.
In September 1944 a group of allies planned to invade Germany through Arnhem with operation Market Garden. The plan was for paratroopers to conquer a number of bridges – operation Market – and occupy the tanks stationed there – operation Garden. The plan failed, partly due to more resistance from Germany than expected.
