The failure to capture the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem in September 1944 led to the British and Canadians spending the last winter of the war in southern Holland. Their plans to turn east and cross the Rhine were delayed by Hitler’s last gamble in the west, the attack through the Ardennes in December. However by February 1945 they were ready to clear the area to the west of the River Rhine. Churchill called the operation ‘The last good heave’.

Operation VERITABLE saw some of the bitterest fighting of the war in North West Europe as the German 1st Parachute Army fought grimly for every yard of ground. Not until the middle of March was it possible to launch Operation PLUNDER - the final assault to cross the Rhine on the road to Berlin. The lessons of Arnhem had been learnt for the airborne component of this plan - Operation VARSITY. The assault would take place in daylight, the DZs and LZs would be close to their objectives and within range of supporting artillery. But despite this, casualties were high and the fighting was ferocious.

Just before Operation VERITABLE ended, the 27th (US) Armoured Infantry Battalion captured intact the Ludendorf Railway Bridge over the Rhine at Remagen on 7th March 1945. For ten days the Americans pushed men and material across to establish a bridgehead on the eastern bank, but on the 17th March, without warning, it collapsed into the river.

This new tour, led by Colonel Peter Knox, begins with a visit to the site of the Ludendorf Bridge, then moves north to see where General Simpson’s 9th (US) Army launched Operation GRENADE, the southern prong of the pincer attack to clear the west bank of the Rhine. Then onto Nijmegen where we shall spend three nights. From Nijmegen we will explore the ground where Operation VERITABLE was fought, then cross the Rhine where the British crossed on the night of the 23rd March 1945.

ITINERARY
Day 1 (Sunday): Depart Victoria Coach Station London 09:00. Cross the channel by Le Shuttle. Drive to Bonn. Dinner in our hotel.
Day 2: Visit the site of the Ludendorf Bridge at Remagen, then drive north to the River Roer where the 9th (US) Army crossed and see where the 35th (US) Infantry Division linked up with 53rd (Welsh) Division between Geldern and Kevelaer on 3rd March. Dinner in our hotel in Nijmegen (3 nights).
Day 3: We tour the Operation VERITABLE battlefield beginning with the start line for the assault in the area of Groesbeek and Kranenburg. Visit the Dutch National Liberation Museum and then Kleve, Bedburg and Goch. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 4: We begin with the final phase of Operation VERITABLE – Operation BLOCKBUSTER, to clear the Hochwald Gap (known by the Germans as the Schlieffen position). Then drive to the Rhine and see where 2nd (British) Army crossed the river. After lunch break in the scenic riverside town of Rees we drive to Hamminkeln to discuss Operation VARSITY. On our return to Nijmegen we will visit the CWGC cemetery in the Reichswald Forest where many of the British killed in these operations are buried. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 5: Visit the Canadian CWGC at Groesbeek and see the Memorial to the Missing. Lunch break en route to Calais. Arrive approx 18:00 Folkestone and approx 20:00 London.