Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
During Operation Market Garden, the bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal at Son was destroyed by German forces on September 17, 1944, just as paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division approached the area.
With ground forces from XXX Corps advancing north toward the Arnhem bridge—and the British paratroopers holding out there—a new crossing was urgently needed. British and American engineers worked together to construct a Bailey bridge, enabling the advance to continue.
Completed in the early hours of September 19, 1944, the bridge allowed troops and vehicles to begin crossing the Wilhelmina Canal.
The footage shows soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division and the Bailey bridge at Son, preserved by the U.S. National Archives.
During Operation Market Garden, the bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal at Son was destroyed by German forces on September 17, 1944, just as paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division approached the area.
With ground forces from XXX Corps advancing north toward the Arnhem bridge—and the British paratroopers holding out there—a new crossing was urgently needed. British and American engineers worked together to construct a Bailey bridge, enabling the advance to continue.
Completed in the early hours of September 19, 1944, the bridge allowed troops and vehicles to begin crossing the Wilhelmina Canal.
The footage shows soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division and the Bailey bridge at Son, preserved by the U.S. National Archives.
