The Netherlands / Battlefield
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The Northern part of the perimeter was situated at the station of Oosterbeek. The troops at the North side of the railwaytracks could not defend their positions and retreated. Crossing the railroad was again very dangerous.
At Oosterbeek-Hoog station, known as Oosterbeek station today, one could see the Northern part of the perimeter in Oostrbeek. On September 18th, British troops landed on the landing fields at Wolfheze, about four kilometers away from Oosterbeek. They tried to reach Arnhem, but did not succeed. They fought against the strong German defense line, without success and with lots of casualties. They day after, the troops had to retreat to Oosterbeek. Although Oosterbeek-Hoog was supposed to be a safe area, the opposition here was very strong and therefore the troops had to cross the railroad at Wolfheze or nearby. Because of the continuous fighting, Oosterbeek-Hoog station remained a dangerous place.
New supplies of weapons, ammunition, food and medicines would be dropped by airplanes on the landing fields just North of the railroad. Because the railroad was not defended by the Allies anymore, supplies that got dropped by air support, fell into the hands of the German forces. Over 90% of all the supplies didn’t reach the Allied troops. Captain Desmond Kavanaugh, part of the 250th Airborne Light Composite Company, RASC (troops that are responsible for supplies), decided on September 19th to enter hostile territory with four jeeps at the Oosterbeek-Hoog area, to gather supplies. As soon as they crossed the railroad, they got targeted by a German armored vehicle. Six soldiers, including Kavanaugh, lost their lives during this action.
If you would like to visit the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, cross the railroad and take the first road to your right. Back and forth this will be 1.2 kilometers.