Market Garden – The 501st Parachute Infantry around Hell’s Highway

Whilst most of the 101st Airborne Division landed on the Sonse Heide, the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment landed on separate drop zones at Eerde and Heeswijk. 501st PIR’s task was to capture Veghel and its bridges across the canal and a small river. What seemed like a simple job in the early hours, resulted in fierce battles for control of the main road and bridges. The Germans mainly chose this part of the corridor for their fiercest counterattacks. The Germans managed to cut off the allied route of advance and supply at several locations for longer or briefer periods.

In this tour we cycle along the places where fighting took place in September 1944. You will not only hear the stories at these different locations but also discover traces of the fighting still recognizable today.