I was born in Nijmegen 14 years later my family came from the Dutch East Indies. They escaped the uprising there after the Japanese left. I too live in America and have recently returned to visit Nijmegen. I have seen the memorials there and the famous Bridge. It is beautiful and peaceful now it is hard to imagine a war had swept through there.
(The Polish airborne troops were dropped near Driel, nowhere near the Waal, and crossed the Nederrijn by boat in support of the British at Arnhem. A different screwup entirely).
i spoke an old man couple of years ago at the bombing memorial day, and he was 17 at the time, he told me body's where laying all over the place and the german soldiers, who held the city saved a lot of people that day.
in fact the old man saved some peolpe together with a german soldier from collapsed basements, and buildings
I am sad to say that my grandfather was the pilot of one of the B-24s that bombed Nijmegen. It was a horrible accident, and he carried his guilt his whole life. He has passed away, and so I would like to pass on his apologies to the people whose lives were affected by this horrible event. This just proves that nothing good comes of war.
@narwhalification It was no accident. Nijmegen was bombed on purpose by the U.S. Air Force and the R.A.F. in 1944. Nijmegen was a 'casual target' like thousands of Dutch, French and Belgian towns, villages and cities. Civilian victims were relativized and left unaccounted for. Of course your father acted under orders. I am glad that Churchill's crazy anthrax Operation Vegetarian was never carried out in 1944. It would have killed many European continentals.
@narwhalification Dear friend, your grandfather was a Hero. He risked his own life to liberate us, the Dutch. Those raids were very,very dangerous and even though he did so. The Dutch never ever blamed those pilots for what they did. Even still now they are honered on the national memorial day. You grandfather is one of them. One of our and your hero's. I am very sorry to hear that it worried his mind during his life.
hahah they freed your coutry, they lost there two battalions of paratroops and you have say than you to them like that? English lost in Arnhem whole 1 paratroops division. We lost one battalion when our first paratroop brigade was defending the ossterbeck! You are crying for buildings while we sacrificed our lives. In the same moment there was an uprising in Warsaw. Warsaw was burned to dust and we were still fighting. Most of Warsaw citizens were hanged and burned. But we were still fighting.
This is my home town, my mom was 10 and my dad was 13. They were lucky they survived. My great grandmother wasn't that lucky,... she went to "Buchenwalt" only because her father was born in the U.S.A.
The Germans did more damage then the allied. "WE WILL NEVER FORGET WHAT THE GERMANS DID TO US"
@PECrambo my grandpa olso did he still has burns on his hands from pulling burning ppl out of the rubble he was 15 years old then that day he didint go to school and a bomb got the school and he lost all friends he known
They were not "flying out of Germany", which would have been impossible in 1944, since the American didn't get into Germany until 1945. The didn't drop their load on Nijmegen by mistake. They did it on purpose to destroy the German armor units that occupied the city. It was part of the Market Garden operation.
It was four months before D Day, nothing to do with Market Garden three months later still! The bombers would have been flying "out of Germany" in the sense that they'd been over there and were on their way back to bases in eastern England.
So you are contending that American bombers left England, flew to Germany, presumably to sight see and say hello to some Luftwaffe fighter planes...mind you, with a full load of bombs...then they returned to England, and on the way back to England they dropped their bombs on Nijmegen? Hmmm.
Set out to bomb a target in NW Germany, probably somewhere in the Ruhrgebiet. Primary target covered by fog or low cloud. Secondary orders to bomb targets of opportunity so they head for home looking for a chance to jettison the load somewhere useful, see a nice big bridge and railway yards. Borders don't show up from the air (they'd have crossed the Dutch border no more than a couple of minutes earlier), inexperienced navigators working in dubious visibility using primitive technology = SNAFU.
@AnotherHerring the must have know its was holland becase nijmegen had lights and no german citys did it was not legal in gemany to put on lights at night not even candles every nuw that and the britch you are talkin about was not even near the bombings
@reemstrrr The bombing took place in daylight, so the question of lights/backout doesn't apply. My mother is from Nijmegen and was 18 at the time; she remembers that day very well. Mercifully no-one from her family was killed.
I didn't know about this bit of history. My father in law is from Heerlen, in Limburg. He has very interesting stories about the War. I'm glad I didn't live then! Thanks so much for sharing these photos.
The Second World War hit Nijmegen very hard. On 22 February 1944, allied bombers dropped their deadly load on Nijmegen by mistake. The pilots thought it was a German city. It was a catastrophe; the city center was totally ruined, some 800 citizens were killed, and hundreds of people were injured. In the Town Hall's courtyard, the very spot where a primary school was located, a monument in the shape of a high iron monument was erected in memory of this bombardment.
I cannot imagine that those navigators did'n saw the difference between Nijmegen and Kleve. Brits and Ami's are trigger happy bombers. You can see it everywhere in the world, not only in Germany they destroyed almost everything.
@hans421 i have many books about this not being a mistake olso becase it was wel know the german citys where compleet dark becase it was not alowt to put on light at night and nijmegen didnt so when flying over nijmegen the ust have seen all the lights and must have know 100% sure it was not germany
The historical heart of Nijmegen was roughly taken out of the town. On February 22, 1944, about half past one in the afternoon, Nijmegen was startled by a bombardment, executed by American bombers. The whole of the inner city changed into a ruin within a few moments. About 800 people died in this bombardment.
I was born in Nijmegen 14 years later my family came from the Dutch East Indies. They escaped the uprising there after the Japanese left. I too live in America and have recently returned to visit Nijmegen. I have seen the memorials there and the famous Bridge. It is beautiful and peaceful now it is hard to imagine a war had swept through there.
icemelongreen 2 months ago
Comment removed
WindowsAndMacintosh 7 months ago
@reemstrrr Lights? At 13:30? Ik denk niet...
(The Polish airborne troops were dropped near Driel, nowhere near the Waal, and crossed the Nederrijn by boat in support of the British at Arnhem. A different screwup entirely).
AnotherHerring 1 year ago
i spoke an old man couple of years ago at the bombing memorial day, and he was 17 at the time, he told me body's where laying all over the place and the german soldiers, who held the city saved a lot of people that day.
in fact the old man saved some peolpe together with a german soldier from collapsed basements, and buildings
pieterklaaskrugmann 1 year ago
I am sad to say that my grandfather was the pilot of one of the B-24s that bombed Nijmegen. It was a horrible accident, and he carried his guilt his whole life. He has passed away, and so I would like to pass on his apologies to the people whose lives were affected by this horrible event. This just proves that nothing good comes of war.
narwhalification 1 year ago
@narwhalification It was no accident. Nijmegen was bombed on purpose by the U.S. Air Force and the R.A.F. in 1944. Nijmegen was a 'casual target' like thousands of Dutch, French and Belgian towns, villages and cities. Civilian victims were relativized and left unaccounted for. Of course your father acted under orders. I am glad that Churchill's crazy anthrax Operation Vegetarian was never carried out in 1944. It would have killed many European continentals.
IustitiaPax 1 year ago
@narwhalification Dear friend, your grandfather was a Hero. He risked his own life to liberate us, the Dutch. Those raids were very,very dangerous and even though he did so. The Dutch never ever blamed those pilots for what they did. Even still now they are honered on the national memorial day. You grandfather is one of them. One of our and your hero's. I am very sorry to hear that it worried his mind during his life.
berrycccc 1 year ago
Can you imagine if this had happened today in Iraq or Afghanistan? "oops, sorry - shit happens"
cfodk 2 years ago
hahah they freed your coutry, they lost there two battalions of paratroops and you have say than you to them like that? English lost in Arnhem whole 1 paratroops division. We lost one battalion when our first paratroop brigade was defending the ossterbeck! You are crying for buildings while we sacrificed our lives. In the same moment there was an uprising in Warsaw. Warsaw was burned to dust and we were still fighting. Most of Warsaw citizens were hanged and burned. But we were still fighting.
Okzcarian 2 years ago
English lost in Arnhem whole 1 paratroops division. their own fault market garden was a shit plan
puntzakjuh 2 years ago
@puntzakjuh at nijmegen to american drop polish paratroopers at the wrong spot right into the waal a fast and deep river non survived
reemstrrr 1 year ago
This is my home town, my mom was 10 and my dad was 13. They were lucky they survived. My great grandmother wasn't that lucky,... she went to "Buchenwalt" only because her father was born in the U.S.A.
The Germans did more damage then the allied. "WE WILL NEVER FORGET WHAT THE GERMANS DID TO US"
catnkaboodle 3 years ago
The American bombing raids, which dropped over 2.7 million tonnes of bombs and kill an estimated 600,000 innocent Cambodians.
MasterFu 3 years ago
my grandmother witnessd this. She never spoke about it but I am sure it was horrible
PECrambo 3 years ago 3
@PECrambo my grandpa olso did he still has burns on his hands from pulling burning ppl out of the rubble he was 15 years old then that day he didint go to school and a bomb got the school and he lost all friends he known
reemstrrr 1 year ago
nazis are dead and Israel has nukes, God life is great on planet earth, don't you agree?
AAispurelove 4 years ago
Ironic at best...
MrMeter 3 years ago
They were not "flying out of Germany", which would have been impossible in 1944, since the American didn't get into Germany until 1945. The didn't drop their load on Nijmegen by mistake. They did it on purpose to destroy the German armor units that occupied the city. It was part of the Market Garden operation.
dLimboStick 4 years ago 2
It was four months before D Day, nothing to do with Market Garden three months later still! The bombers would have been flying "out of Germany" in the sense that they'd been over there and were on their way back to bases in eastern England.
AnotherHerring 2 years ago
@AnotherHerring
So you are contending that American bombers left England, flew to Germany, presumably to sight see and say hello to some Luftwaffe fighter planes...mind you, with a full load of bombs...then they returned to England, and on the way back to England they dropped their bombs on Nijmegen? Hmmm.
dLimboStick 2 years ago
Set out to bomb a target in NW Germany, probably somewhere in the Ruhrgebiet. Primary target covered by fog or low cloud. Secondary orders to bomb targets of opportunity so they head for home looking for a chance to jettison the load somewhere useful, see a nice big bridge and railway yards. Borders don't show up from the air (they'd have crossed the Dutch border no more than a couple of minutes earlier), inexperienced navigators working in dubious visibility using primitive technology = SNAFU.
AnotherHerring 2 years ago
@AnotherHerring the must have know its was holland becase nijmegen had lights and no german citys did it was not legal in gemany to put on lights at night not even candles every nuw that and the britch you are talkin about was not even near the bombings
reemstrrr 1 year ago
@reemstrrr The bombing took place in daylight, so the question of lights/backout doesn't apply. My mother is from Nijmegen and was 18 at the time; she remembers that day very well. Mercifully no-one from her family was killed.
Porpentine1961 10 months ago
@Porpentine1961 my whole family lives in nijmegen (olso me)
reemstrrr 10 months ago
stupid americans!!!
kcimmid 4 years ago
I didn't know about this bit of history. My father in law is from Heerlen, in Limburg. He has very interesting stories about the War. I'm glad I didn't live then! Thanks so much for sharing these photos.
HistoricalHouseMouse 4 years ago
Fucking Yanks can't hit a cows arse with a banjo there's always responsible for this so called friendly fire.
nirvanarock82 5 years ago 4
The Second World War hit Nijmegen very hard. On 22 February 1944, allied bombers dropped their deadly load on Nijmegen by mistake. The pilots thought it was a German city. It was a catastrophe; the city center was totally ruined, some 800 citizens were killed, and hundreds of people were injured. In the Town Hall's courtyard, the very spot where a primary school was located, a monument in the shape of a high iron monument was erected in memory of this bombardment.
johndelaparra 5 years ago
I cannot imagine that those navigators did'n saw the difference between Nijmegen and Kleve. Brits and Ami's are trigger happy bombers. You can see it everywhere in the world, not only in Germany they destroyed almost everything.
hans421 3 years ago 3
@hans421 i have many books about this not being a mistake olso becase it was wel know the german citys where compleet dark becase it was not alowt to put on light at night and nijmegen didnt so when flying over nijmegen the ust have seen all the lights and must have know 100% sure it was not germany
reemstrrr 1 year ago
The historical heart of Nijmegen was roughly taken out of the town. On February 22, 1944, about half past one in the afternoon, Nijmegen was startled by a bombardment, executed by American bombers. The whole of the inner city changed into a ruin within a few moments. About 800 people died in this bombardment.
johndelaparra 5 years ago
Not meant to be a pro Nazi propaganda film, in fact the opposite.
Learn from history, evil has many faces.
johndelaparra 5 years ago