The Waal River crossing now has its own documentary. WAAL RIVER CROSSING: 1944 is an hour-long film from the World War II Foundation, directed by Tim Gray and narrated by Paul Giamatti. I was the on-camera historian for the shoot, filmed along the banks of the Waal where the assault went in. The film tells the story through archival footage and the accounts of the men who were there.
Watch the film here: https://wwiifoundation.org/portfolio-item/the-waal-river-crossing-1944/
The crossing site sits on the south bank of the Waal at Nijmegen, about a mile and a half from the road bridge. The river here runs wide and fast. Stand at the water’s edge and the far bank looks a long way off.
On 20 September 1944 the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, crossed the Waal here in canvas boats, in daylight, under fire from three sides. Major Julian Cook led them. Their orders were to take the northern ends of the road and rail bridges at Nijmegen, since General James Gavin had judged the bridges could only be taken by attacking from both banks at once. Forty-eight men of the battalion were killed in the crossing and the fighting that followed.
A Bridge Too Far put the crossing on screen for a wide audience. This documentary returns it to the men who made it, told in their own words.
We cover the crossing site in detail on our Nijmegen battlefield tour.
