Across the Waal: Nijmegen remembers the sacrifice of 48

NIJMEGEN, Netherlands — Eighty-two years ago, American paratroopers climbed into canvas boats and pushed into the Waal River under heavy German fire. Th… NIJMEGEN, Netherlands — Eighty-two years ago, American paratroopers climbed into canvas boats and pushed into the Waal River under heavy German fire. They crossed in daylight, exposed on the water, fighting to reach the opposite bank and open the way toward Nijmegen’s bridges. On Sept. 20, 2026, Soldiers, Dutch officials, U.S. representatives, local residents and schoolchildren gathered along the river to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the Waal Crossing during Operation Market Garden. For the people of Nijmegen, the crossing remains more than a story from World War II.

Its legacy continues through a city that still connects the sacrifices of 1944 with the freedom it enjoys today. “During the Waal Crossing, 48 lives were lost — 48 lives of men who were willing to sacrifice everything for our freedom,” said Kelly van Dalen, a local resident. “82 years later, we remember their courage, their sacrifice, and the freedom they made possible.” On Sept. 20, 1944, paratroopers from the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, crossed the Waal River west of Nijmegen in canvas assault boats. Soldiers from the 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion helped move them across while German forces fired from the opposite bank. The