2505 - Scherpenisse, Zeeland, Netherlands

This is a great card of the Arnhem Bridge. Of course it is the iconic bridge in A Bridge Too Far. The movie is set during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. The British 1st Airborne Division, and the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade were ordered to secure the bridge at Arnhem. At the beginning of the operation, a bulk of the paratroopers were dropped far from the bridge and weren't able to get to their objective. The 2nd Parachute Battalion, led by Lt-Col John D. Frost (1912-1993), did get to the bridge but couldn't secure both sides. They met with resistance from the German 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions.

The British forces ran out of ammunition and were captured on 21 September, four days after they were dropped. Remaining forces were ordered out on 26 September. The bridge was eventually destroyed by the US Army Air Forces shortly after.

The bridge built to replace the bridge after the war was named after Lt-Col Frost. The Arnhem Bridge was named John Frostbrug (John Frost Bridge) in 1978, although Frost was reluctant to receive the honour.

Frost was taken prisoner after they surrendered on 21 September and was a prisoner of war at the Oflag IX-A/H camp at Spangenberg Castle and then moved to a hospital in Obermassfeldt. He was liberated by American troops in March 1945. He was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Order Medal in September 1945.

Marianne, the sender of the card, is from Scherpenisse. Scherpenisse has a population of 1414 people (2001).

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3566 - Bakhmach, Chernihiv, Ukraine

Bakhmach is locarted in northern Ukraine. I'm taking this next paragraph straight out of Wikipedia: During the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 26, 2022, at least 65 units of Russian military equipment moved through Bakhmach, with about a hundred more on the outskirts. Local residents tried to stop the convoy on their own by blocking tank tracks with makeshift objects and convincing Russian soldiers not to move towards Kyiv . One man attempted to climb onto a tank and block the road with his body (he was not hurt). However, the military equipment continued to move, and Russian forces fired several shots into the air. Слава Україні!

3564 - Kassel, Hesse, Germany

A wonderful message on this card that translates to to those wh o can wait, everything comes with time.

2352 - Cologne (Köln), North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Cologne is home to the twelve Romanesque churches. All are Catholic churches and all are found in Altstadt (old town). All were severely damaged during the 262 Allied air raids on Cologne. All twelves have been restored. St. Andreas was consecrated in 974. The crypt of the church as a sarcophagus that dates back to the third century and it holds the remains of St. Albertus Magnus, who died in 1280. St. Apostein was consecrated in the 800s. St. Cecilia was built in the 800s and it the current home of the Schnutgen Museum for Medieval Art. It still holds Catholic Mass on rare occasions. St. Georg's was built near the end of 1000s. It was extensively restored after the Second World War. St. Gerion's was established in 612. St. Kunibert was consecrated in 1247. Cunibert, the 9th Bishop of Cologne, is buried here. St. Maria im Kapital was built between 1040-1065. It was also heavily damaged during the war and restoration was finally completed in 1984. St. Maria Lyskirchem is the ...

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