I had the good pleasure of spending the day yesterday with Frank from Arnhem. One of the topics we discussed was if there existed any photographs of the Waalcrossing. He has heard that some color photographs exist, but neither of us has ever seen any.

Does anyone know if any exist? If they are published in any book, do you know the title?

I have not seen any color photo's. Here is a nice work I found on ebay. It appears for sale from time to time.

Thanks for the response.

How big is that picture? I will watch for it on eBay.

It is a large print. It seems to feature 3rd Bn. but the print is dedicated to the 307th engineers.

"Five Times Across" by Rick Reeves


The autumn of 1944 witnessed the turning in the events of the war. Following the successful landings of Operation Overlord, the Allies struggled to remove the Germans from occupied Europe. However, in order to avoid losing the initiative, the Allies launched a daring assault that would ultimately lead to the fall of Hitler's Third Reich and the end of World War II in Europe.
By the middle of September 1944, the decisive point in the plan fell to the 82nd Airborne Division and hinged on seizing the Bridges over the rivers surrounding the German heartland. Both the Allies and the Germans recognized the bridge over the Waal River at Nijmegen as a critical link in this system. Consequently, with the Germans on the far shore well defended and prepared for the inevitable advance, the Allies suffered from their withering fire and extremely accurate artillery.

Understanding the situation and the critical importance to the war effort, MG Gavin ordered the impossible, cross the river under daylight. In the early hours of the 20th of September 1944, elements of the 307th Engineer Battalion (Airborne) and the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (Airborne) assembled British Pontoon Boats. Using their helmets and rifle stocks, the All American Engineers started to ferry the paratroopers of the 504th PIR across the Waal River.

As the casualties mounted under the intense and accurate fire of the Germans, the paratroopers reached the enemy shore. While the infantrymen assembled on the river banks, the Sappers immediately returned for a second load of soldiers to carry on the battle. Again, they survived the merciless fire to deliver their brothers to the far shore. All told, the Engineers traversed the Waal River 5 times while enduring the constant barrage of enemy machine gun and artillery fire.

This painting, "Five Times Across" captures the valiant efforts of the 307th Engineer Battalion and the 504th PIR. Together, Engineers and Infantryman seized the far shore of the Waal River and secured the Nijmegen Bridge for the Allied war effort.

The officers and paratroopers of the 307th Engineer Battalion commemorate this painting to all members of the Battalion - past, present, future. The spirit and courage displayed by these soldiers established the great heritage of this battalion and serves as a reminder of our responsibilities to the future. We are merely the custodians of this unit's great reputation earned by the sacrifices of those who proudly wear the AA patch in the All American Engineers.


307th Edition: 307 Lithographs
Public Edition: 200 Lithographs
Print Size: 19" x 21"
Retail Price: $150.00 plus $15.00 S/H

http://www.americanahistoricalart.com/307.html

Great picture.

Greater unit.

Nice! Thanks!

Jim,

Is that painting made by James Dietz?

Frank

Phil,

I looked over the e-mail again that I received from Robert Dunn. The uncle of his wife served in the Signal Company of the 82nd Airborne Division and took some 500 colored photo's during the war. Mr. Dunn had the idea to publish a book with these photo's. Some he sent on to a Dutchman of the Liberation Museum in Nijmegen. A few photo's he had lend to a Dutchman in Nijmegen were never returned to him...

I asked Mr. Dunn if he could tell me what kind of photo's were taken about the Waalcrossing. He said that there is at least one colour picture of the Waalbridge and one of the Electric Powerplant.

Frank



P.S. Jim, I see that the painting I mentioned earlier wasn't made by James Dietz. Dietz has however painted several paintings about the American paratroopers in WWII.

Frank,

Thanks. When I read your response the second time I realized I met Bob Dunn at the H/504 reunion last May. He showed me many of the photographs he had. He has done one heck of a job trying to figure out where they were taken. He is really dedicated to making sure those photos are fully used.

I don't remember us talking about photos around the waalcrossing area, but we could have.

Phil