Netherlands pays tribute to Polish paratroopers on Operation Market Garden anniversary

The Dutch prime minister has paid tribute to the Polish paratroopers who helped liberate the Netherlands from Nazi-German occupation on the 80th anniversary of Operation Market Garden.

“Today we remember and honour all Polish and other Allied soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Battle of Arnhem,” wrote Dick Schoof in a social media post published in Polish.

“We offer our special thanks to all those who, under the command of Brigadier General Stanisław Sosabowski, risked their lives – for people they did not know, in a country that was not their home,” added Schoof, referring to the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade.

The prime minister offered his tribute amid commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary last week of Operation Market Garden, which saw over 40,000 American, British and Polish airborne soldiers dropped into the German-occupied Netherlands.

He was speaking in the village of Driel, which was where Sosabowski and his Polish parachute brigade landed as part of the operation.

“These heroes overcame their fear to fight for our freedom,” said Schoof. “Freedom that has endured for 80 years. Freedom that we must cherish and protect.”

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“Today, let us consider their example a call to action. A call to stand firm for the freedoms and values they fought for with such dedication and determination 80 years ago,” Schoof added.

He then noted that Russia’s ongoing actions in Ukraine demonstrate that “violence, terror and yes, even war” are “so close by again”, highlighting that for Poland “it feels even closer”.

That is why it is “essential for Poland, the Netherlands and other countries to stick together and support each other – as members of NATO and as fellow European nations”, Schoof added. “The alternative is unthinkable.”

Operation Market Garden was successful in capturing the Dutch cities of Nijmegen and Eindhoven but failed in its main objective to secure the strategic bridge over the Rhine in Arnhem. Despite this, it is commemorated as one of the key efforts in liberating the German-occupied Netherlands.

Due to their significant involvement in the operation, Polish soldiers are commemorated in Driel by the “Surge Polonia” monument and a plaque with the names of all those who died, as well as a special plaque dedicated to Sosabowski.

Other Polish forces also played a significant role in the liberation of the Netherlands in 1944, in particular the Polish 1st Armoured Division led by General Stanisław Maczek.

This year, Dutch football club NAC Breda unveiled new kits that they will wear for the entire season that feature photographs and names of the Poles who died fighting to free the city 80 years ago.

Main image credit: MinPres/X

Agata Pyka

Agata Pyka is an assistant editor at Notes from Poland. She is a journalist and a political communication student at the University of Amsterdam. She specialises in Polish and European politics as well as investigative journalism and has previously written for Euractiv and The European Correspondent.