The story
In September 1944, the divers of the German Marine Einsatzkommando MEK 65 were given the highly dangerous task of blowing up the river bridges in Nijmegen. Of the 12 frogmen involved in the operation to destroy these two bridges, ten were captured by the British.
Three of these men later died of wounds sustained during their attack. Two frogmen of the first group, whose target was the railway bridge, managed to escape capture. In the fast-flowing waters of the river Waal, the men lost touch with each other. Around 6 o'clock in the morning, the two divers heard a huge explosion - it was the railway bridge. The divers were later awarded high military honours for this action.
The Germans charged to blow up the road bridge were less successful. The Waal river current was too powerful, and they were seen. Under heavy fire, they desperately tried to sink their bombs to the correct depth, and activate the detonator timing. They succeeded in the latter, but the bombs were too far out of position, and therefore only did minor damage. The frogmen, totally exhausted, floated to the banks of the river, where they were captured by the Allies.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.