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The Mortar Pit

The Netherlands

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The 1st Border Regiment guarded the West side of the perimeter. Mortar teams of the regiment dug in at the Van Lennepweg.

For the largest group of soldiers in Arnhem and Oosterbeek, the original objective was to capture and hold the Rhine Bridge in Arnhem. However, the strong presence of German troops forced them to fall back to the Oosterbeek perimeter. For the 1st Border Regiment this was not the case. This was one of the few regiments that, during the Battle of Arnhem, did precisely what it came to Holland for: defending the border of the West side of the British line. 

On this spot at the Van Lennepweg, the mortar pit of the 1st Border Regiment was located. If you look closely, you can still see that the ground has sunk a little as a result of the 1,20 meter deep pit that was dug here in 1944. From this mortar pit, mortars were fired at the German troops attacking the perimeter from the North.