After the lost battle of Arnhem, the Allies tried with all their might to maintain a bridgehead in the Betuwe area. The front stabilised across the Betuwe near Opheusden and Dodewaard. For about seven months, the river area was frontline.
The battle forced thousands of inhabitants to evacuate. The towns along the rivers came under regular shelling. German troops entrenched themselves in the ruins of the cities and in the dykes. In December1944, they made a drastic decision with devastating consequences for Neder-Betuwe. On 2 December, in an attempt to drive the Allies out of the Betuwe, they blew a large hole in the Rijndijk near Elden, flooding the whole area. The plan did not succeed, but the result was that the area was flooded for months.
Through this cyclinng route, you will get to know the impressive history of the Neder-Betuwe municipality in the years 1940-1945, and you will know exactly what happened and where it happened.