Veterans Return To The Netherlands To Mark 75 Years Since The Battle of Arnhem

British troops en route to Holland (Picture: PA).

British Second World War veterans have returned to former battlegrounds in the Netherlands to mark the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden.

The battle of Arnhem, which took place in 1944, saw some of the bloodiest fighting that took place during the war.

It claimed the lives of more than 1,500 British soldiers and saw a further 6,500 captured.

About 35,000 British, American and Polish troops were dropped behind enemy lines in a bid to capture eight bridges on the Dutch and German border and open up an attack route for allied forces.

There are events being held throughout the city to mark the anniversary.

This morning, flowers are due to be laid at a memorial at the Hartenstein museum.

Later in the day, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission will launch its Voices of Liberation sound installation.

This is where the public can come and listen to stories from the Second World War.

Veterans are also due to be present for the planned internment of the ashes of two former soldiers at the cemetery.

In the evening, Arnhem city centre will be the focal point for a night of commemoration.

A wreath-laying service, led by the city's mayor, will be held just north of the Arnhem bridge that allied soldiers fought hard to conquer during the war.

In October 1944 the bridge was destroyed by bombing, but it has since been rebuilt and named John Frostburg in honour of Lieutenant Colonel John Frost, commanding officer of the 2nd Parachute Battalion who held an isolated position on the bridge for four days during Operation Market Garden.

The memorial service will be followed by the Bridge to Liberation Experience, a public musical and visual show, that will use the bridge as a backdrop to tell the story of the battle.

Events will carry into Saturday where 1,500 paratroopers from different nations will jump out over one of the drop zones allied soldiers parachuted on to 75 years ago.

A 97-year-old veteran is also preparing to jump.

Former paratrooper Sandy Cortmann was just 22-years-old when he parachuted over the city on September 1944, where he was taken prisoner by the Germans.

If he passes a medical check, Mr Cortmann hopes to tandem parachute and land on the same drop zone he jumped onto 75 years ago.