Arnhem Street is dedicated to the Canadian troops who fought in the two Battles of Arnhem. Arnhem Street is located in the Carleton Heights – Rideau View neighbourhood of Ottawa. This area was developed in the mid-late 1940’s to house returning Second World War veterans and their families. Many streets in the area are named for famous battles and a nearby church was named to memorialize all Second World War veterans.
The first Battle of Arnhem took place between September 17-25, 1944 when Allied Forces launched OPERATION MARKET GARDEN, the surprise attack that was to capture bridges at Eindhoven, Nijmegan and Arnhem in the Netherlands, to allow the Allied Forces to bypass the German defensive Siegfried Line before pursuing offensive operations into Germany. 437 Squadron RCAF, was involved in towing gliders and logistic airdrops to support the British 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem, but the Division encountered far stronger resistance than anticipated.
In the ensuing battle, only a small force managed to hold one end of the Arnhem Road Bridge and after the ground forces failed to relieve them, they were overrun on September 21. The rest of the division, trapped in a small pocket west of the bridge, had to be evacuated on September 25. 20 Field Company and 23 Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers, assisted in the withdrawal of these forces by establishing crossing sites at Heveadorp and Driel, just west of Arnhem, along the Nederrijn River.
The second Battle of Arnhem was part of an Allied offensive that began in the early months of 1945, to enter Germany and the Reichwald. 1st Canadian Army was given the mission to capture a number of towns and cities along the advance including Arnhem, which was capture by 1 Canadian Corps in mid-April 1945.
