ARNHEM (NETHERLANDS) - A handful of remaining World War II veterans on Friday received a hero's reception in the eastern Dutch city of Arnhem, 70 years after that global conflict's most infamous airborne operation.
A photo taken on September 15, 2014 shows King's Commmissioner Clemens Cornielje (L) and Arnhem Mayor Herman Kaiser (2-L) at the 70th Airborne Memorial in Arnhem
Thousands of cheering residents lined the city's streets to look on as 83 British and Polish veterans walked or passed them in wheelchairs as part of a week-long commemoration of Operation Market Garden.
More than 1,400 Allied soldiers died and 6,600 were captured in the ill-fated plan to seize bridges in the Netherlands in mid-September 1944, which Allied commanders had hoped would give them a quick way of ending war in Europe.
Ultimately thousands of parachutists dropped by air were repelled by strong German opposition and Arnhem was almost totally gutted in the fighting.
The story of Market Garden shot to Hollywood fame in the 1977 war epic "A Bridge Too Far" directed by the late Richard Attenborough and starring famous actors including Sean Connery, James Caan and Robert Redford.
"Today is a special day. Seventy years ago a battle raged here that changed the lives of so many," Arnhem's mayor Herman Kaiser told onlookers at a solemn wreath-laying ceremony on Friday.
"The citizens of Arnhem would like to thank you for what you have done," he said.
"It brings back so many memories. It's like it was yesterday," 92-year-old Alec Hall, who was a medic during the battle, told AFP.
"I often think about those few days," said Hall as he watched a commemoration concert, held on a bridge that spans the Rhine river into Arnhem.
Heavy fighting took place on the John Frost Bridge, named after the heroic commander who held the north end of the bridge for three-and-a-half days in mid-September 1944 against overwhelming odds.
Operation Market Garden ultimately failed, leading to a retreat by Allied forces who took part in the operation, meaning another eight months to end the war in Europe.
"I think the message is that even though you are beaten, you never give up, even against all odds," veteran Thomas Hicks, 95, told AFP.
Despite the fact that 95,000 residents in Arnhem were subsequently evacuated by Nazi forces, many today still believe the veterans to be heroes.
"These guys are awesome," said Douwe, 17, as he cheered and whistled at the passing veterans.
"Our generation can learn from them. They are some of the last true heroes," he said.