Building the Arnhem Bridge Perimeter - Part Three - 126 Verlengde Rijkade

Part One

Part Two

126 Verlengde Rijkade is the large building immediately to the east of the bridge towers fronting on to the Rhine and can easily be seen in the aerial photos of that area. 

The building was initially unoccupied by either side, being 200m or so within the British perimeter on the eastern side of the bridge at the start of the battle. However at around 15.00 hrs on Monday 18th September KG Euling (including two PzIV) pushed the British out of the Jos Pé factory building which allowed them to advance along the river front and occupy the building. 

It was recaptured by No.6 Platoon, B Co (2nd Parachute Battalion) during the late afternoon and early evening. They were subsequently forced out when the building, particularly the corner element, (boxed in red in the top image) was taken under direct tank fire resulting in it catching fire and being severely damaged and burnt out. The building was again recaptured late Monday night by No.2 Plt A Co and finally lost on the Wednesday. (Margry (Ed), 2008; Zwarts, 2024).

The building was provided as part of the WOWBuildings Kickstarter, but the model of this particular building differs significantly from the photos I can find in terms of look and shape. The Kickstarter model has a very rustic look and appears it may have been mirrored with the long one storey building being on the right side of the model and not the left as seen in the photos. It also lacks several doors and windows. 

I initially re-worked the roofs but was still unhappy with the look, and so decided I would have a go at building my own version. I have an ancient copy of Lightwave 3D and a very basic working knowledge of how to use it. 

Progress to date has the building elements and all but one roof complete. I just need to remove the tiles inside the dormers so I can cut the window holes and then finish laying the remaining tiles. At this stage I am happy that the model is more accurate, even if less detailed than the Kickstarter version. I will get it finished over the next few days.

I am cutting the elements so I can print each storey as a separate piece for ease of gaming  and the larger elements so they can be fitted onto the print plate.   

Reference

Margry, K. (Ed).2008. Operation Market Garden - Then and Now Vol 2.

Middlebrook, M. (1994) Arnhem 1944 - The Airborne Battle. 17-26 September.

Steer, F. (2011) Arnhem The Bridge - Battleground Europe.

Zwarts, M. (2024) Einsatz Arnheim.