Hundreds of parachutists drop over Dutch heath to commemorate World War II operation

Associated Press

GINKEL HEATH, Netherlands (AP) — Hundreds of paratroopers have dropped out of near-cloudless skies over a heath in the central Netherlands to commemorate the 80th anniversary of one of World War II’s most daring — but ultimately unsuccessful — missions, Operation Market Garden. Parachutists from the Dutch Air Mobile Brigade and 12 other NATO nations took part in a series of jumps over Ginkel Heath, watched by a small group of World War II veterans and some 60,000 spectators. Local mayor Rene Verhulst called the heath near Arnhem a place “where 80 years ago courage, sacrifice and hope came together in the shape of the airborne landings during Operation Market Garden.”