Church Bell Tower view of Hell's Highway

That's Hell's Highway, with its original brick surface below, passing in front of the cafe where we lunched today.
Lt. Winters glassed the horizon and saw enemy action in the next town from this position.

Peter and the Bell, about to give the clapper a toss.

In September 1944, a patrol from Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, set up operations in Uden, the Netherlands, and used the St. Peter's Cathedral bell tower to observe enemy activity. They were protecting the flanks of British traffic running Hell's Highway to "The Bridge Too Far," as part of Operation Market Garden.

After signing waivers, our study group got permission to ascend the 60 meters to the observation point. Seven rickety century-old ladders later, we found ourselves at the top with Sextant Peter R. (sp).

 When Lt. Winters used this as an observation post in 1944, a sniper spotted him and fired a round that glanced off the church bell. To add authenticity to our experience, the plucky Dutchman gave the huge bell a clang or two, rattling our ear drums and shaking our bones -- and possibly confusing the town's population about what time it was..
Then we ventured out on the catwalks around the massive dome over the altar, and looked down at the more squeamish in our party. It was a day for adventure and adrenalin. And we forgot to light a candle before we went up.
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Photo left: We had lunch in the cafe on Hell's Highway. Dutch bikers whizzed past and an
old fellow on a battery-powered 3-wheeler stopped to reminisce with our party about being forced to learn German during the five years of occupation.  It was a tense time, he said. We waited for our appointment with the church deacon from across the street, then made our
way through this historic building, literally
from bottom to top. 

Look closely and you'll see two of our cadre on the maintenance catwalk
along the dome over the altar. Shaky. Ridiculous.