James M. Gavin 25 Acorn Park Cambridge 40, Massachusetts

 

November 18, 1966

  

Dear Connie:

There were two bridges between Grave and Nijmegen, over the canal, saved.   No. 10 was the most bitterly contested.    It is on the main highway from Grave to Nijmegen and it was the northernmost of the four bridges.    It was the mission of the 508th to capture it and Lieutenant Polette undertook to do so. His attack was extremely courageous and well carried out.   He later was given the DSC for his action and, unfortunately, he was also killed later.   When, after a day and and a half of fighting, he was unable to get the bridge except to drive the Germans back on to it, and they then set off some demolitions, I told Tucker to send a platoon to attack it from the other end.    They did and, according to Tucker, they just walked on to it. Here are the papers having to do with that.