Impressive photo of a 17 Pounder Valentine, Mk I, Archer in a flooded street in Kranenburg (Germany) during operation Veritable
During the start of operation Veritable on February 8, 1945, German engineers blew the sluice gates at Wylermeer, followed by the sluice in Bienen.
After being delayed by mines and mud, Kranenburg was captured by the British infantry at 6:30 PM on February 8, 1945. But then they discovered that the main street Nijmegen-Kleve was already flooded.
Water continued to rise on February 10.
The water masses crossed the Nijmegen-Kleve road up to a distance of 5 miles and partially rose to a meter high.
For that reason, the Allies used ferries delivering vehicles to the higher ground between Kranenburg and Nütterden where the road was higher than elsewhere.
This flooding right up to Kranenburg Bend led to a major traffic problem for the allies. However, because the majority of the population had already been evacuated in September 1944, they did not suffer from the flooding.
