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Battle of Arnhem - Operation Market Garden |
| The Battle of Arnhem was part of Operation Market Garden, an audacious plan by
Field Marshall Montgomery to thrust across the Rhine, the last natural barrier before entering Germany.
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| By September 1944 the German army was in retreat. Although the Allies were
experiencing problems with their supply lines, the German army appeared to be on the brink of collapse. It was
therefore agreed that that a single army should be given priority of the supplies to enact a plan that would
deal the final blow and win the war before the end of 1944. This honour fell to Field Marshall Montgomery
and his 2nd British Army.
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| Operation Market Garden was an extremely ambitious plan. Three divisions of troops (35,000 men
- the largest airborne assault in military history) were to be dropped into various parts of the Netherlands to
capture no less than five key bridges. They were to be supported by British tanks simultaneously breaking through the front
line and linking up with the Airborne Divisions one by one to properly securing these bridges. Once they were all taken,
there would then be no further river obstacles between the British and Germany, and a quick conclusion to the war would
surely follow. The plan for the Battle of Arnhem was set start on Sept 17 1944.
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| Paratroopers being dropped behind enemy lines |
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| Two of the Airborne Divisions selected to capture the bridges were American. The 101st were
to take two bridges around Eindhoven, while the 82nd would take a further two at Nijmegen. It was estimated that they would
be relieved by British ground troops after only a matter of hours, and one or two days respectively. The final bridge at Arnhem,
the ultimate goal of Market Garden, was entrusted to General Roy Urquhart and his 1st British Airborne Division. He and his 10,000
men were to be dropped 60 miles into enemy territory, and it would be 3 days before British tanks reinforced them.
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| Unfortunately the plan was flawed. A main drawback was that there was a lack of transport planes to carry all the
paratroopers to their targets in one go. Instead they had to be flown to their drop zones in three separate lifts, one lift a day. Consequently only
half of the 1st Airborne would be flown to Arnhem on the first day. Also, they were to be dropped more than 8 miles from the bridge. In addition, it was assumed
these soldiers would face light enemy resistance. They were however going to be dropped straight into the path of 2 heavily armoured German SS Panzer divisions.
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| The bridge at Arnhem |
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Upon landing on the 17th the 1st Airborne's 1st Para Brigade encountered heavy opposition as they marched towards the bridge. Only
their 700-strong 2nd Battalion, under the command of Colonel John Frost, succeeded in reaching it. These paratroopers were only able to capture the northern
end, but considered that it was effectively under their control until the remainder of the Division arrived to reinforce them, or British tanks arrived
from the south. Frost ordered his men to fortify themselves inside buildings around the bridge for the battle that would surely follow.
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| The remainder of 1st Para Brigade had great difficulty reaching the bridge. Despite fierce fighting, by the end of the 18th they
were still one mile from the bridge having sustained great losses. With numbers reinforced by the second drop later that evening an attack was planned for early
the following morning. This however had given the Germans enough time to bolster their strength. Consequently the Paras' advance was blocked and the brigade so badly
weakened that they could no longer mount another attack.
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| On the 20th the decision was taken to abandon the troops at the bridge. Instead the remaining 3500 men of the division were ordered to form a
defensive perimeter near the town of Oosterbeek. The revised plan was to hold position on the north side of the river and wait for ground forces to arrive on the south bank.
If a temporary bridge could be built here the plan would still be a success.
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| Back in Arnhem the Germans were making great efforts to regain control of the bridge. The British forces withstood the initial onslaught,
fighting savagely and refusing to yield to continued attack from German infantry and tanks. The Germans then set about destroying the buildings occupied by the Allied soldiers,
blasting them with heavy artillery. Again the Allied troops held their ground. However by the fourth day of fighting the british were forced to surrender. This had little to do
with casulaties or German firepower, but was solely the result of a lack of ammunition. Having fought, almost non-stop, for four days the British soldiers had almost nothing left to
throw at the enemy. On the morning of the fifth day John Frost's airborne soldiers were captured by the Germans. The battalion's efforts were however outstanding, even if in defeat: 700 men
holding the bridge for as long as hoped for by 10,000.
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| At Oosterbeek the remainder of the 1st Airborne were receiving similar punishment. The paratroopers were being attacked by a German force four times
the size of their own. However, as in Arnhem, these Bristish soldiers held their line, withstanding superior enemy firepower and meeting the onslaught with a similar show of violence.
In spite of such efforts, these forces suffered heavy losses and, like Colonels Frost's men, began to run low on ammunition. Even the eventual arrival of British tanks (three days late)
did little to assist the paratroopers: the two forces were separated by the river and attempts to ferry supplies and reinforcements across to the soldiers were pitifully slow and inadequate.
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| By nightfall on the 25th, the British accepted that Market Garden could not succeed and the 1st Airborne were given the order to withdraw across the river.
Of the approximate 10,600 men who had fought at Arnhem, only 2398 returned, while 1500 had been killed and the remainder were captured.
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| Although Operation Market Garden failed it has never reflected badly on those who took part. The efforts of the 1st Airborne, holding Arnhem for four days and
resisting at Oosterbeek against superior enemy firepower while equipped with insufficient supplies and ammunition and enduring severe lack of sleep was nothing short of heroic. As a result
their endurence continues to be held in extremely high regard.
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