An Cosantóir

28 | Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery Descent into Hell ration 'Market Garden' Ope by Paul O'Brien MA Market Garden Operational Campaign map is printed with kind permission of Labyrinth Media & Publishing Limited O peration 'Market Garden' in September 1944 was one of the boldest and most controversial operations of World War II. A two-part assault by a British armoured column and a three-division Allied airborne drop was planned to secure vital roads and bridges in occupied Holland. Proponents of the plan said that if the operation succeeded the war would be over by Christmas 1944. However, the securing of the bridge in the town of Arnhem was to prove an objective too far. The brainchild of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, a successful Operation 'Market Garden' would gain Allied entry into Germany over the Rhine and by punching a hole through the German defence line would threaten the industrial heart of Germany, the Ruhr. The plan involved airborne troops capturing and securing vital bridges over the Meuse River and two arms of the Rhine, the Waal and Lower Rhine, as well as capturing three towns: Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem. The plan of action consisted of two distinct operations. In 'Market' airborne forces from Lt Gen Lewis H Brereton's First Allied Airborne Army were to seize bridges and other terrain. In the 'Garden' operation, ground forces of the Second Army were to move north, spearheaded by XXX Corps, under Lt Gen Brian Horrocks. The US 101st Airborne Division under Maj Gen Maxwell D Taylor, would drop in two locations just north of XXX Corps to secure the bridges northwest of Eindhoven at Son and Veghel. The US 82nd Airborne Division, under Brigadier General James M Gavin, would drop and secure the bridges at Grave and Nijmegen. The British 1st Airborne Division under Maj Gen Roy Urquhart, with the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade under Brig Gen Stanislaw Sosabowski, was detailed with capturing the road bridge at Arnhem and the rail bridge at Oosterbeek. The 52nd (Lowland) An Cosantóir September 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie Division would be transported by air to the captured Delen airfield on day five of the operation. Ten thousand airborne troops would descend in Holland in order to secure the objectives. Allied ground forces spearheaded by the Guards Armoured Division would race to support each airborne unit, assisting them in securing and holding their targets. The tree-lined, double track that the armoured column was to race along ran through countryside that was almost entirely flat and devoid of cover. It was partly sandy soil or drained bogland broken by orchards, small copses, narrow streams and ditches; terrain that was unsuitable for a massed armoured advance. Intelligence reports stated that the German army in the area was exhausted and that there would be little resistance. It was envisaged that the airborne elements, having secured their objectives, would have to hold out for 48 hours before being relieved by ground forces. The operation began at 23.00 hours on the night of Saturday 16th September when squadrons of bombers struck German airfields in Holland. The following day, hundreds of Dakota transport planes packed with paratroopers and equipment took off from airfields in England for their drop zones in Holland. Many other troops packed into gliders and were towed to their destinations. A shortage of air transport resulted in the Allied forces being dropped in relays instead of being dropped en masse. On the 17th September, the first air drops took place along a corridor north of Eindhoven. The US 101st Airborne Division secured bridges from Eindhoven to Veghel, while the US 82nd Airborne secured bridges from Grave to Nijmegen. At the same time the British 1st Airborne Division secured Arnhem Bridge and the high ground to the north. However, unknown to those forces that had just landed, elements of the elite 2nd SS Panzer Corps were in the area refitting and were immediately called into action. The initial successes of the Allies were threatened by the German troops who rallied rapidly and held off any advances Allied troops tried to make across the bridge. Having received reports of an Allied air drop, German Field Marshall Walter Model immediately deduced the Allied objective and ordered the 9th SS Panzer Division to Nijmegen. Allied troops were soon in action against well equipped and determined German units. During the operation, the Germans recovered a copy of the 'Market Garden' plan from the

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