On September the 17th 1944 the Operation Market Garden started and so did the Battle for Arnhem. 35000 Paratroopers will be dropped in this largest airborne-operation in history. 10000 men will land at Arnhem. Due to plane-shortages the division had to land in three parts, two brigades could land on the 17th of September.

Arnhem, Battle of
September 1944

In September 1944, after the victorious end of the Normandy campaign, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery devised a daring operation to open the way to the Ruhr by seizing a bridgehead north of the Rhine, at Arnhem. On September 17, Operation Market, the largest airborne and glider operation in history (five thousand aircraft) was carried out by three Allied airborne divisions. Operation Garden was the ground side in which the Thirtieth (British) Corps was to link up with the British First Airborne at Arnhem by thrusting north along a narrow corridor opened by the U.S. Eighty-second and 101st Airborne Divisions. Then, the remainder of British Second Army would rapidly assault the Ruhr, thus hastening the collapse of the Third Reich and likely ending the war in 1944.

Although the airborne landings initially went well, Allied intelligence had failed to heed reports from the Dutch underground that a German panzer corps was bivouacked nearby. The Second Parachute Battalion was the only First Airborne unit to reach the key Arnhem bridge over the Rhine. The remainder of the division was soon pinned down by the panzer corps in and around Arnhem.

Congestion and German resistance along the single narrow road to Nijmegen and Arnhem delayed the British ground advance. The attempt to relieve Arnhem failed even though Lieutenant Colonel John Frost's gallant paratroopers held the northern end of the Arnhem bridge against the Ninth SS Panzer Division for four days before finally being overrun and captured.

Of the ten thousand men who had landed at Arnhem, fourteen hundred were killed and over six thousand captured; only twenty-four hundred paratroopers safely crossed to the south bank of the Rhine in small rubber boats.

Market-Garden was a military disaster during which the ground force was unable to breach the River Waal at Nijmegen in time to establish a bridgehead north of the Rhine in what became popularly known as "a bridge too far."

It was decided that the Parachute Brigade would go to Arnhem. But the Reconnaissance Squadron
had to go first, because they had fast jeeps. Unfortunately most Jeeps were hit by enemy-fire near a tunnel under the Railway Arnhem-Ede. The Bridge was not reached. 1st Battalion would go to Arnhem on the Amsterdamseweg, 3rd Battalion would go on the Utrechtseweg an 2nd Battalion would go on the Benedendorpsweg. The Germans noticed that the British troops were to capture the Arnhem Bridge.
But Sepp Krafft, the German General of Battalion Krafft had less soldiers to defend all of the roads to Arnhem. He had to choose two of them. He choosed the main roads: the Amsterdamseweg and the Utrechtseweg. That's why 2nd Battalion only reached the Brigde after the Railway Bridge was down. 1st Battalion was forced near the Johannahoeve and passed the night there. Also the 3rd Battalion was forced to stop. The enemy was too strong.

On September the 18th 4th Parabrigade arrived. The Kings Own Scottish Borderers were forced to retreat from some parts of Ginkel Heath, so 4th Parabrigade had casualties at the landing zone. 7th KOSB was commanded to go to the Johannahoeve to defend the landingszone there, because Polish Gliders would land on this landing zone.

Meanwhile 1st- en 3rd Battalion arrived at Arnhem. But in Arnhem there was much resistance. The troops could not go any farther than the St. Elisabeth's Hospital only one kilometer from the bridge.

The General Urquhart of the 1st Airborne Division went to Arnhem with the soldiers. But in the Alexanderstraat a fight started so he and general Lathbury went into a house at the Zwarteweg. Divisional Headquarters thought Urquhart was dead, so they had to find another commander. This was Hicks.

2nd Battalion needed help at the bridge. That's why Hicks decided 11th Battalion were to help
them. This was a part of the 4th Brigade but they would get 7th KOSB as a replacement. Together with the South Staffords they would go to the Bridge on the Benedendorpsweg. In the morning of September 18 4th Brigade would capture the hills in the north of Arnhem. Because of a delay they could leave the Dropzone at Ginkel Heath in the evening. 10th Battalion went on the Amsterdamseweg, but they were forced to stop near the Dreijenseweg.

156 Battalion tried to attack the Germans, but they also failed. Both were forced to retreat to the Johannahoeve. They had to cross the Railway, which was a hill. The Germans could hit them easily. But they found a small tunnel below the railway. (also Recce Squadron was forced to stop there). They went through this tunnel safely, Jeeps included.

The South Staffords, 1st, 3rd and 11th Battalion tried to reach the bridge. But they failed near the railway and Den Brink: some hills. They Germans were on these hills and controlled the Railway
and fired form the other side of the river. Nowadays the KEMA-buildings are on Den Brink. The South Staffords almost succeeded, but they were sent back by German tanks. Urquhart returned to his Headquarters and examined the situation.

He commanded the British troops to return to Oosterbeek. In Oosterbeek a perimeter was founded around the ferry to Driel. The westside of Oosterbeek was controlled by 1st Border to the Rhine. 7th KOSB occupied the North of Oosterbeek. The British troops fought as brave soldiers, but they had not heavy weapons. The Germans were too strong and 2nd Army had not arrived. The Polish
Troops landed at Driel, but only 200 reached Oosterbeek. 2nd Army reached the Rhine at last and the Dorsets were to help the British and Polish troops. But this failed. The Division had to retreat to the other side in the night of September 25.

2400 men returned safely. All of the others were dead, injured or taken prisoner. The British Airborne troops accomplished their mission.

Only 600 men held the bridge for almost 4 days. They had to hold the bridge 2 days. Unfortunately 2nd Army arrived too late.

The Battle for Arnhem (Operation Market Garden) (taken from the Parachute Regiment History Database)
The Battle for Arnhem had been planned as the spearhead of a powerful allied thrust through Holland and across the Rhine, using a massive airborne force to jump ahead of the ground troops to secure the route.

This 'airborne carpet' was to drop along the Eindhoven-Arnhem Road and seize bridges over the Rhine, which would provide the stepping stones for the Second Army's advance across the last barrier to Germany.

Within 48 hours of the drop, armoured columns of 30 Corps and other units, would dash 60 miles across the flat Dutch terrain and link up with the airborne units, before the enemy had chance to reinforce their defences.

Codenamed Operation Market Garden, the airborne assault took place on September 17, 1944, when 10,000 allied paratroopers filled the skies above Holland, unaware of the troubled times ahead of them and the fact that fewer than 3,000 would return.

Allied intelligence reports indicated that German morale was low and enemy forces in the area were weak, nothing could have been further from the truth. German spirits were, in fact, high, and an SS Panzer unit was in Arnhem, overhauling its tanks.

Despite losing aircraft, the drop had gone according to plan and the British airborne units were quickly away to their allotted tasks with the lst Air Landing Reconnaissance Squadron, heading towards the bridges. But of the 320 gliders involved in the operation, 38 failed to arrive. Included in those casualties were the jeeps of the reconnaissance squadron.

The Germans had initially been taken by surprise and after landing at Renkum Common, eight miles west of Arnhem, the lst Parachute Brigade set off in the direction of Arnhem, their objective - to seize the road and rail bridges across the Rhine.

Led by Lt Col Frost, 2 Para took the lower Oosterbeek road heading for Arnhem bridge, while I and 3 Para took separate routes in the same direction, only to be ambushed by German armoured units.

Now Lt Col Frost, the man who had led the attack on Bruneval and had seen action all over north Africa and Sicily, was at the forefront of action again. His 700 Paras marched to Arnhem and captured the northern end of the vital road bridge, only to meet a fierce attack from SS Panzer grenadiers as they tried to assault the southern side of the structure.

Earlier, before flying out to lead the Para in their finest hour, Frost had ordered his golf clubs to be packed so he could enjoy himself after beating the Germans, but they had other ideas. To repulse the Paras' advance, they poured more SS troops into Arnhem, including three crack Panzer units, supported by heavy armour and well-trained troops.

Frost, like the other battalion cornmanders, had been told that they only had to defend the bridge for 48 hours until 30 Corps arrived. But they couldn't get through and the Paras faced a bitter fight against Panzer tanks on their own.

After a full day of intense shelling, attacks and counter attacks at the bridge, the Paras fixed bayonets and charged the Germans, who were preparing for another assault. They charged to the battle cry, of 'Whoa Mohammed', which had been adopted during the 2nd Battalion's service in north Africa, when an Arab used the term to slow his donkey.

Lt John Grayburn led his men across the bridge, to mount numerous counter attacks, despite being heavily outgunned by Panzer tanks and the ever increasing number of SS Panzer grenadiers.

Grayburn was injured twice, but refused to be evacuated and remained in the fore- front of the fighting at Arnhem bridge until he was killed in action on the night of September 20, 1944. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions. His citation read 'There is no doubt that, had it not been for this officer's inspiring leadership and personal bravery, the Arnhem bridge would not have been held for the time it was'.

The Germans rained firepower down on the northern side of the bridge, destroying every house and were amazed by the Paras refusal to surrender - instead the Red Berets responded by attacking at every opportunity.

On the third day, a short truce allowed the wounded to be taken into German captivity. Then the fighting resumed, until one by one the Paras ran out of ammunition and their position was overrun; just 100 men remained.

General Frost CBE, DSO, MC and Bar, held no bitterness towards his old commanders who were unprepared. He confines his criticism to the fact that 'our generals had an off day'.

'It slowly dawned on us that no help was coming. By the time we surrendered, we had 250 wounded, including myself. I'd been hit in the feet by shrapnel . . . In war, there are two things people always forget how to care for the wounded and how to supply ammunition. We'd got only the bullets we carried on us'.

In action, Frost was a tough leader whose clear head in battle won the respect of every Paratrooper in the battalion. 'He didn't mix his words and seemed to inject confidence in everyone, even if you didn't like what he said. we would have followed him anywhere' said one Para.

The remains of the initial airborne force had been forced to consolidate at Oosterbeek and they, with Frost and his men at Arnhem bridge, were taken prisoner - but only after having fired every round in their possession.

Despatch rider, Dennis Clay, had volunteered for 'special service' and having completed parachute training at Ringway, found himself serving in RASC Airborne Light Company. As a driver, he was detailed to fly into Arnhem by glider, ready to get access to his jeep. But cast off 10 miles short of Arnhem, the glider crash landed, the wings were ripped off and the aircraft turned over, everyone was killed except Driver Clay.

The stunned Para was helped by a Dutchman, who told him there were five Germans in his home, who wanted to surrender. Clay took them prisoner and marched through the woods until he met up with men from the Staffordshires of the lst Air Landing Brigade.

'I'll never forget it, there I was on my own having just survived this crash and a bunch of Germans give themselves up to me.' Dennis Clay was later decorated.

There were many heroic actions recorded during Operation Market Garden and the bravery of the fifteen Army Chaplains who served with the 6th Airborne division, saved many lives. But only a handful of the chaplains survived. After the battle they stayed behind to tend the wounded and were captured almost straight away.

In total 7,167 men were listed as killed, missing or wounded at Arnhem, in an operation described by some as, 'a total disaster'. But after the battle, in which the Paras won five Victoria Crosses, the American General Dwight Eisenhower was full of praise for the airborne warriors.

He said, 'There has been no single performance by any unit that has more greatly inspired me or more excited my admiration than the nine day action by the lst British Parachute Division between September 17 and 25'.

In December 1944, the German armies launched a massive counter attack through the forests of the Ardennes. The plan was aimed at splitting the Allied forces and pushing through a German advance fast and furious. Montgomery called for reinforcements and the 6th Airborne division, recently rested after their success in Normandy, were ordered to move at once and form a defensive line at crossing points on the River Meuse.

The enemy advance was quickly halted, but the Germans re-grouped at Bure and on January 13, 1945, the men of 13 Para were ordered to attack the village.

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