Operation Market Garden

The Opération Market Garden is a allied military operation primarily airborne of the Second world war which was held in September 1944. It was about an attempt mainly carried out by the British armies to take Pont S crossing the principal rivers of the Netherlands occupied by the German . Success would have made it possible the Allies to circumvent the Ligne Siegfried and to reach the one of the principal industrial centers of Germany, the the Ruhr .

This initiative suggested by Montgomery had met the opposition of the American generals, Patton and Bradley, which wanted to continue their offensive in the south. In fact the true motivation of British field-Marshall held more of the field of the ego than of a real strategic logic. According to the testimonys reported by the journalist américano-Irish Cornelius Ryan, the disagreement between the commander-in-chief of the 21° Group of Anglo-Canadian Armies and the general Dwight Einsenhower, general-in-chief of the allied forces, at that time reached tops and one was not far from the point of rupture between these two strong personalities. It is the moment that Montgomery to launch its daring plan of airborne Opération chooses which was to make it possible to resolve a strategic situation stopped by allowing a direct opening on the area of the the Ruhr, economic heart of the IIIe Reich. This idea seemed to like Winston Churchill which was done some more convainquant lawyers and obtained win. If this operation had succeeded, it perhaps would have shortened the duration of the war and opens the many ones and interesting military and political opportunities with the Allies.

Preludes

Allied advance the first fortnight of September

At the end of August 1944, the Allies have just released Paris, the Seine is crossed, a 15 days advance is noted on the calendar. Consequently, the Einsenhower general estimates that the pause envisaged on the river is not necessary any more. In a little more than two weeks, the North-East of France (except for Alsace-Lorraine and of the Vosges) and most of Belgium are released. A downtime is marked.

Objective: the Ruhr

The initial objective of re-entry in Germany is the industrial area of the Ruhr, but two approaches are proposed: the Americans Patton and Bradley propose to bore in direction of the Siegfried line which they think of being an empty shell at the time of the operations. The Montgomery British suggests as for him, to circumvent this line by a daring operation combined in Holland. Einsenhower slices in favor of the British and leaves Patton at the pithead by allocating large fuel with the British marshal.

The secondary objective is to take ground with the Germans enough by making safe Holland to make sure of the catch of a deep water port like Rotterdam or Antwerp in Belgium in order to shorten the allied lines of supply which are stretched more and more from Normandy.

Thus the catch of Holland would not only make it possible to quickly reach the industrial heart of Germany and thus to hope to curtail the Western operations with Christmas 1944 whole while shortening the vital supply chain to reach Berlin before the Red Army.

Operation Market and Opération Garden: the plan

The final objective of the combined operation is to make pass the armoured tanks on other side of the Rhine to Arnhem in order to move directly towards the the Ruhr and to finish thus the conflict more quickly. For that, the latter must cross the many rivers and channels which account the Holland. The airborne troops thus have the role of seizing the intact bridges located on the road Eindhoven - Nimègue - Arnhem while the armoured tanks will have to traverse the 107 km which as soon as possible separate them from Arnhem. The information which arrives at the staff (in source in particular of Dutch resistance and also of the air recognitions) gives a report on movements of armoured tanks S on Arnhem, but a certain optimism reigns then among the British command. Also release is it advanced at September 17th, 1944. Let us see in details the objectives of each force:

Market: airborne offensive

For this operation the main part of the units of the 1st allied airborne army are engaged there, the whole being capped by the British general Browning.

  • the 101 {{E}} American airborne division of the general Taylor will be released in the north of Eindhoven to seize the bridges of the Canal Wilhelmine and of the Canal Willems

  • the 82 {{E}} American airborne division of the general Gavin will be released in the south of Nimègue to take possession of the bridges of Grave on the Meuse and of Nimègue on the Waal as well as channel connecting these two rivers.
  • finally the 1 {{British Re}} airborne division of the Général Urquhart will be released in the North-West of Arnhem in order to seize its bridge.

This device is supplemented by the brigade Polish parachutist of the colonel Sosabowski. After the catch of the objectives, the airborne troops will have to await the arrival of the armoured tanks. The 1 {{Re}} DAB inherits the mission thus of holding Arnhem during four days. On the whole, they are 34.000 combatants who will come from the sky (either released in parachute, or transported in sailplanes) for what will be the greatest airborne operation of all times.

Garden: armor-plated offensive

It is in XXXe British army corps of the Horrocks general that falls the task to carry out the opening to Arnhem since the head of bridge of Neerpelt, XIIe army corps covering its left side and VIIIe army corps its right side. In same time, American armed Anger will launch an offensive on the Meuse. Montgomery envisages the arrival of XXXe army corps in Arnhem between two and three days after the release of the operation.

Enemy forces

German side, the general Model, ordering the Group of armies B, has just received in reinforcement the 1st army parachutist and two divisions S, the 9th Panzerdivision S Hohenstaufen and the 10th Panzerdivision S Frundsberg. These two armor-plated units of elite are under the orders of the S Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Bittrich because they are integrated into II° S Panzerkorps (Armor-plated Bodies S). The PC of Bittrich is besides close to Arnhem just like that of Model.

Course of operation

Parachuting and offensive

On Sunday, September 17, 1944, after important bombardments, the first parachutists are released, the first waves fall close to the HQ to the Model general, who must evacuate it. But an American sailplane transporting of the troops was cut down and the Germans discover on the body of an American officer, all the plans of the Market-Garden operation. Immediately, Bittrich gives order to its two divisions to block the access of the bridge of Arnhem. The British do not progress quickly, they have radio operator problems, the connections do not pass between Arnhem and the zones of jump. At fallen the night of the September 17th, the men of the battalion of colonel Frost arrive at the height of the bridge of Arnhem. During this time, in the south, the Americans took the Low register bridge but pain on that of Nimègue. On the other hand the objectives of the Taylor general all were achieved. The armoured tanks of Irish Guards them also have evil to progress. They are taken with part by the German parachutists recently made. September 18th, the connection is established between the 30e army corps and the parachutists American. But the progression slower than was envisaged. The 1st British Division Airborne is now complete what is better because the Germans make the sustained pressure to take again the totality of Arnhem. September 19th, the first units of the 30e army corps are with Nimègue. But with about fifteen kilometers, the British have many problems to hold the north of the bridge of Arnhem. The Frost battalion transformed all the houses into fort. Seeing the failure being profiled, the Urquhart general decides to gather his troops, except those of Frost, to try to fix the Germans. This, in the objective to help the British of the 30e army corps and to relieve colonel Frost.

To limit the losses
September 21st, 1944, is four days after the beginning of the operation, colonel Frost counts his men: they are less than one hundred to hold the northern exit of the bridge of Arnhem. The tiny room consisted Urquhart cannot join the Poles of Sosabowski who were released little of time before. In order to avoid a total destruction of the first airborne division the Urquhart general decides to evacuate in order to try to join the American lines and those of the 30e army corps. The September 25th and 26th, that is to say 9 days after the first droppings, the survivors regain the allied lines.

Results

Human account

The operation is a complete failure on the plan of engaged manpower, on the other hand it is a half failure for the objectives. Since this time, and in memory of the Red Devils fallen, in particular those of the colonel Frost, the British parachutists carry a black ribbon behind their beret; but the legend of old of the Parachute Regiment wants that is to remember it the treason of the one as of their, a parachutist captured which would have cracked under torture, that the British parachutists raise a black ribbon to their cover-chief. The colonel Frost and his men were men of honor, combatants but especially of the resistant ones. Besieging, they became besieged; one had asked them to hold 2 days, they held more than one week, that is to say nine days and nine nights, without reinforcement, nor rest.

On the whole, of the allied side the human losses rose with 16.805 killed men, wounded or captive: including 7.640 British and Pole of the 1st British Airborne Division and 1st Polish Parachute Brigade, 3.664 Americans of the 82nd and 101st Airborne and 5.354 British for the XXX Body.

German side the Generalfeldmarschall Walther Model estimated at 3.300 the number of the losses of sound Groupe of armies B; but of recent calculations the figure of 8.000 German soldiers out of combat advance, including at least 2.000 killed.

Strategic consequences

Meadows of 12.000 parachutists were thus lost, and Montgomery had to note that “Market Garden succeeded with 90  %…” In any case, the operation carried a quite bad blow in Model: its line of resistance on the rivers of Holland had been cut into two, and it had to stripe its manpower approximately 7.000 soldiers and 95 armoured tanks… They are nevertheless one last tactical successes of the Axe.

In addition, because of the priority given to this operation, the allied camp was going to neglect to take the control of banks the the Scheldt which gives access to the port of Antwerp fallen intact to the hands from the English troops on September 7th. This takeover will take place only later at the price of heavy losses so that Antwerp will be usable only starting from November 28th. Meanwhile, the provisioning will have to be made at the beginning artificial harbors installed on the coasts Normans and of the port of Cherbourg, which will cause a logistic crisis, the provisioning of the units on line being done difficult because of the excessive stretching of the intinéraires of supply.

Anecdotes

Before the release of the operation Market Garden, some expressed doubts as for the success more than dubious of the operation, such Browing (ordering airborne CA) which came from there to require of Montgomery:
“How long will it be necessary for the armoured tanks to join us?
- Two days, Montgomery answers him.
- We will be able to hold four days. But I fear well, Mister the Marshal, that we did not go a bridge too far. ”

Patton, as for the missed occasions for lack of fuel, declared:

“I was then convinced, and the continuation gave me reason, which we did not have of other Germans in front of us only those which fought. In a word, there was no depth. ”

Bibliography and catalog of films

This operation was described in:

External bonds

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