A Bridge Too Far: The Battle of Arnhem

The Plan

Operation Market Garden, conceived by Field Marshal Montgomery, was the largest airborne operation in history. The plan called for three airborne divisions to seize a series of bridges across the Netherlands, creating a corridor for XXX Corps to advance into Germany and potentially end the war by Christmas 1944. The furthest objective — the bridge at Arnhem — was assigned to the British 1st Airborne Division.

The Drop

On 17 September 1944, over 10,000 British and Polish paratroopers landed near Arnhem. Problems began immediately — drop zones were miles from the bridge, and the element of surprise was lost when German forces discovered the Allied plans from a crashed glider. Only the 2nd Battalion, under Lieutenant Colonel John Frost, reached the bridge.

The Stand

Frost's battalion held the north end of the bridge for four days against overwhelming German forces, including the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions — whose presence near Arnhem intelligence had warned about but command had dismissed. The fighting was savage, with paratroopers defending house to house as their ammunition ran out.

Evacuation

When relief forces failed to break through, Operation Berlin evacuated the survivors across the Rhine on the night of 25-26 September. Of the 10,000 men who went in, only 2,163 came out. The rest were killed, wounded, or captured.