Operation Market Garden

September 17th  to 25th September 1944

What was Operation Market Garden ?

Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful WW2 military operation fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 25 September 1944. Operation Markert Garden consisted of two parts.

• Market was the airborne assault to seize key bridges. This was undertaken by the First Allied Airbourne Army.
• Garden was the ground attack moving over the seized bridges. This was undertaken by XXX Corps of the Second British Army.

The aim of the operation was to seize a number of bridges, including the bridges at Eindhoven. Nijmegen and Arnhem to allow armoured ground units to reach Arnhem. The operation was successful in liberating the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen, creating a 60 mile passage into German held territory, but failed to secure the bridge at Arnhem.

In Arnhem the British 1st Airbourne Division encountered strong resistance from the 9th Panzar Division “Hohenstaufen” and the 10th SS Panzer Division. The British where able to capture the North end of the bridge at Arnhem but on the 21st September, after failing to be relieved, by allied forces the British were overrun. A small group of the British 1st Airbourne Division managed to hold on until the 25th September when they were evacuated.

The failure of Operation Market Garden to take the Bridge at Arnhem and create a foothold over the Rhine ended the hopes of the allied forces to end the war by Christmas.

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