Operation Market Garden took place during World War II between September 17th and 25th in 1944. It was fought in the Netherlands and Germany and was one of the largest airborne operations in history. The goal of Operation Market Garden was to secure the bridges across the rivers in Holland so that the Allied army could advance rapidly northwards into Germany, avoiding the Siegfried line. The plan consisted of two phases, codenamed: Market and Garden. Market consisted of airborne forces of the First Allied Airborne Army under the command of Lieutenant General Lewis Brereton to seize bridges and other terrain. Garden consisted of ground forces of the Second Army to move north led by XXX Corps under Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks. If all went as planned for the Allies the war was expected to end by Christmas 1944. General Bernard Montgomery thought up the plan for this operation in the summer of 1944. The main objective of this bold operation was to cross the Rhine River and advance into northern Germany. General Montgomery’s plan “involved the seizure of bridges in Holland by the 101st and 82nd US and 1st British Airborne Divisions. Then the British 30 Corps could advance over them and cross the Rhine and its tributaries”1. The bridges were located at Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem ranging from thirteen to sixty-two miles away. If successful, the plan would free Holland and outflank Germany’s frontier defenses making an armored drive into Ruhr possible1. Market Garden was one of the more bold operations in World War II. It required 32,000 British and American airborne troops to be flown behind enemy lines to capture eight bridges along the Dutch/German border. Simultaneously, British tanks and infantry were to push up a narrow road leading from the Allied front line to these key bridges2. “Montgomery believed that a powerful, narrow thrust deep into German lines would be more effective than an advance on a broad front, which had become difficult to supply from the few ports controlled by the Allies, and this was why he devised Operation Market Garden”2. Allied planners of Operation Market Garden were operating under the assumption that German forces in the area were still in full retreat and that the airborne and XXX Corps would have minimal resistance. However, due to various intelligence reports German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt anticipated an Allied attack. Rundstedt assigned two SS Panzer Corps to position near Eindhoven and Arnhem, which made the Allies objective more difficult. Intelligence reports on the Allied side confirmed the German troop movement and the arrival of armored forces in the area. These reports caused concerns and the US Chief of Staff addressed these issues with Montgomery. But Montgomery refused to change the plan and Operation Market Garden was a go. Operation Market Garden began on Sunday September 17th, Allied airborne forces began a daylight drop into the Netherlands. Five hundred gliders and fifteen hundred aircraft flew over the men of the XXX Corps, whose job was to follow beneath them in their tanks and trucks. As the aircraft flew over, the Allied guns began a bombardment of the Germans guarding the road ahead2. The 101st quickly secured a few of their objectives but failed to seize an important bridge at Son before the Germans demolished it. The operation enjoyed some early success as most of the airborne units landed successfully and in proper position. But a loss of communication due to non-functioning or faulty radios and poor flying weather caused much confusion and further challenges for the Allies. On the second day, September 18th the XXX Corps started making progress that was necessary. Their tanks covered twenty miles in a short time and met with American soldiers at a bridge near Grave. On the third day they reached Nijmegen and continued their efforts to reach the bridge across the Waal River2. At this point it seemed that Operation Market Garden could be a success as only the Arnhem bridge was left. But the Allied troops were forced to abandon their positions near the bridge due to heavy German tank artillery. The Allied troops had few anti-tank weapons, no food, and little ammunition. German artillery controlled the river and Horrocks eventually decided to evacuate the British survivors. The Allied commanders decided that further resistance at Arnhem was not justified. The British had taken 10,095 men north of the lower Rhine and only 3,490 would make it back4. Operation Market Garden had failed. It was meant to be the final blow which would end the war that year. Though the operation as a whole was a failure, there were two major achievements: the Allies northern flank was advanced and large parts of Holland were liberated. Operation Market Garden ended in tragedy when the Allies failed to capture their final objective, the Rhine River bridge at Arnhem. To quote the words of Lt. General Fredrick Browning it was, ‘a bridge too far’4.

Sources used:
1. http://www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/operation-market-garden. “Operation Market Garden, Arnhem, 1944”. National Army Museum.
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_arnhem_01.shtml. “The Battle of Arnhem”. Mark Fielder. BBC History.
3. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_arnhem.html. “Operation Market Garden”. History of War.
4. http://www.historynet.com/operation-market-garden-historys-greatest-airborne-assault.htm. “Operation Market Garden: History’s Greatest Airborne Assault”. Colonel William Wilson.