*** World War II Operation Market Garden air drops








World War II: Operation Market Garden--Air Drops (September 17, 1944)


Figure 1.--Thefight for the Dutch highway through Eindhoven proved to be one of the toughest assignments given to the 101st Airborn which had been told that the Germans would not resist in force. They did. The population of Eindhoven began celebrating when they saw the American chutes open overhead--the liberation they had long been waiting for. Unfortuntely this clogged the roads as the Allied tanks pressed forward. The Germans to punish the Dutch for welcoming the Allies began heavily shelling the city in the evening.

While more attention is given to critical airborn opertions on D-Day, Market Garden was the largest airborn action of World War II. Over 30.000 Allied paratroopers were employed in the operation. The battered American paratroopers were withdrawn from Normandy (July 1944). Replacements were trained and the divisions regrouped. They again were launched from airfields in England and dropped from their Douglas C-47s (September 17). Both the Americn 82nd and 101st Airbirn Divisions were committed. This time the Paratroops jumped in broad daylight and unlike Normandy, hir their drop zones in German occupied Holland with amazing accuracy. The 506th Parchure Infntry Regiment was ordered to secure the single paved highway that passed through Eindhoven that British armor would pass over to reach Arnhem. The Germans who had retreated from France and Belgium, decided to standcand fight jn the Netherlnds. Even after Market Garden had ended, figting continued for 'Hell's Highway'. One of the paratroopers describes the bitter fighting. "Galbraith took cover in a ditchclose to Kiley, then looked on as the lanky officer walked across the street, and stood onstinately in full view, studying the church and road ahead. Even though thge captain's bars on Kiley's helmet has been painted out, he could ill-afford to be reckles. 'Sir,' shouted Galbraith, 'Sir--if you don't get back into cover right now you are going to get your arse shot off by a sniper!' The boss looked back ahd replied, 'If I get down, Bill, so will everyone else.' Moments later John Kiley was struck in the neck by a single and collaosed, his wound pumping out blood." [Gardner] The Allied planners thought the Germans were retreating. The German resistance, however, proved much stiffer than expected. The battle for Hell's Highway descended into a exhausting 72-day struggle against intense German resistance. The 504th Parachite Regiment fought throughto the critically important Dutch bridgesso the Armor could move forward. The fighting to control the WaalRiver Bridge was the most intense. The Germans stood and fought. Funlly their commander, James Gavin, led his men in an almost suisidal daylight amphibious assault--a rare operation for paratroopers. They finally overcame the German bridge defenses. The armor now had a path to the Rhine. [Van Lunteren]

Dimensions

While more attention is given to critical airborn opertions on D-Day, Market Garden was the largest airborn action of World War II. Over 30.000 Allied paratroopers were employed in the operation.

Units

The battered American paratroopers were withdrawn from Normandy (July 1944). Rplacements were trained and the divisions regrouped. The American units were the 82nd and 101st Airborn Divisions. The British unit was the 1st Airborn Diviion.

Drop

The paratroops again were launched from airfields in England and dropped from their Douglas C-47s (September 17). Both the Americn 82nd and 101st Airbirn Divisions were committed. This time the Paratroops jumped in broad daylight and unlike Normandy, hit their drop zones in German occupied Holland with amazing accuracy.

The U.S. 101st Airborn Division

The Ameican 101st Airborne Division jumped kicking off Market Garden (September 17). It was their second jump. They had been used as infantry after the critical D-Day Jump (June 1944). They were assigned four drop zones to land paratroops and one landing zone for gliders. The gliders were important for equipment and supplies, including a few jeeps and light artillery pieces. They would needed it because the Germans unlike the Americans were heavily armed. Not far away from their dropn zome was the headquaters of Kurt Student, the mam Lugtwaffe chief Herman Göring had personlly selected to train an lead the German his Fallschirmjager (airborne) forces--the first such force in history (1939). Student would command German operations. The American 101st objectuve was to secure the southernmost bridges before the Germans blew them. Montgomery's concept for Market Garden was to open a narrow corridor from Northern Belgium towards Arnhem and the Rhine. That corridor, however, had to cross several rivers and canals. The bridges were need so the Anerucan and British armor could move rapidly north. There were quite a few bidges, including one over the Wilhelmina Canal at the town of Son, a pair spanning the Dommel River at St. Oedenrode, and then four more over the Aar River near Veghel. Eindhoven was also to be captured while the men of the 101st held open 15 miles of the road toward Arnhem for the XXX Corps' tanks By the end of their service in Market-Garden, the men of the 101st would refer to this stretch of road as 'Hell's Highway.' At first the paratoopers encountered little resistabce, butthuis soon changed. The Germns had evcuted most of Belgium without a fight. In the Netherlnds hey decided to make astnd. The 506th Parchure Infntry Regiment was ordered to secure the single paved highway that passed through Eindhoven that British armor would pass over to reach Arnhem. The Germans who had retreated from France and Belgium, decided to stand and fight in the Netherlands. There was generlly rejouycing mong the suprised Dutch until the Germans struck back in force. Even after Market Garden had ended, figting continued for 'Hell's Highway'. One of the paratroopers describes the bitter fighting. "Galbraith took cover in a ditchclose to Kiley, then looked on as the lanky officer walked across the street, and stood onstinately in full view, studying the church and road ahead. Even though thge captain's bars on Kiley's helmet has been painted out, he could ill-afford to be reckles. 'Sir,' shouted Galbraith, 'Sir--if you don't get back into cover right now you are going to get your arse shot off by a sniper!' The boss looked back ahd replied, 'If I get down, Bill, so will everyone else.' Moments later John Kiley was struck in the neck by a single and collaosed, his wound pumping out blood." [Gardner]

The U.S. 82nd Airborn Dision

Farther north, the 82nd Airborne was ordered to capture the bridge at Grave, an enormous bridge, the longest span in Europe. The 82nd was also assigned to take one or more of the four bridges across the Maas-Waal Canal, another bridge over the Waal at Nijmegen and the area around the town of Groesbeek.

The British 1st Airborn Division

The final leg of the XXX Corps' drive involved a dash from Nijmegen to Arnhem, where the British 1st Airborne was to capture and hold three bridges across the Rhine.

Wehrmacht 363 Volks-Grenadier-Division

The Wehrmacht 363 Volks-Grenadier-Division held the line against the 101st Airborne Division along Hell's Highway. The Germans unlike the paatrioops were heavily armed.

Continued fighting

The Allied planners thought the Germans were retreating. The German resistance, however, proved much stiffer than expected. The battle for Hell's Highway descended into a exhausting 72-day struggle against intense German resistance. The 504th Parachite Regiment fought throughto the critically important Dutch bridgesso the Armor could move forward. The fighting to control the WaalRiver Bridge was the most intense. The Germans stood and fought. Funlly their commander, James Gavin, led his men in an almost suisidal daylight amphibious assault--a rare operation for paratroopers. They finally overcame the German bridge defenses. The armor now had a path to the Rhine. [Van Lunteren]

Sources

Gardner, Ian. Deliver Us from Darkness: Thge Untild Story of Third Battalion 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during Market Garden (2012), 336p.

Van Lunteren, Frank. The Battle of the Bridges: The 504th Parchute Infantry Regiment in Operation Market Garden (2014), 336p.







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Created: 10:10 AM 1/6/2015
Last updated: 18:13 PM 7/30/2022