Operation Market Garden WWII

Operation Market Garden WWII

Introduction

Operation Market Garden was the code name for an air-to-ground operation of the Allies in the Second World War. They took place between the 17th and the 27th September 1944 in the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Gelderland (and to a very limited extent in the Lower Rhine in Germany) instead and had the aim of the German West wall to circumvent the British and American troops and a rapid advance into the German Empire to allow.

The plan consisted of two parts: From Operation Market, the then largest airborne operation of World War II, and from the surgery Garden, the planned advance of the ground troops through the corridor so that newly created. Only the Operation Varsity, the 24 March 1945 in the space Wesel - Rees was conducted as part of the Rhine crossing, surpassing the number of the remote in a location within a day airborne troops.

The operation was, as Eisenhower later analyzed, "50 percent success": While the Allies moved the front line of Belgium from north to Nijmegen, but the goal of the German defense lines by crossing the Lower Rhine at Arnhem to get around, was not achieved. The unexpectedly strong German resistance in Arnhem prevented the capture of the important bridge over the Rhine. The Allies finally had to retreat with heavy losses in men and material. According to Montgomery, the operation was even a 90-percent success, which the Prince of the Netherlands led to the statement that his country would probably not survive the second success of Montgomery.

The Planning & the Strategic, Operational, and Tactical settings for the Battle

After the successful landings in Normandy (from 6 June 1944), landing at the mouth of the Rhone ( Operation Dragoon on August 15, 1944) and the subsequent extensive and relatively rapid liberation of France, the Allies felt encouraged a risky plan that but put a quick end to the war in prospect for an early crossing of the Lower Rhine develop. This plan provided for the occupation of the Rhine Bridge at Arnhem before and several other bridges upstream rivers and canals by airborne forces. It was clear that this could be possible only for a short time and that it was the biggest risk of the operation. This part of the plan was called Market. Held by the airborne forces bridges should be exceeded as soon as possible of land forces, and the space saved will thus kept permanently. This part of the plan was called Garden. The crossing of the Rhine, which formed a natural barrier is difficult to overcome the German heartland, should allow the invasion of Germany in the year 1944.

During the Allied advance across northern France into Belgium, the supply situation increasingly began to deteriorate; the 'Operation Market Garden' is now taking more and more shape. This was the solidifying German resistance, so that the army was forced to halt. Marshal Model, which is now the German Army Group B was under, had succeeded in ...