in history: three divisions of paratroopers—American, British, and
Polish—would capture bridges at Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem,
while XXX Corps, an armoured spearhead, raced north to relieve them.
Success promised to end the war in Europe within months.
The 1st Airborne Division, under Major-General Roy Urquhart, was
assigned the most distant and difcult objective: the bridge over the
Lower Rhine at Arnhem, 64 miles behind enemy lines. Intelligence
suggested only light German opposition in the area. In reality, two
battle-hardened SS Panzer divisions—the 9th and 10th SS—were
resting and retting nearby. The British would be parachuting straight
into the jaws of a tiger.
The Drop
On Sunday, 17 September 1944, a vast aerial armada lifted from
English airelds: 1,500 aircraft and 500 gliders carrying the men of
the 1st Airborne Division. Paddy de Burgh boarded a Dakota transport
aircraft, bound for Landing Zone Z, 8 miles west of Arnhem. The ight
was tense but uneventful; the drop, accurate. Within hours, the British
controlled their landing zones and began advancing toward Arnhem.
But problems emerged immediately. The landing areas were too far
from the bridge. Radio communications—vital for coordination—failed
almost completely. German resistance stiffened as SS armour moved
into blocking positions. The bold coup de main turned into a brutal slog.
The Battle for the Perimeter
Over the next nine days, Arnhem descended into chaos and carnage.
Only a fraction of the 1st Airborne managed to reach the bridge; the
rest fought a desperate defensive battle in Oosterbeek, forming a
shrinking perimeter around the Hartenstein Hotel—General Urquhart’s
headquarters.
The British faced overwhelming odds: 10,000 men against two
SS Panzer divisions, with tanks, artillery, and self-propelled guns.
Ammunition ran dangerously low. Supplies dropped by air often fell
into German hands. Food was scarce; water was collected from shell
holes. Civilians sheltered in cellars as mortar and artillery re smashed