march through cheering Dutch civilians, many delirious with joy at the
sight of British paratroopers. Yet, their progress was slowed by enemy
resistance and scattered German units regrouping. At one point, the
column encountered a German armoured car, which injured two men
before retreating under threat of PIAT re.
.
By nightfall, A Company reached the outskirts of Arnhem, and by the
early hours of Monday, they were among the rst to occupy positions
near the north end of the Arnhem road bridge – the linchpin of the
entire operation.
For four days, Frost’s 2nd Battalion fought a desperate holding action
against overwhelming German forces. Vlasto’s platoon initially occupied
a building close to the bridge, but their position came under intense re.
“At sometime on Tuesday night, we had to move to A Company
headquarters a few houses north of them after our rst two positions
were burned out.”
It was during this time that Vlasto rst saw German tanks of the 9th SS
Panzer Division rolling into Arnhem:
“I found it hard to believe; I had not been briefed to expect much German
armour.”
Though armed with PIATs, his men were unable to bring them into
effective range as the tanks stayed well back, using their guns to
systematically demolish British positions house by house.
By Tuesday evening, the battalion was running out of ammunition, food,
and medical supplies. They withdrew to a nal stronghold under the bridge,
sheltering the wounded in a dark recess while tanks roamed above.
“The German tanks moved about as they pleased, systematically
blowing all the houses down.”
Despite the worsening situation, the men of the 2nd Battalion refused
to yield. At one point, Vlasto’s platoon helped repel a German attempt
to prepare the bridge for demolition. He later described Lieutenant
Jack Grayburn, posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, as