Arnhem: Operation Market Garden

Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation fought between 17-25 September 1944. The largest airborne operation of all time had the tactical objective of securing a number of key bridges over the main rivers of German-occupied Holland which would allow a rapid armour advance into Northern Germany. British, American, Polish and Canadian forces helped by the Dutch Resistance were involved in the operation which was ultimately a failure. The Allies suffered between 15,000 – 17,000 while German casualties were between 7,500 – 10,000.

Operation Market was the first of two parts to the overall operation. 14,500 troops were landed by glider and 20,000 by parachute along with 1,700 vehicles, 260 pieces of artillery and more than 3,300 tons of ammunition were also delivered behind German lines. The start of the mission coincided with a ‘dark moon’ (meaning not enough light for a nighttime operation) so the airborne assault was launched as a day time operation, which in turn increased the risks. The objective of Operation Market was to secure key bridges and other terrain.

Operation Garden

Operation Garden would see ground forces punch through German lines to support the airborne landings of Operation Market. The plan was to reach the airborne landing sites within 1-4 days (depending on the site).

During the week long operation, the Allies faced problems from day one. Radio communications did not work as expected, German resistance was tougher than intelligence had believed and the failure to get vital supplies and reinforcements through all contributed the failure of the operation. The reasons for the failures of Operation Market Garden are still debated today.

Operation Berlin

As the Allies withdrew from their positions, they still had the problem of evacuating the paratroopers of the British 1st Airborne who were trapped behind German lines. The operation took place on the night of 25/26 September 1944 and was successful with 2,400 men safely evacuated out of the original 10,000 who landed as part of Operation Market Garden.

Tours for 2010

We have a number of tours to Arnhem throughout 2010. Please call 0208 816 8789 for details, prices and availability or send us an enquiry via the ‘Contact Us’ form and we’ll get back to you.

If you are looking for a guidebook about the Arnhem battlefields, we recommend Major & Mrs Holt’s Operation Market Garden Battlefield Guide which you can purchase from Explorer Travel Shop.