About the Battle of Arnhem

The Battle of Arnhem took place during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. The Allies wanted to capture the Rhine bridge, among other things, but encountered fierce resistance.

Operation Market Garden

With a daring plan, the Allies hoped to end the war before Christmas 1944. The aim was to take bridges in the Netherlands and thus ensure a rapid advance into the heart of Germany. The operation consisted of two parts. Operation Market was a drop of approximately 35,000 airborne troops to take bridges and hold them until ground troops arrived. Operation Garden involved the advance of the ground troops from the Belgian border to the Rhine bridge in Arnhem. 

The airborne landings

On September 17, 1944, the first planes with airborne troops took off. British paratroopers landed in the area west of Arnhem. Meanwhile, American paratroopers landed at Son, Veghel, Sint-Oedenrode, Groesbeek and Nijmegen. After fierce fighting, the Allies managed to capture all bridges between Eindhoven and Nijmegen. Now the bridge over the Rhine in Arnhem still had to be taken.

The Battle of the Rhine Bridge 

Operation Market Garden came as a complete surprise to the German troops. However, they soon managed to mount a defence that grew stronger as the battle progressed. The British encountered the necessary problems. The landing fields were relatively far from the Rhine bridge and only 600 British paratroopers, led by Lieutenant Colonel John Frost, managed to reach the bridge at Arnhem. Fierce fighting ensued to keep the bridge in British hands, but after four days the resistance of the German army proved too strong, and the British had to surrender at the bridge. 

Withdrawal across the Rhine

The rest of the British troops were trapped in Oosterbeek and had nowhere to go. They received help from Polish troops who had landed near Driel, but after nine days the situation had become hopeless. It was decided to withdraw the remnants of the British and Polish troops across the Rhine on the night of 25/26 September. This brought an end to Operation Market Garden. Not everyone managed to escape. Approximately 6,500 British, including almost all the wounded and carers, were taken prisoner. 

Evacuation of 95,000 residents of Arnhem

After the failed operation, the people of Arnhem are ordered to leave the city within 48 hours. About 95,000 residents of Arnhem pack their things. They think they can go back within a few days but will not return until 8 months later — well after the liberation. They then find a completely destroyed and plundered city full of ruins and corpses. National Liberation Day therefore still has a different meaning for Arnhem than for the rest of the country.

Photos: Gelders Archief