Operation Market Garden

Veghel During the night the Germans on the road at Koevering retreat back towards Schijndel. In the morning the Allies find their positions deserted but the road is still heavily minded with boobytraps everywhere. It takes hours to clean them all up and before traffic can start again. Now that the British have been evacuated from Arnhem, the corridor leads to a dead end above Nijmegen. The operation ends here.

Arnhem All day preparations are made for the evacuation which takes place this night. They plan to take only the walking wounded with them, the rest will have to be left behind. The medical staff volunteers to stay behind to take care of the wounded. During the night around 2400 man are evacuated, they are transported across the Rhine by British and Canadian Engineers who make dozens of trips across the Rhine. The Germans think another attempt to reinforce the perimeter is underway so they shell the crossing site. This takes the lives of many soldiers who managed to survive…

Arnhem In a final attempt to reinforce the Perimeter and secure a crossing site the 4th Dorsets cross the Rhine at night. Their main objective is to secure the Westerbouwing Heights so that future reinforcements can be brought in without being under constant German fire. Unfortunately, there are too few boats to make a crossing in force and because of the fast flowing Rhine the Dorsets land widely dispersed and are destroyed by the Germans. Only a very small number of Dorsets reach the perimeter, the rest are all taken prisoner. Eindhoven In the evening the corridor is again blocked…

Eindhoven / Veghel Late in the afternoon, the allies manage to reopen the corridor at Veghel, persistent attacks from the 501st and the 506th PIR of the 101st Airborne and the 44 Royal Tank Regiment of the 32 Guards brigade manage to break up the blockade. It takes a while longer to clear the roads of destroyed vehicles but eventually the road is reopened and traffic once more flows towards Arnhem. At Eerde the 501st PIR stops German Assaults coming from Schijndel by German Paratroopers. At the landing zones near Son, the 907th Glider Field Artillery arrives with 105mm artillery…

Veghel Early in the morning near Veghel, disaster strikes when the Germans with the 1/22 SS Panzer Grenadiers supported by Panthers tanks and self-propelled guns manage to block the corridor at Mariaheide between Veghel and Uden. Their objective is to take both towns but by sheer luck parts of the 506th PIR have been moved to Uden right before the Germans attack. They put up a fierce resistance and the Germans think Uden is too heavily held and do not press on the attack. Veghel is defended by the 2nd battalion of the 501st PIR and elements of the 506th…

Eindhoven The 101st Airborne tries to widen the corridor by attacking the Germans near Liemdpe (1/501st) and at Schijndel (3/501st and 502nd PIR). At the same time the German 59th Volksgrenadier division attack from their position near Liempde toward Sint Oedenrode. The 101st quickly disengages and pulls back since they do not have the resources to be dragged into another big fight like the one at Best. Nijmegen The final assault on Arnhem begins, the Guards Armoured division attack with number 2 and 4 company of the 3/Irish Guards. They try to take the shortest road to Arnhem, the main…

Eindhoven At Veghel, in a brilliant move, the 501st PIR bags a battalion of Germans. C company at Heeswijk Dinther is used as the anvil while A & B company moving toward Heeswijk Dinther act as the hammer. In a matter of hours, they took hundreds of prisoners and defused what could have become a very serious threat to the west flank.In the early morning the German 107th Panzer Brigade launches another attack on the corridor but this time they find the Americans well prepared. During the night they have reinforced this area and together with tanks from the 15/19…

Eindhoven The ground forces have repaired the bridge at Son and drive in mere hours through Grave and Heumen to Nijmegen, finally achieving the envisaged advance speeds. German Forces of the 59th division attack the 502nd PIR at Sint Oedenrode, the attacks are repelled. When the 502nd and 327th launch a counterattack supported by British tanks the Germans surrender in large numbers. The battle at Best is won by Allies and this flank is now secure. Medal of Honor Joe Mann In the evening, at Son the 101st stop heavy German counter-attacks with Tigers from the 107 Panzer brigade on…

Eindhoven Eindhoven is liberated by the 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne. Around midday, they link up with XXX Corps reconnaissance units but they have to wait a long time for the main body to enter Eindhoven. XXX corps did not have an easy day, the Germans put up a good fight to delay them and a number of 88mm guns had to be dealt with before they could enter Eindhoven. The Coldstream Guards tried to find alternative roads into Eindhoven thus widening the corridor but the bridges across the various waterways did not support tanks making this impossible. Not before…

Eindhoven At Veghel the 501st PIR was supposed to be dropped on two drop zones to enable an attack on the bridges over the AA and the Zuid Willemsvaart from both banks. Unfortunately, the 1st battalion which was to land on the north bank on drop zone A1 had a misdrop and landed around Heeswijk Castle (5km west of Veghel) they quickly marched to Veghel but the bridges there were already secured by the rest of the 501st which landed on drop zone A between Eerde and Veghel. At Son the 506th PIR was less fortunate, after landing on drop zone C they attacked the bridge over the Wilhelmina…