The aim of Operation Market garden was to bypass the German fortified Siegfriedline. The objective was the get to the IJsselmeer and thus bottle up all Germans in the western part of the Netherlands.
The operation was cut into two parts, Market and Garden.
Market:
The plan for the Airborne forces to seize key bridges along the route.
The Airborne forces involved were part of the 1st Allied Airborne Army:
- 1st Airborne division (British) to be dropped near Arnhem
- 1st Polish parachute brigade, to be dropped near Arnhem
- 82nd Airborne Division (American), to be dropped near Nijmegen
- 101st Airborne Division (American), to be dropped near Eindhoven and Veghel.
Garden:
The ground forces plan to drive from the Dutch / Belgian border to the IJsselmeer.
The ground forces for the main thrust were part of the British XXXcorps:
- Guards Armoured Division
- 43rd Wessex division
- 50th Northhumberland division
- 8th Armoured Brigade
- 11th Hussars
- Princes Irene brigade (Dutch)
