BATTLE OF ARNHEM

The Battle of Arnhem was a major battle in the Second World War at the forefront of Allied operation Market Garden. It was fought in and around the Dutch cities of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17-26 September 1944.Operation Market Garden was one of the boldest plans of the Second World War. Thirty thousand British, American and Polish airborne troops were to be flown behind enemy lines to capture the eight bridges spanning the network of canals and rivers on the Dutch-German border. At the same time, British tanks and infantry would push up a narrow road leading from the Allied front line to these important bridges. They would relieve the airborne troops and then cross the intact bridges.Approximately 10,000 paratroopers landed near Arnhem. But their landing zones were 11 kilometres from the Arnhem bridge. Only one battalion reached the target, while the remaining soldiers were pushed back west near Oosterbeek. The lightly armed airborne troops had few heavy weapons to withstand tanks.Although the other units conquered the bridges of Eindhoven and Nijmegen, they could not reach the furthest bridge near Arnhem. However, the operation led to the liberation of a large part of the Netherlands at a time when many Dutch people were close to starvation.