Outline of Operation Market Garden

1059 Words3 Pages

Outline of Operation Market Garden

In early September 1944, Montgomery, in order to maintain the momentum

of the Allied movement from Normandy towards Germany , conceived an

operation to outflank the German "West Wall" defensive line.

Montgomery persuaded Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D.

Eisenhower that his daring plan of forcing a narrow corridor from

Eindhoven northward to Arnhem and establishing a bridgehead across the

Rhine River held the promise of causing a German collapse by the end

the year. Market Garden became the biggest airborne operation in our

history. Montgomery's Operation Market-Garden consisted of two parts.

The Market part of Montgomery's operation was to lay a carpet with the

First Allied Airborne Army to seize seven canal and river bridges in

Holland as well as the very important bridge, in terms of supply

across the lower Rhine at town of Arnhem . The Garden part of the

operation was to have, the British Armoured Corps rapidly moving 60

miles along the narrow corridor crossing & securing the captured

bridges to finally join the airborne forces in Arnhem.

A.

1. Purpose

The principal objective of the operation was to get Allied troops

across the Rhine. Three main advantages were expected to be achieved:

· Cutting the land exit of the Germans remaining in western Holland.

· Outflanking the enemy's frontier defences, the West Wall or the

Siegfriedline

· Positioning British ground forces for a following drive into Germany

along the North German plain.

.

2. Major Events

The 17th of September was the so called "Day Zero" of the operation.

From airfields in the U.K. Units from the First British airborne

division left in 145 U.S. transport planes and 358 British towing

planes, which towed 354 Gliders The U.S.101 airborne division were

transported by 424 U.S transport planes and 70 towing planes with

gliders. The U.S 82 airborne division left in 480 U.S transport planes

and 50 towing planes with their gliders. In total the whole air armada

involved 1544 planes with 478 gliders .

More about Outline of Operation Market Garden

Open Document