Operation Market Garden By Ryan Logan Alex and

Operation Market Garden By, Ryan, Logan, Alex, and Will

Thesis Although seen as a failure for the Allies, Operation Market Garden advanced the front line into Holland, eventually yielding the strategic port of Antwerp to the Allies awarding them the tactical advantage in impending battles.

Filthy Thesis Memes

Background ● After the breakout of Normandy Allied troops continued to advance quickly across France and into Belgium with little resistance ● The allies advanced faster than they could bring supplies to the front ○ Caused huge constraints on supplies ○ Forced the slowing of advancement ○ Forced the allies to focus on a smaller front ● The “Red Ball Express” was formed as a quick fix to supply shortage

Background ● The Red Ball Express was a temporary fix that was inefficient and could not be sustained ○ A permanent solution needed to be reached ● General Dwight D. Eisenhower began to contemplate the Allies’ next move ○ An operation over the lower Rhine into the Ruhr Valley was agreed upon

Goals of Operation Market Garden ● Goals: ○ bypass the German Siegfried line by crossing some major canals and rivers in Holland opening the front lines up in order to allow the allies to sweep east into Germany ■ If successful, could potentially end the war by Christmas 1944 ○ Liberate part of the Netherlands ( Specifically Western Holland) ○ Give themselves an opportunity to take the

Allied Countries Involved V. S. Axis

Key Figures - Dwight D. Eisenhower (Allies) ● 34 th president of the United States ● Approved the Operation Market. Garden on September 10 th of 1944 ● Added to Bernard Montgomery’s 21 st Army Group and the 1 st Allied Airborne Army ● Directed many needed resources to the operation

Bernard Montgomery (Allies) ● Military officer ● Commander in charge of the Allied ground forces ● Persuaded Eisenhower to approve Operation Market. Garden

Brian Horrocks (Allies)/Frederick Browning (Allies) ● British Army Officer ● Leader of the ground advance (garden) ○ Called in the British XXX Corps ● British Lieutenant ● Tactical commander of the operation

Gerd von Rundstedt (Germany) ● Field Marshall ● Called out of retirement to oversee German forces fighting in Operation Market Garden ● Worked closely with Walter Model ○ Brought back coherence to the German army in the west

Strategy ● There were two key aspects of the operation: ○ Market- airborne troops (16, 500 paratroopers and 3, 500 glider troops) ○ Garden- British Ground troops 50, 000 men and tanks

Market ● The airborne aspect of the operation led by Frederick Browning and the 1 st Allied Airborne Division ● Consisted of paratroopers and gliders carrying supplies ● Airborne troops are dropped behind enemy lines to capture major roadway bridges in the Dutch cities of Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem ○ Once captured, they were to hold their position against the Germans until the British

Garden ● The land aspect of the operation ○ British Armoured XXX Corps Led by Brian Horrocks ● Traveled over land from the Belgian-Dutch border to meet up with isolated airborne divisions, then advance from the strategic bridge ● Timetable: travel 64 miles to Arnhem-Bridge over 3 days 2 -

Timeline- Sept. 10 th- Sept. 17 th, 1944 ● Sept. 10 th, 1944 - Dwight D. Eisenhower approves the Operation ● Sept. 17 th, 1944 - Operation Market Garden begins - Paratroopers land at Eindhoven, Veghel, Grave, and Oosterbeek ○ US 101 st Airborne Division at Eindhoven and Veghel capture the bridges ○ US 82 nd Airborne Division at Grave captures its target bridge ○ British paratroopers successfully capture the bridge at Arnhem but gets cut off by SS Panzer Divisions ● Sept. 18 th, 1944 - British XXX Corps unite with 101 st Airborne at Eindhoven and Veghel

Timeline ● Sept. 20 th, 1944 - Allies take the bridge over the Waal River at Nijmegen ● Sept. 21 st, 1944 - Allies at Arnhem give up control of their bridge and defend in Arnhem ● Sept. 22 nd, 1944 - The Polish Parachute Brigade land south of Arnhem to aid the Allies ● Sept. 25 th, 1944 - Remaining Allies retreat from Arnhem across the Neder Rijn River ● Sept. 27 th, 1944 - Allied forces hold position south of Arnhem over the next few months.

Aftermath Allies’ northern flank was advanced 65 miles, over two canals and two rivers Western parts of Holland were liberated Cost the Allies over 15, 000 men o German loses between 7, 500 and 10, 000 ● The most important city, Arnhem, stayed under German control ● Deemed a failure because the bridge on the lower Rhine was not captured, stopping any further advancement ● Allies learned they had to plan more carefully before acting

Why it was Unsuccessful Intelligence failures Allies believed the Germans were retreating and tried to capitalize The plan strategy was not reviewed by other officials Overly optimistic planning by Allies Poor weather causes delay in Allied deployment

Long Term Effects More than 10, 000 Dutch starved to death because the Germans cut off food shipments as punishment for their support to the Allies Large parts of Western Holland are Liberated Not as much land as they wished to liberate The powerful and versatile fleet of the 1 st Airborne Division is crippled for the remainder of the war

Why Market Garden is Important ● Operation Market Garden gave the Allied forces control of the Nijmegen Salient ○ This was an inlet into the enemy front that gave the Allied force strategic ground to mount an offensive to take control of Antwerp ○ Antwerp solves supply shortage issues for advancing Allied troops ○ Allows stockpiling of weapons and vessels near Germany giving the Allies a tactical advantage both offensively and defensively ● The Allies learned from their tactical mistakes ○ Do not rely on the speed of ground troops and factor in risks of airborne troops

Works Cited Alex, Dan. "Operation Market Garden - WW 2 Timeline. " Operation Market Garden WW 2 Timeline. Second. World. War. History, 6 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. Axelrod, Alan. "Airborne Assault. " Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 1. Facts On File, 2013. History Research Center. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. Axelrod, Alan. "Operation Market-Garden. " Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 2. Facts On File, 2013. History Research Center. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. Dunnavent, R. Blake. "Operation Market-Garden. " Encyclopedia of American Military History, Vol. 2. Facts On File, 2003. History Research Center. Web. 20 Apr. 2016. Hickman, Kennedy. "A Bridge Too Far: Operation Market-Garden. "About. com Education. About Education, n. d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.