19th September 1944 – the Moscow Armistice is signed between the Soviet Union and Finland, ending the Second Soviet-Finnish War.
US First Army liberates the French city of Nancy in eastern France, near Germany.
In the Battle of Arnhem Major General Urquhart managed to escape from his hideout when the Germans briefly pulled back their blocking line by St Elisabeth Hospital. Brigadier Lathbury had been wounded and was taken to the hospital, disguised as a Corporal.
Back at HQ in Oosterbeek they’d found a BBC radio could send messages back to London. This provided the only reliable radio contact with the outside world for the next two days.
1st Para Brigade had been decimated trying to get through to the bridge and a new attack by 11th Parachute Battalion was forced to retreat after savage encounters. The rest of 4th Para Brigade tried to get round to Arnhem from the north but had to rapidly withdraw to avoid being trapped by German Wehrmacht (regular army) units assembled under General von Tettau and advancing from the west. The landing zones were now battle sites and the third lift, with the Polish anti-tank squadron, arrived in the confusion of the fight, battered by flak. The Airborne’s vital supply drop mainly landed in German positions. Soon the last defending forces at the landing zones were also in retreat, heading for Oosterbeek.
Lt. Colonel Frost’ s men, at the north end of the Arnhem road bridge, are under increasing pressure. Low-flying RAF transport planes trying to support the airborne forces receive many casualties. The departure of the Polish Parachute Brigade, due to land near the south end of the bridge in the third lift, was delayed by weather in England and, in one of their few successful radio transmissions, the beleaguered forces on the bridge learnt that the Nijmegen bridge was yet to be captured, blocking their hoped for relief by XXX Corps. Although they still fought savagely to maintain their position they were short of ammunition and bombs were raining down on the buildings they occupied, setting them on fire. By midnight much of Arnhem city centre was ablaze.
The Grenadier Guards, now leading the XXX Corps column, passed over the Wilhelmina Canal at Son on the Bailey Bridge constructed overnight and made good progress to Grave, where they met up with Brigadier General Gavin of the US 82nd Airborne and Lt. General Browning. The Guards’ commander was shocked to hear they had not yet captured the Nijmegen bridge. A plan was hastily put together with members of the Dutch underground and the tanks headed into the city, attempting to reach the bridge through the burning buildings where there was fierce hand-to-hand fighting. The Guards also joined with the 82nd to defend their positions against heavy attacks from the east.
As XXX Corps advances the US Airborne Divisions come under General Horrocks' command. (See ‘Operation Market Garden, Netherlands 17th – 25th September 1944’.)
The company of 101st Airborne isolated by the blown bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal at Best were taken prisoner but then released when the Guards’ tanks were heard approaching. The battle at Best was dominated by the Allies’ tanks and some 2,600 prisoners were taken (although hundreds of Germans were killed before they could surrender).
Son and the new Bailey Bridge were also under attack and required strong defences, assisted by tanks that had found another crossing over the Dommel where it was separated from the Wilhlmina Canal in a culvert. The Germans pincer movement failed to cut the line but Hell’s Highway ( as the Guards ‘Club Route’ was becoming known) was vulnerable, from both sides and above. VIII and XII Corps, which should have been flanking XXX Corps, were both delayed, the former by the fuel crisis and the latter by heavy resistance.
Eindhoven, rejoicing in its second day of liberation, was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe that night, blasting the centre with explosions. Apparently 107th Panzer-Brigade had reached the outskirts of Eindhoven but were deterred from crossing the river Dommel by a gardener who told them the bridge would not hold tanks.
(From ‘Arnhem – the Battle for the Bridges 1944’ by Antony Beevor, published by Penguin 2019)
‘A’ Squadron of 61st Reconnaissance Regiment, with the 50th (Northumbrian) Division, were protecting the left flank of the Guards Armoured Division as far as the town of Grave, and were then with the 101st Airborne. (From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)
‘B’ Squadron of 61st Recce appears to have been split; while Don Aiken reached Grave and linked up with the US 82nd Airborne, Eric Brewer (of the Assault troop) was
“Still in base and waiting for big push again. We have been sent a personal message from Dempsey* on the job done at Vire, also for the 2000 prisoners taken in the Falaise gap.” Eric wrote home on 19th September saying he was “still taking it easy” with a “PS Will be having some good news for you soon but then again you might hear some before me." (Extracts from Eric Brewer’s diary and letters included by kind permission of Derek Brewer and his family.
*Lt. General Sir Miles Dempsey, Montgomery’s deputy.
Anthony Rampling remembers:
The route up to Arnhem was terrible – the 101st Airborne called it ‘Hell’s Highway’.
“When the paras landed at Arnhem it was soon realised that it was going to be a disaster and we were ordered to get up to Arnhem as soon as possible.
We went along a route from Antwerp to Arnhem, getting over bridges etc, which were being shelled by the Germans and this route is now called ‘Hell’s Highway’ because of the incessant fire from mortars and shells. As we got to these bridges we had to go across very quickly and they had a break in between because the bridges were being shelled all the time.
As we got to Arnhem we managed to get to the landing zones which were littered with smashed up gliders, parachutes everywhere, on a place called Ginkel Heath (sic*) which was about a 3,000 acre area of shrub and gorseland – ideal landing zone. Everybody jumped out of their armoured cars, cut bits out of the parachutes to put round their necks. After having this coarse uniform it was some comfort to have a silk scarf.” From Anthony Rampling’s account of 61st Recce (pers comm).
*Tony may be referring to the Polish drop zones, south of the Neder Rijn. Ginkel Heath, which is north of the Lower Rhine did not come into Allied hands until much later. He says: “I remember British equipment, and a huge expanse of land with broken gliders and parachutes.”
The ‘Hell’s Highway’ route was cut by the Germans several times. The planned route, Highway 69, was two lanes wide, generally raised above the surrounding flat terrain of polder. The ground on either side of the highway was often too soft to support vehicles movement and there were numerous dykes and drainage ditches. Observation was seriously restricted because the dykes tended to be topped by trees or large bushes and roads and paths were lined with trees. The single road caused enormous logistical difficulties and Allied intelligence was unaware of the crack German troops in the area. (From Market Garden 1944-2014 and Wikipedia).
Leading vehicles could be quickly taken out by enemy anti-tank weapons causing a complete standstill for about 40 minutes before they could start moving again.
Recent Comments