Arnhem was evacuated after the Battle of Arnhem. But the inhabitants of Arnhem South already had to evacuate while there was still heavy fighting in and around the city. By order of the German occupier, Arnhem South had to evacuate earlier. On Thursday, September 21, all residents of Arnhem south of the Rhine were told… Keep Reading
Lieutenant Colonel John Frost is the face of the Battle of Arnhem. Frost led the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Parachute Brigade during the battle. From Sunday, September 17 to Wednesday, September 20, the paratroopers of this battalion occupied the northern ramp of the Rhine Bridge before they were forced to stop fighting. Born in… Keep Reading
When Major General Roy Uquhart was told in January 1944 that he was nominated as the new commander of the 1st British Airborne Division, he was just as surprised as the British para-troopers he had to lead. Urquhart, a tall 42-year-old Scotsman, had no experience whatsoever with airborne troops. In fact, Urquhart hated flying. He… Keep Reading
British General Frederick “Boy” Browning was a man who undeniably had many qualities. Before and during Operation Market Garden, however, it was mainly his faults that affected the outcome of the fighting. Historians are almost unanimous in their conclusion that Browning’s decisions contributed greatly to Market Garden’s failure. Browning was a professional soldier who went… Keep Reading
Difficult, stubborn, unmanageable, passionate. Polish General Stanislaw Sosabowski was it all. But he is not responsible for the defeat at Arnhem, as the British have claimed for decades. In fact, many of the insights General Sosabowski presented before and during Operation Market Garden turned out to be correct. Sosabowski and the Polish Parachute Brigade have… Keep Reading
When speaking of the German commanders responsible for the Allied defeat at Arnhem, it often refers to Field Marshal Walter Model and General Wilhelm Bittrich. Less attention is paid to Obersturmbannführer Walter Harzer. Yet it was Harzer’s troops that ultimately defeated the British Airborne Division. Harzer led the 9th SS Armored Division Hohenstaufen as Obersturmbannführer… Keep Reading
SS General Wilhelm Bittrich, Willi for friends, was the general who led the 9th and 10th SS Armored Division who were stationed in the Arnhem region when Operation Market Garden started. In his role of commander of the 2nd SS Armored Corps, which included the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions, Bittrich was the first German… Keep Reading
She didn’t like the title herself, but Kate ter Horst was ’the angel of Arnhem’ for the English soldiers. During the Battle of Arnhem, the 38-year-old mother cared for hundreds of wounded soldiers in the dressing station that was set up at her home in Oosterbeek. Kate ter Horst came to live with her husband… Keep Reading
It was a complete coincidence, but one of the highest German military commanders on the Western Front had its headquarters just a few miles from the British landing zones. German Field Marshal Walter Model led Army Group B, and was responsible for all German troops between the North Sea and Northern France. A few days… Keep Reading
One general was killed during the fighting in Arnhem and the surrounding area. This was the German Generalmajor Friedrich Kussin. General Kussin was the Stadtkommandant of Arnhem. In that role he was responsible for the regular German troops in Arnhem. Kussin drove shortly after the British paratroopers landed on Utrechtseweg near Wolfheze on Sunday September… Keep Reading