A good hand was played badly: 35,000 paratroopers jumped on the "face" of the German army and became a living target before they landed.

In September 1944, after the American and British troops successfully landed in Normandy, they quickly passed through France and Belgium and advanced towards the western border of Germany. The German defense line collapsed. In order to cross the Rhine smoothly, many Allied commanders believed that as long as they launched a bold and unexpected attack, they would be able to open the road to Berlin and quickly end the war. Therefore, in a frenzy full of confidence and joy of victory, they The Allied forces conducted an unprecedented airborne assault - Operation Market Garden, with the main target pointing at the Rhine River Bridge in Arnhem, the Netherlands. However, this military operation caused the Allies to suffer a very serious setback.

Due to the success of the Normandy landing, the Allied forces achieved brilliant results throughout France and Belgium. The Germans suffered setbacks everywhere, causing the enthusiasm for victory to sweep through Allied commanders at all levels.

In the view of British Commander Montgomery, the British army has taken control of Brussels, Belgium, and has begun to enter the port city of Antwerp. The Germans are now on the verge of collapse, so the critical turning point in the war has arrived. At present, The moment is "a good time to make a really powerful and violent push against the enemy. If we are allowed to act, we will not only be able to reach the Ruhr area, the main economic base of Germany's industrially developed industry, but also be able to drive straight to Berlin as quickly as possible."

However, as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Eisenhower clearly saw that the main problem in continuously attacking the German army was the lack of seaports. Although the Allied forces had sufficient supplies, their 450-mile supply line made it absolutely impossible. Unable to satisfy the four armies that were advancing at full speed, "any unit that wants to attack Berlin without solving the material supply problem can only be fanciful." Therefore, he resolutely rejected Montgomery's suggestion. However, Eihower also knew that his differences with Britain's most respected general were getting bigger and bigger, and Montgomery would never give up easily, so he decided to do Montgomery's work personally and let him do whatever it took. He gave up on this unrealistic idea.

As soon as the two met, Montgomery still talked about his so-called "one-way attack." Although Eisenhower listened attentively and sometimes even nodded to express understanding, he did not change his original position at all. Denied Montgomery's military plan, calling it "an all-out advance." At the same time, it was emphasized that the port of Antwerp must first be unblocked before the Allied forces can break into Germany and conduct a large-scale stormy attack over a larger area.

At this time, Montgomery played a decisive trump card: the German army was using certain places in the Netherlands to launch new V-2 rockets towards London, causing unprecedented losses to the British Empire. The people were in panic, and the Netherlands must be captured as soon as possible to meet their urgent needs. He proposed using the entire newly formed Allied 1st Airborne Corps to launch a surprise and intensive attack to seize a series of important bridges in the Netherlands, especially the Rhine Bridge in Arnhem, thus opening the door for the British 2nd Army's tank force. Creating a passage to advance north, the tank troops can advance at full speed across the occupied Rhine River bridge, and then rush into the Ruhr area and go straight to Berlin, the heart of Germany...

Montgomery's suggestion was actually his It was a bold and clever replica of the original plan, but Eisenhower was attracted by Montgomery's vivid description. He believed that this was a courageous and imaginative action plan, although some places conflicted with his original ideas. But he weighed it again and again, and finally nodded in agreement.

Montgomery's plan was eventually named "Market·Garden". "Market" represented the airborne operations of the airborne troops, and "Garden" represented the storming attack of the ground armored forces. Although Montgomery's troops would face stiff German resistance, he was convinced that behind the fiercely fought front lines, in the Netherlands, the Germans had little strength left. However, Montgomery also believed that the attack must be launched as soon as possible within a few days, otherwise it would be too late for German reinforcements to arrive, so he selected September 17, a Sunday, as the day to start the operation.

According to this action plan, the airborne force that implemented this battle was the Allied 1st Airborne Army commanded by General Brereton, which consisted of the US 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division, and the British Composed of the 1st Airborne Division of the Army and the 1st Polish Parachute Brigade. The transport aircraft participating in the airlift were transferred from the 9th Airlift Group of the US Army and the 38th and 46th Air Group of the Royal Air Force. The Allied forces needed to airdrop 35,000 armed personnel, which was almost twice the total number of paratroopers and glider-borne infantry used during the Normandy landings. These personnel also needed to be equipped with various motor vehicles, artillery and equipment.

To transport these huge forces to different targets 300 miles away, every glider at our command must be used, a total of 2,500 aircraft, and gliders carry one-third of the airborne forces. personnel, the rest are dropped by parachutes, and at least 1,500 fighter jets are needed to escort the air fleet. In short, more than 5,000 aircraft of various types were used to airborne personnel this time. To avoid confusion due to darkness, Admiral Brereton ordered the attack to be launched in daylight.

What an unexpected decision!

For Brereton, the airborne plan he formulated was entirely based on the existing airlift capabilities. He had to send three and a half divisions of airborne personnel to the landing target within 3 days. The danger was huge because the Germans The reinforcements may arrive at the target area of ??Operation Market Garden earlier than anyone expected. There is also a possibility that bad weather may prevent subsequent airborne personnel. But in Brereton's view, it was inevitable to take some risks in such a large airborne operation, so General Brereton appointed Lieutenant General Browning to command this military operation. General Browning is the commander of the British 1st Airborne Force and the first senior British general to advocate airborne tactics. He is optimistic that this large-scale airborne attack will end this war.

The objectives of the Allied airborne assault are divided as follows: Major General Taylor's 101st Airborne Division is responsible for completely capturing and holding all the bridges in the 15-mile section from Eindhoven to Weigel. To ensure the forward advance of the British 2nd Army; Brigadier General Gavin's 82nd Airborne Division is responsible for controlling the bridges on the Maas River near Graf and the bridges on the Vaal River near Memen, and seizing and guarding the high ground near Gruzbek; Major General Robert Urquhart's 1st Airborne Division and Major General Sosabowski's Polish 1st Parachute Brigade were responsible for occupying the road bridge over the Rhine River in Arnhem and establishing a bridgehead on the north side of the river to ensure that ground troops could pass by. This enters the northern plains of Germany.

Amidst the frenzy among the Allied forces, two senior officers remained clear-headed and felt uneasy about this airborne operation. One was General Miles Demp—— The commander of the British 2nd Army, he obtained the latest intelligence from the Dutch resistance organization; between Eindhoven and Arnhem, the area where the British army planned to mainly airborne, the German army's strength suddenly increased, which meant that the British army The airborne landing may have been much more difficult than expected, but this intelligence did not arouse the alarm of Montgomery and his assistants. In an atmosphere of optimism, people completely forgot about this important intelligence.

The other one is Major General Brian Urquhart, the young intelligence chief of the British army. He also received similar intelligence. After comprehensive analysis, he believed that somewhere in the Arnhem region In some places, personnel from at least two German armored divisions appeared, but the number and exact number were unknown. Despite this, this information already made his hair stand on end, because the fatal weakness of the "Market Garden" operation plan was that it assumed that the German army could not carry out the operation. Effective resistance. On the 15th, less than 48 hours before Operation Market Garden, a reconnaissance plane sent by Major General Brian Urquhart confirmed that his worries were completely justified. The photos clearly showed that in the Arnhem area There are indeed a large number of German tanks! He hurried to General Browning's office and put the photo on the table.

"Please take a look, Your Majesty General."

Browning looked at the photos one after another, looking disdainful.

Urquhart was greatly surprised. It seemed that nothing could shake the resolve of these commanders.

At the same time, on the other side of the English Channel in France, Eisenhower’s chief of staff, Lieutenant General Smith, was listening to the report of his intelligence chief, Major General Strong. There was no doubt that in Ana There are German armored units in the Mu area, designated as the 9th and 10th SS Armored Divisions. Both generals felt that the situation was very serious, but at the same time they believed that it had not reached an irreversible point, so Smith suggested to Eisenhower that the "Market Garden" operation plan should be modified.

When Eisenhower faced Montgomery, it was difficult to tell the British commander how to command his troops. Since Montgomery's action had been approved, it was difficult to cancel the airborne operation. He told Smith: "If plans must be changed, it should be Montgomery himself who decides." Smith immediately rushed to Brussels and informed Montgomery of the intelligence, but Montgomery was so confident that he ignored all these suggestions. The "Market Garden" operation is irrevocably heading towards failure.

At the 8th Air Force Base in the UK and the 16th Air Force Base in the United States, paratroopers and airborne infantrymen of the Allied 1st Airborne Army are gathering. They are ready for everything and all kinds of equipment have been loaded. From the aircraft to the artillery to the jeeps, everything is ready, all it needs is the east wind.

The generals of the Supreme Command are anxiously waiting for the weather forecast. This airborne operation will require at least three full days of clear weather. On September 16, meteorological experts issued a warning that within three days, the combat area would be clear and cloudless. At the headquarters of the Allied 1st Airborne Army, General Brereton quickly made a decision and approved the implementation of Operation Market Garden on September 17. In order to successfully implement the Allied forces' first large-scale daytime airborne assault, the Allied forces made sufficient aviation firepower preparations. On the night of September 16, the Allied forces dispatched 282 bombers of various types to conduct assaults on German airports, anti-aircraft gun positions and fortifications, dropping more than 1,180 tons of bombs.

On the 17th, at the British glider bases in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, the roar of the huge fleet was deafening, and the most powerful airborne troops in history took off and flew towards their targets. . The operation lasted from dawn to noon.

First, more than 1,400 Allied aircraft violently bombarded the German anti-aircraft artillery positions. Among them, the U.S. 8th Air Force dispatched 852 B-17 bombers and 147 fighter planes, bombing more than 110 German troops along the north and south routes. As a military target, the British Army dispatched 100 bombers to bomb the German frontline strongholds and coastal defenses. In the final stage of aviation firepower preparations, the British 2nd Tactical Air Force dispatched more than 120 bombers to attack Nijmegen and Ana. German reserves in Hamburg and its northwest areas. Subsequently, more than 20,000 combat personnel, 511 motor vehicles, 330 artillery parts and 590 tons of equipment took off one after another. 2,023 troop-carrying aircraft, gliders and other towing aircraft gathered in the sky. Above, below and to their left, , right are fighters and fighter-bombers. There were so many planes that it looked as if the Allies were paving a road to Holland with planes.

The Allied aircraft formation flew along two routes. The US 82nd Airborne Division and the British 1st Airborne Division flew on the north route, and the US 101st Airborne Division flew on the south route. Although German anti-aircraft fire shot down many aircraft, the Allied aircraft remained in neat formation. At nearly 12 o'clock, Arnhem, a city that had undergone nearly three hours of saturation bombing, had turned into a sea of ??flames. The streets were full of craters, rubble was everywhere, and countless black pillars were rising into the sky.

The airborne landing of the 101st Airborne Division was very successful. According to the original plan, casualties were expected to reach 3%. However, in fact, of the 6,695 people who boarded the aircraft, 6,669 people landed safely. The two regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division that landed at both ends of Leneck also landed safely, but a quarter of the 424 aircraft transporting the 101st Airborne Division were damaged, 16 crashed, and all crew members died. , 5,191 men of General Urquhart's 1st Airborne Division landed safely.

In the two-day airdrop on the 17th and 18th, the Allied forces parachuted 20,150 people, gliders dropped 43,781 people, and another 505 people were dropped by transport aircraft, for a total of 34,876 people. In addition, 568 artillery pieces, 1,927 vehicles and 5,230 tons of combat supplies were airlifted.

On the Dutch-Belgian border, near the canal, the commander of British forces, Admiral Horrocks, watched as huge Allied aircraft flew over the heads of his tank groups, signaling an airborne attack. Already started. At 2:15 p.m., Horrocks gave the order: the "Garden" troops launched an attack. 350 cannons opened fire at once, and tons of shells flew towards the German positions.

However, the German army seemed to be prepared. They hid in the cleverly camouflaged launch fortifications, first let go of the tanks in front, and then suddenly opened fire from behind. In less than two minutes, they destroyed the British leading troops. Nine tanks were destroyed beside the road. It seemed that the German defense was much stronger than the Allies expected. General Horrocks originally asked his lead tanks to advance 13 miles to Eindhoven in 3 hours, but in fact With only 7 miles advanced, Operation Market Garden suffered setbacks from the beginning.

After capturing 4 bridges in the Eindhoven area and bridges on the Wilhelmina and Waal rivers, the US 101st Airborne Division fought with the British 2nd Army at the end of the second day of the battle. The advance troops rendezvous. On the third day, after suppressing the fierce German counterattack, the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army used 11 battalions to ensure the smooth flow of the 24-kilometer-long road. The British armored forces were passing through Eindhoven and Weigel advanced toward the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division at Nijmegen.

The 82nd Airborne Division successfully carried out airborne landings on the first day of the battle and captured two bridges near Greve. They then conducted a defensive battle for three days and three nights until the British 2nd When the group army arrived, the 82nd Airborne Division completed preparations to capture the Nijmegen Bridge. After several days of fierce fighting, it finally captured the heavily fortified Nijmegen Bridge.

The British 1st Airborne Division was in great difficulty. Not long after the first echelon of the division airborne in the Arnhem area, it was counterattacked by the German army. How did the British army know that the German Marshal Model and the airborne expert Si General Tudent is sitting in Arnhem, commanding two German SS tank divisions to stand ready. On the one hand, the British army must hold on to the airborne field, and on the other hand, it must attack the Arnhem Bridge several kilometers away. When the second echelon of the British army arrived at the airborne field, half of the airborne field had been occupied by the Germans. They had no choice but to brave German artillery fire and forcefully land in the area occupied by German tanks. It can be imagined how dangerous it was. As a result, the British The army suffered heavy casualties.

When the British army seized the Arnhem Iron Bridge, the German army took the lead and blew up the bridge. When they seized the Arnhem Highway, they started a fierce battle with the German bridge defenders and finally defeated the German troops north of the bridge. , but the German reinforcements from the south of the bridge had arrived, and the British army was unable to attack and had to turn to defense on the spot. On the evening of the 19th, the troops of the British 1st Airborne Division were forced to withdraw to a small circular position between the landing area and the Arnhem Bridge target, and were frequently attacked by the Germans.

On September 21, the 1st Polish Paratrooper Brigade landed on the south bank of the Rhine River in an attempt to capture the Arnhem Bridge and rescue the encircled British 1st Airborne Division. However, the British army was divided and surrounded. The situation of the 1st Airborne Division had not improved, and Arnhem had not been captured.

At this point, after five days of desperate fighting, the intensity of the Allied air-ground joint assault has been greatly weakened. The commanders of each airborne force have felt that they are in a very difficult situation and are complaining endlessly. Due to the stubborn resistance of the German army, the Allied offensive was blocked, and the Allied forces lacked close air fire support coordination. Therefore, the ground troops attacked at an extremely slow speed. It was especially difficult for the British 1st Airborne Division, which had been rushed to Olgers. In the circular position arranged between Bikke and the ferry at Heweedorp west of Arnhem, after fierce fighting, the troops guarding the northern bridge pier of the Rhine River Highway were wiped out, and the rest were forced to a position less than 1 kilometer wide along the river and deep into Austria. What's more serious is that the crossing point has been lost in the rectangular defensive position about 2 kilometers away from the city of Jesbic. If this continues, tens of thousands of Allied troops are in danger of being annihilated.

Montgomery hesitated again and again, and finally made up his mind to withdraw from the battle. The British 1st Airborne Division began to retreat across the river on the night of the 25th. However, 2 hours later, the Germans discovered the British army's attempt, so they launched a violent bombardment of the crossing, blocking most of the British 1st Airborne Division. As a result, Only more than 2,400 men of the British 1st Airborne Division crossed the Rhine River and joined the arriving 2nd Army. All 6,000 men who stayed behind were captured, 4,000 of whom were wounded, and another 2,000 who died in battle. The German army suffered only 3,300 casualties in total in the Arnhem region.

In this way, the largest airborne operation in human history ended in failure and became the most tragic airborne operation. As a result of Operation "Market Garden", although the Allied forces advanced 96 kilometers and eliminated the threat to Antwerp, they failed to attack the last major assault target, that is, they failed to capture the Rhine River near Arnhem. The bridge failed to provide the desired bridgehead for expanded results.

In 9 days, the Allied airborne and ground forces suffered a total loss of 17,000 people, of which the US 101st Airborne Division and the 82nd Airborne Division suffered nearly 10,000 casualties. The 1st Airborne Division had very few troops left and was forced to return home for reorganization. In the first 24 hours of the Normandy landings, the Allied casualties were only 12,000.