Operation Market Garden - Day 1

 

Operation ‘Market Garden’ is usually considered a complete failure, but was it? Certainly in it’s entirety, the operation, the largest daylight airborne drop ever mounted, failed to achieve it’s overall objective. But American forces, although hampered by setbacks, did secure all the bridges and crossings allotted to them. A substantial German force was also tied up for the remainder of the war.

In our blog series this week, we will seek to explain what happened during 4 crucial days in September 1944.

Unlike D-Day, which was 2 years in the planning, Market Garden was hastily put together in a matter of days. It involved the largest parachute drop of the war. 

Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery

Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, fresh from his success in Normandy, believed he could 'walk on water', and this buoyed optimism led to an audacious, but hasty and ill prepared operation.

The operations were split into two phases, 'Market' and 'Garden.' 'Market' was the code name given to the massive Allied parachute drop and 'Garden,' the ground offensive. 

Two American Airborne Divisions, the 82nd and the 101st, were to seize bridges and hold road crossings between Eindhoven and Nijmegen, and take control a stretch of highway between the two cities, while the British 1st Airborne were to drop on the Northernmost town of Arnhem and take control. Arnhem was the final barrier to entry into the German industrial heartland of the Ruhr.

As the various airborne divisions landed and took control of their objectives, British XXX Corps an armored and infantry force, waiting on the Belgian side of the Dutch border, were to jump off from their start point, rush up the newly seized highway and cross the Rhine river at Arnhem, opening a spearhead into Germany thus ending the war by Christmas 1944. 

Market Garden Operational Map ©Livingbattlefield.org

As with all hastily planned operations, very little notice was taken of intelligence reports. The Dutch resistance had repeatedly informed the Allies there were German SS panzer divisions resting and re-equipping in the Arnhem and Nijmegen zones. Even RAF reconnaissance had photographed camouflaged tanks, but the line fed to the airborne troops was entirely different. They would be facing a force of "old men, boys and walking wounded" with no stomach for a fight.

 Day 1

The largest allied parachute drop of WWII took place in broad daylight on September 17th 1944. 

101st DZ at Best

Transport aircraft and gliders carried the 502nd and 506th regiments of the 101st airborne to their drop zone in the southern sector, North of Eindhoven, while their sister regiment the 501st were dropped further up the highway at Eerde. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon when the aircraft roared into view over their respective zones. 

Three regiments of the 82nd Airborne were transported to their zones in the Nijmegen and Grave areas. The British 1st Abn were dropped some 8 miles from their objective at Arnhem. The drops were virtually unopposed, most units landed on target and the Germans were clearly taken by surprise, but they soon regrouped.

Grave Bridge

By the end of Day 1, The 504 82nd Airborne had taken and secured  their objective, the Grave bridge.  The other regiments had landed unopposed on their drop zone at Groesbeek and were making probing attacks towards Nijmegen.

The 101st had achieved mixed results. The 501 had taken their objectives at Eerde, but the 506th and the 502nd had run into stiff opposition at Son and Best.The Son Bridge, vital for the British XXX Corps relief effort, had been blown in their faces.  A British Bailey bridge would be needed to cross the canal at Son, but where were the British armored columns?

British XXX Corps

After crossing the border, XXX Corps had come under heavy artillery fire from elements of German paratroopers and SS artillery, who were well dug in . After a vicious fight the British columns ground to a halt and rested for the night. The operation was already falling behind.

German Paratrooper Eckhert Schucany describes the attack.

Honorary Rank

Host of 'The American Road to Victory'

invested with honorary rank in U.S Army

'Morning Briefing' Diana von Seibold

Ellwood von Seibold has been notified by The U.S Military Attache to France, that he is to be invested as an honorary captain in the U.S Army.

It appears that these honorary awards are usually reserved for civilians who have distinguished themselves in connection with their support for the military, or their portrayals of historic military events.

Ellwood who works tirelessly year round, touring the D-Day battlefields with American visitors, was delighted and stunned at the news, "This is a tremendous honor. I have always felt I was a custodian of this amazing history and  I look forward daily, to explaining these momentous events to my wonderful tour parties."

In addition to his rigorous touring schedule, over the last three years, Ellwood has found the time to host a trilogy of battlefield tour films, 'The American Road to Victory' which have been airing on PBS stations from coast to coast.

U.S Military Attache to France, Bruce Sweeney, said of Ellwood,



"I decided to offer Elwood an honorary Captaincy in the US Army due to
his service to the DAO, his dedication to telling the accurate story of
US military operations during WWI and WWII (all sides of the story,
including negative ones), and his dedication to truth as a historian.
Ellwood is an interesting, effective story teller, and has forgotten
more about D-Day and WWII than I probably know."

Colonel Sweeney, pins on badges of rank.

Climbing Pointe du Hoq Mike Forster

"Nothing has been too much for our intrepid presenter," said director  Lanni, "Whether hanging off  Pointe du Hoq on a makeshift rope ladder, or freezing in foxholes in Bastogne, he has approached every scene with an enthusiasm and passion. It is fantastic that Ellwood  received this honorary officer rank. He is that crazy history teacher one seldom had, but never forgot."

Ellwood with Ride 2 Recovery vets

Recently Ellwood welcomed the Ride 2 Recovery Challenge veterans to his home town of Ste Mere Eglise. Each one was presented with a copy of 'The Americans on D-Day.'

The ceremony took place at the American Embassy in Paris on July 28th. It was followed by a champagne reception.

Clifford Maughan

Just after 1:30 am on D-Day - June 6th, 1944, Private First Class Clifford Maughan stepped out of a flying aircraft and landed in what is now Ellwood von Seibold's back garden. Of course, at that time the house was occupied by a German, who took Maughan captive. During his D-Day Battle tours, Ellwood tells participants the story of Clifford's capture and the surprising aftermath.

For years, Ellwood looked for a relative of Maughan. He finally found his sister, but was never able to locate his son. Then, last month, Donald Maughan contacted Ellwood. He was coming to Normandy, and had arranged a tour through Rick Steves. As luck would have it, the tour was with Ellwood. The two arranged to keep Donald's father's identity secret from the rest of the tour group, until they reached Ellwood's home.

Standing in the back garden, Ellwood began the tale of Clifford Maughan. He told how he landed that D-Day night and was captured. He talked about what happened afterward - a story not even Donald had heard.


Then, he told the group how he had been looking for Clifford's son, without success, until he received that fated phone call a few weeks before . . . .

Donald Maughan with Ellwood, by the plaque honoring his father

You can just imagine the applause and the emotion when everyone realized  that Clifford Maughan's son was standing in the very garden where his father stood, on D-Day, 67 years before. Ellwood described the day as, "simply amazing."

They made their way to the C-47 Cafe, where Donald signed the C-47 tail piece for his father, joining the many other veterans who have placed their signatures there.

 

Ellwood is the tour guide for the American Road to Victory film series. He resides in Ste. Marie Eglise.

Captain Dale Dye

Captain Dale Dye, talks to Tracy Young of CNN, about D-Day and the launch of The Americans on D-Day. Dale has been a massive supporter of ours. He is firmly committed to the cause of teaching the younger generations about the achievements of these great men and women. We will never be able to thank him enough.

Ste Mere Eglise, Welcomes British Vets

Sixty British veterans, including a very rare former WWII SAS trooper who dropped into occupied France to aid the Maquis (French underground) in communications, arrived yesterday, to pay their respects to their American allies and lay a wreath in memory of those  Gi’s who lost their lives.

The small ceremony, which was held at the Sainte Mere Eglise Airborne Museum, was hosted by Ellwood von Seibold. No one from either the town council or the museum management was available to greet these old warriors, so Ellwood, who is fast becoming the face of Ste Mere Eglise in the U.S, stepped into the breach, to issue a welcome on behalf of the town.

Preceded by bagpipes and a drummer, the old soldiers, some in their early nineties, marched up Rue Eisenhower, past the famous church where an effigy of American paratrooper John Steele hangs from the bell tower.

“We all had our jobs to do” said veteran Don Baker of 21 SAS (pictured on right). “The American Gi’s caught the worst of the D-Day slaughter. It’s only right that we should make this trip to honor them."