The Royal Air Force and Operation Market Garden: Chapter 4
The fog of war
Contemporary official records and personal recollections differ, as do statistics between sources.
Battle for the Bridge: 18 to 21 September
Chapter 2 had set out the two requirements for success over which Montgomery had no control: weak German resistance and good weather.
Chapter 3 demonstrated conclusively the fallacy of the first when, at Arnhem, 1st Airborne (1 A/B) were widely blocked by the rapid deployment of strong German armoured forces from reaching the road bridge. Now both they and British Army XXX Corps were to suffer from the second optimistic assumption: good weather – essential for any flying.
Thursday 21 September D+4
| Planned | Achieved |
| Market Garden should have concluded so no drops planned | 117 aircraft despatched. 91 reported drops on the target areas. Heavy aircraft losses. |
Air Activity
A quarter of the Polish Airborne Brigade was finally able to drop between Elst and Driel, some 5-6 miles south of the Lower Rhine but were unable to fight their way north to the river bank. Also, 117 resupply sorties were generated; unfortunately, bad weather reduced fighter cover and the Luftwaffe took full advantage: 23 transports were lost, with No. 190 Squadron being savaged – losing 7 of its 10 aircraft.
Bundles were dropped on the designated zones but the Germans had already captured them.
2TAF could do very little to support XXX Corps, partly because of weather and also because their activities had to be suspended during aerial resupply. 1A/B was unable to establish radio contact with 2TAF Typhoons; no close air support possible.
A major conference was held in Nijmegen to consider the difficulties and losses arising from no communications with 1A/B and the fighters and transports operating from different weather zones. It was decided to transfer 575 Squadron to Brussels to carry out any remaining resupply missions.
Arnhem
The remains of 2 Parachute Bn. were trapped in a few buildings at the north end of the bridge, with no supplies and having taken numerous casualties. Fighting ceased at 05.00 am when they had no option but to surrender. Their final radio transmission was ‘Out of Ammunition. God save the King.’
Map showing extent of British enclave at bridge (bottom right) and German stop lines from Oosterbeek CAB 44/254
British Army XXX Corps
XXX Corps crossed the bridge and broke through German defences north of Nijmegen and were only 10 miles from Arnhem but the territory was unsuitable for armoured warfare, being low, wet and dissected by small waterways and raised roads on dikes so no real progress was made towards Arnhem. German troops, now fully free to traverse the Arnhem bridge, were increasing in strength. However, Oosterbeek was now within artillery range so fire support could be given.
Wednesday 20 September D+3
| Plan | Achieved |
| Resupply as ordered by British Army XXX Corps | 162 aircraft attempted resupply to two Drop Zones: 152 dropped on the designated targets but in the 18 hours since the locations were passed back to England, all had been captured by German forces. 9 aircraft were lost and 62 damaged. |
Air activity
2TAF could only manage 259 sorties of which 181 were fighters. TacR produced little of value due to poor visibility.
Glider landings recorded from aerial photos. AIR 14/3650
Arnhem
At the bridge, the remaining paras were totally surrounded and subject to murderous fire. German forces had free use of the bridge. The Oosterbeek enclave continued to shrink, now centred on the Hartenstein Hotel and land southwards to the Rhine.
British Army XXX Corps
The Nijmegen bridge, now in Allied hands, enabled tanks to cross from 2015 hrs, who then stopped for the night (to the considerable annoyance of American troops, who had taken heavy casualties to secure the crossing).
Tuesday 19 September D+2
| Planned | Achieved |
| Parachute/Resupply 277 | Resupply 150 of 163 dropped. |
| Glider tugs 45 | Remaining 13 lost and 97 damaged by flak. |
| Gliders 45 | Gliders 30 of 42 arrived |
| Total 367 |
A bad day for Market personnel, both those in the air and on the ground.
Air Activity
Low cloud over parts of England delayed some departures and forced cancellation of others, particularly the Polish Parachute Brigade dropping south of the Rhine. Apart from 35 gliders carrying Polish forces; heavy equipment and stores, of which only 66% arrived, the day was devoted to resupply. Many Polish gliders landed in the middle of an active fire-fight and 50 gliders were burnt out.
Red on. Hook up. AIR 14/3650
With some DZ and LZ being captured by German forces, a new supply dropping zone was established. But to no avail. Resupply air drops failed, with 90% falling in German hands. On this day, Flight Lieutenant David Lord of 271 Squadron won a Victoria Cross, awarded posthumously, for bravery by flying a burning Dakota to deliver supplies. His full story is in a separate blog.
Poor communications between England and Belgium led to the fighter escort leaving the landing areas before the troop transports arrived.
Successful resupply CAB 44/254
Arnhem
At the bridge, German assaults continued, now using Panzers [tanks] and Self Propelled Guns; efforts to reinforce the British troops from the landing areas were again blocked.
The DZ and LZ areas were defended to permit resupply drops but those forces were being split into an area west of Arnhem and another area west of Oosterbeek.
British Army XXX Corps
Leading tanks reached Nijmegen town and south side of bridge mid-morning but were halted as the Germans still held the bridge. According to Montgomery’s timetable, they should by dusk that day have linked up with 1 A/B on the northern end of the Arnhem road bridge.
Monday 18 September D+1
| Plan | Achieved |
| Parachute aircraft 126 | |
| Glider tugs 270 | LZ X gliders 223 launched, 201 arrived |
| Gliders 270 | LZ S 215 gliders launched, 189 arrived |
| Supply 35 | Supplies: 80% dropped within British reach. |
| Total 701 |
NOTE: numbers vary by source. Planned launches differ from those actually participating.
Air activity
US 9th Troop Carrier Command C 47s and Waco CG 4A gliders line up for take off
Fog in England caused a five-hour delay in the departure from England of the second airlift, which, in the words of the RAF Air Historical Branch’s author back in 1951 ‘During this vital gap the position on the ground deteriorated to such an extent that it could not be redeemed’. Added to which, fog in Belgium prevented 2nd Tactical Air Force (2TAF) giving air support to British Army’s XXX Corps, whose tanks were again halted by the lethal German 88 mm dual purpose anti-aircraft/anti-tank guns. 2TAF support for British Army XXX Corps was limited to only 28 sorties.
Stirling/Horsa serials on their way to Arnhem
Worse still, overnight, German forces had rapidly reinforced mobile flak positions along the trooping routes. Strictly against every security principle and order, a complete copy of the Market Garden Operational Plan was taken into the air and captured, so the Germans knew when and where further drops and resupplies would be made, and could dispose their forces accordingly.
Not all arrive safely. An Amphibious Supermarine Walrus patrolling the air routes
The only saving grace was that the Luftwaffe fighters rapidly poured into the area were in the air at the time the drops should have taken place according to the master plan but, because the drops were 5 hours late, they had all run out of fuel and landed or returned to home bases.
RAF ASR Launch 127 rescuing Hadrian crew
Arnhem
At the bridge, British forces at the northern end fended off attacks from German forces approaching across from the south and also in areas surrounding the buildings they occupied. Attempts by relieving 1A/B forces coming from the landing grounds were blocked by German defensive lines.
British Army XXX Corps
American airborne troops had captured the Grave and Eindhoven bridges. British tanks crossed the Eindhoven bridge at 1700, continuing to Son, where a Bailey Bridge [prefabricated kit] was under construction. British Army XXX Corps was now 24 hours late.
Author’s Note: RAF Museum has very kindly provided access to documents and photographs but the views expressed herein are the author’s alone.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING
- 2nd Tactical Air Force: Volume Two Breakout to Bodenplatte, Christopher Shores and Chris Thomas: Classic/Ian Allan 2004
- A Bridge Too Far cinema film directed by Joseph Levene, directed by Richard Attenborough Released by United Artists 1977
- A Bridge Too Far, Cornelius Ryan; Hamish Hamilton 1974
- Airborne Operations Air Historical Branch Air Ministry 1951
- Battle for Arnhem Pitkin Guide
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- D-Day Atlas, Charles Messenger; Thames & Hudson 2004
- Holts Battlefield Guides: Market-Garden Corridor; Tonie and Valerie Holt Leo Cooper in association with Secker and Warburg 1984
- https://history.army.mil/books/70-7_18.htm
- Overlord, Max Hastings; Michael Joseph 1984
- RAF Historical Society Journal 40 2007
- Slag om Arnhem/Theirs is the Glory’ filmed 1945 distributed by Airborne Museum Hartenstein, Oosterbeek, Netherlands
- The National Archives
AIR 25/586 Operations Record Book 38 Group
AIR 25/589 Operations Record Book 38 Group Appendices
AIR 25/649 Operations Record Book 46 Group
AIR 25/655 Operations Record Book 46 Group Intelligence Appendices
AIR 25/705 Operations Record Book 83 Group: Appendices
AIR 37/1249 21ST ARMY GROUP: Operation “Market Garden”
CAB 106/962 Report on operation “Market Garden”, the airborne operations at Arnhem 1944 Sept.
WO 171/118 21 Army Group Report: Appendix S Air targets
WO 171/118 G. (Ops.) with Apps. K.M.N.S. (“Operation Market Garden”)
WO 205/1126 Operation Market Garden
WO 205/623 21 Army Group “Operation Market Garden
WO 205/623 Operation Market Garden: reports, correspondence, lessons learned
WO 205/693 Operation Market Garden: reports and instructions
