Worse still, just two hours after the Allied air assault, the commander of the German Airborne 1st Army, Stuart, obtained an Allied order from a downed glider. He immediately took this order to the headquarters of Army Group B to meet the commander-in-chief Moder and plan a German counteroffensive.

Among the German generals, Stuart was more familiar with the Netherlands than anyone else, and was aware of the major shortcomings of the Airborne Forces - such as lack of maneuverability on the ground and lack of heavy weapons. In the end, Moder chose Anheng as the training area of the SS Panzer Division, and they tried to prevent the Allied airborne troops and tank units from joining forces.

The British Field Marshal Montgomery planned to use airborne troops, and the objective was to seize a series of German-controlled bridges over the main rivers of the Netherlands from Belgium via Arnhem to the Ruhr area; The strategic goal was to gain control of these bridges and allow the Allies to cross the Rhine, the last natural barrier on the German border, while the Germans were still on their feet, in order to bring the German military industry to a standstill and prepare for the subsequent advance into the capital, Berlin.

The defending Germans consisted mainly of Army Group B under the command of General Modell, with the 15th Army and the 1st Paratrooper Corps under its command.

Between the British 30th Army's garrison and the northern bank of the Rhine, the destination of the assault, eight obstacles had to be crossed, including several major rivers and three canals. The goal of Operation Market Gardens was to capture the bridges across these waters at the same time. If some bridges across smaller rivers could not be captured, the engineering units of the British 30th Army could build temporary bridges to pass. But the main rivers, such as the Vaal near Nijmegen. Or the Rhine near Arnhem, which could not be crossed in this way.

Route 69 (later known as the "Hell Highway"), which was intended to be used as a marching route, had two lanes, usually higher than the low-lying areas of the Netherlands, and the ground on either side of the road was too soft for military vehicles to pass.

After aviation fire preparation, the British 1st Parachute Division, the 101st and 82nd American Parachute Divisions landed at Olsterbeck, Soon and Grossbeck, respectively. Their goal was to quickly seize bridges across canals and rivers and pave the way for British ground forces advancing from the south. This "corridor" runs from Rio Potdaburg in Belgium to Arnhem via Vulkensward, Eindhoven, Fehel, Hlavo and Nijmegen.

The U.S. 101st Division made good progress, and in the process of seizing the planned five bridges, it encountered strong resistance from the Germans relying on 88-mm anti-aircraft guns and machine guns on only one bridge. But the 101st Division still completed its mission. The 1st Division of the 82nd Division seized a bridge over the Meuse-Val Canal, while the main force was stationed on the Grossbeck Road to block German reinforcements.

The British 1st Parachute Division was unlucky, and a large number of jeeps and other heavy equipment were lost due to the crash of the glider. Most communication devices are also unusable. What was even more unfortunate was that Arnhem happened to have nearly 10,000 German troops resting here. After the offensive began, the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 1st Brigade were blocked by small German forces, and only the 2nd Battalion reached the north of the Arnhem Bridge to defend the bridge, but both attempts to seize the bridge were repulsed by the Germans. At nightfall. The British army was already largely encircled.

Due to poor synergy. Until 2:35 p.m. The 30th Army only moved to the offensive after a short preparation of aviation fire and artillery fire. Panzer divisions in the first echelon of the corps broke through enemy defenses. Two infantry divisions followed. By the end of the first day, the Allies had advanced 6-8 kilometers in depth, but they were unable to enter Eindhoven as scheduled to join the 101st Division.

In Arnhem. The German 9th Panzer Division launched a surprise attack on the British troops defending the north of the bridge, but was repulsed by the British and the German battalion commander was killed. The second group of the British 4th Brigade was paralyzed by dense fog and met with intense German anti-aircraft fire, and although three battalions remained, they suffered heavy losses. By night, the remnants of the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 1st Brigade of less than 200 men arrived in Arnhem, most of the officers and enlisted men had already been captured.

The operation on the southern front was also not smooth, the 82nd Regiment of the 505th Division stubbornly held the airborne site of the second batch of paratrooper units, and successfully protected the safe arrival of the second batch of airborne troops (3 infantry battalions, 3 field artillery battalions and a medical battalion) and collected airdropped supplies. The Soon Bridge, controlled by the 101st Division, was recaptured by the Germans, and at noon the troops of the 30th Army reached north of Eindhoven to join up with the 101st Airborne Division. Sappers then erected a pontoon bridge to ensure access to Eindhoven, but two days had passed since the plan.

The British in Arnhem launched a third attack on the south bank, but were quickly repulsed by German artillery fire and blocking forces, and only 500 men remained in the four battalions except for the second battalion, retreating to the village of Österbek. The 600 men of the 2nd Battalion were stationed in the buildings on the north bank of the city, and although the Germans blasted room by house, the 2nd Battalion still held out. The 4th Brigade of the British Army was also in a dilemma at the village of Olsterbeck.

In Nijmegen, the 30th Army joined forces with the US 504th Regiment in the morning and entered Nijmegen in the afternoon, but still failed to capture the Waal River bridge in Nijmegen, and most of the airdropped supplies were lost. The 101st Division was held back by reinforced German troops and could not withdraw as planned.

The advance of the follow-up units of the 30th Army was also not smooth, and the 30th Army had difficulty in the face of continued fierce German resistance, and the Germans destroyed some of the bridges there. In addition, more than 20,000 vehicles, including bulky tracked vehicles, struggled to pass through these narrow roads from Vankensward to Nijmegen. Transportation is very difficult. Americans call it "Hell's Highway."

The 504th Regiment of the 82nd Division, unable to conquer the bridge, forced its way across the Waal River by kayak, but because it was not accustomed to the paddles of the British landing craft and moved slowly, it conquered the Waal River Bridge after paying considerable losses, and this battle was also known as the "Little Omaha Landing" because it was as tragic as the Omaha Beach landing. The 82nd Division and other units of the 101st Division struggled to defend themselves against the German offensive that tried to cut off the highway.

By this time, the situation in Arnhem was completely out of the control of the Allies. After the 2nd Battalion held on to the north of the bridge for nearly two days, on the morning of the 21st, the radio sent a final telegram: "The ammunition is exhausted, God bless my king." A white-knuckle battle ensued with the Germans, and the entire army was annihilated. The village of Österbeck, where the division headquarters was located, was also surrounded, while the other battalions broke through the German encirclement and joined the main forces with less than 100 men.

At the village of Ousterbeck, 3,500 British troops relied on light anti-tank guns, and the British used captured French Spitfire tanks to defend a high ground in the southwest overlooking the Hoofddorp crossing on the south bank, but this high ground was quickly lost to the German onslaught. The British had to continue the defense in the narrow village, but the British refused to surrender.

Polish troops, which had planned to enter the battle at the time of the second airdrop, were postponed until the 21st due to weather conditions before landing in Driel on the south bank. However, due to a misdispatch and the German air force, supplies were airdropped 15 kilometers away. The Poles, who had intended to cross the river to support the British, could not find the ferry at its intended location, but by the time they found it downstream, it was so badly damaged that it was unusable. The Poles had no choice but to retreat to the village of Driel to defend.

…… (To be continued......)