An overview of British 1st Airborne at Arnhem Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Market Garden commenced on the 17th September 1944 - can you tell me which day of the week this was?

Answer: Sunday

Market Garden commenced on Sunday 17th September 1944 and troops from 1st British Airborne, US 82nd Airborne and US 101st Airborne began landing in the early afternoon.

2. The 'Market' element of the operation required the seizure of the bridges across the Meuse River, two arms of the Rhine (the Waal River and the Lower Rhine), together with crossings over several smaller canals and tributaries. How many bridges were there in total?

Answer: Nine

The 101st Airborne were unable to secure the crossing of the Wilhelmina canal at Son (the Germans demolished the Bridge just as lead elements of the Division were about to secure it). The 82nd Airborne Division were unable to initially secure the main bridge at Nijmegen until 20th September when it was successfully captured.

The British 1st Airborne Division managed to partially secure the Northern end of the Arnhem Bridge and held this until early morning on the 21st September when their positions were finally overrun by the Germans.

3. The Garden part of the operation involved British XXX Corps. What was the famous Armoured Division that spearheaded the attack?

Answer: Guards Armoured Division

The Guards Armoured Division was classified as an elite armoured division which had gained considerable battle experience throughout the fight in Normandy. It comprised of elements of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards. and Welsh Guards. All of which were seen as elite regiments in the British Army. Total strength of the Division at the time of Market Garden was 15,000 men and 343 tanks.

The Guards Armoured was also supported by the 43rd Wessex Infantry Division and the 50th Northumberland Infantry Division - both veteran divisions.

4. It is well known that the British 1st Airborne landed 8 miles from its objective, but which area did they land in?

Answer: Wolfheze

The decision to land so far away from the Bridge was to have disastrous consequences. The original plan was to assault the Bridge with Armoured Jeeps of Freddie Gough's Reconnaissance Company but this failed so the Division had to make do with the 3 fighting battalions of the 1st Parachute Brigade on foot to reach the Bridge. Only one would make it!

5. Which battalion managed to secure the Northern Ramps of the bridge at Arnhem on the late evening of 17th September?

Answer: 2nd Parachute Battalion

The 2nd Battalion used the most southerly route (codename 'lion') to the Bridge and was successful in avoiding contact with the Germans. The 1st and 3rd Battalions used more northerly routes through Oosterbeek and were savaged by the experienced troops of the 9th SS Panzer Division who managed to block their advance and cause massive casualties.

These battalions strength was literally decimated in their attempts to join Lt-Colonel Johnny Frost's 2nd Para on the Bridge.

6. The arrival of the second lift was delayed by fog surrounding the airfields back in the UK. What was the name of the unit that landed later on the 18th September to join up with the rest of 1st Airborne Division?

Answer: 4th Parachute Brigade

The 4th Parachute Brigade consisting of the 10th, 11th and 156th Battalions of the Parachute Regiment, essentially doubled the number of fighting Battalions available to Major General Urquhart, and reinforced the Division as it was coming under massive pressure from 9th SS and 10th SS Panzer Divisions.

7. The British 1st Airborne suffered from massive communication problems from the outset of the operation. What was the main cause of the breakdown in communications?

Answer: The wrong crystals were installed

The reality is there were numerous reasons as to why the radios didn't work at Arnhem, especially during the initial phase of the battle where the various battalions were scattered all over the Arnhem Area. The use of the wrong crystals is commonly held to have been one of the primary reasons for the failure of the radios.

8. The Germans managed to force the British 1st Airborne into the Oosterbeek area and sealed off the 2nd Parachute Battalion on the Northern part of the bridge and ensured that the men on the bridge would not receive any more reinforcements. The perimeter at Oosterbeck became known by what name?

Answer: The witches' cauldron

It was known as the Witches' Cauldron (or 'Hexenkessel' to the Germans).

The remnants of 1st, 3rd, 10th, 11th and 156th Parachute battalions, 1st Battalion Border, 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire and 7th Battalion King's Own Borderers plus supporting elements were surrounded by elements of the 9th SS and 10th SS Panzer Division. They slowly squeezed the perimeter by use of tanks against infantry - an unequal fight.

9. At the time that the US 82nd Airborne and Guards Armoured Division were forcing their way across the Bridge at Nijmegen, was the Bridge at Arnhem still in British Hands?

Answer: True

The assault by the US 82nd Airborne Division took place at about 3pm and whilst ultimately successful, the Bridge at Arnhem was still in British hands, although they were desperately short of ammunition, food, water and medical supplies.

The last British Paratroopers were captured in the early hours of 21st September.

It took the German's nearly a whole day to clear the Bridge of wreckage.

10. The British Airborne Division, or what remained of it, were withdrawn across the Rhine River on the night of the 25th September, over a week since they originally landed at Arnhem. How many managed to cross the river?

Answer: 2,398 survivors

The British 1st Airborne went into Arnhem with a strength of just over 10,000 troops including the men of the 1st Polish Parachute Brigade. Of these, 2,398 men and wounded managed to cross the Rhine with a further 1,485 killed or missing and 6,525 captured.

Field Marshall Montgomery is known to have stated that Operation Market Garden was a 90% success. The British 1st Airborne paid the price for this and never saw combat again.

Source: Author JJMcGiver

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This quiz is to provide an insight into Operation Market Garden and specifically the fate of 1st British Airborne Division at Arnhem. I hope you enjoy.

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