Operation Market Garden Quiz for Experts | European War

Answer: Just to use the British 1st Airborne Division and just capture 3 bridges

Montgomery's Operation Comet was to take place on the 2nd September to make use of the British 1st Airborne Division that hadn't been used in Normandy. He planned to drop the 1st Parachute Brigade at Arnhem, the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade at Nijmegen and the 4th Parachute Brigade at Grave. Poor weather and increased German resistance forced Montgomery to postpone and then later revise his operation.

Answer: 101st Airborne Divison

The 101st Airborne Division was tasked with capturing the bridges northwest of Eindhoven, namely the bridges over the Son and Veghel. On the actual day, the 101st were able to hold 4 of the 5 bridges they were tasked with, the 5th one being blown as they approached the bridge.

Answer: 82nd Airborne Divison

Due to landing during the day, 89% of the 82nd troops landed on or within 1000m of the drop zone, compared to a mis-drop of up to nearly 19km during night operations. The 82nd were successful in obtaining most of their bridges bar the main one in Nijmegen which was being defended by the 9th SS Reconnaissance Battalion.

Answer: British 1st Airborne Division (with the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade)

Despite their high spirits on their first mission, the drop went very badly for the 1st. Due to a lack of transport, only half of the 1st were dropped on the first day. Half of those dropped had to stay and defend the drop zone, a good 8 miles from their objective.

The other half raced to the bridge however they were greatly slowed down by the Dutch, who were happy to be liberated. The advancing jeeps, who were supposed to quickly capture the bridge, met unexpectedly stiff German resistance. The delay allowed the 9th SS Reconnaissance Battalion to go and capture the Nijmegen bridge. Out of the three battalions that headed for the bridge, only one got through the German lines.

Answer: XXX Corps

XXX Corps was tasked with getting to Arnhem, having linked up with the other airborne divisions in three days. XII and VIII Corps were tasked with covering XXX Corps flanks. Unfortunately, they started a little later than XXX Corps which caused serious problems later on.

The XXX Corps consisted of the Guards Armored Division, the 43rd Infantry Division, the 50th Infantry Division and other small units.

Answer: There was fog over Britain, predicted to move over Holland.

Allied weather forecasters had rightly predicted that fog would merge over Britain. Low cloud also merged over the battlefields stopping all droppings. The initial postponement of two-three hours turned into two-three days.

Answer: The radios were broken.

Although warned of the problems with the crystals in the radios, nothing was done about it and the British soon learnt when they arrived that they didn't work. This greatly restricted their operation as the different battalions couldn't contact each other and, more importantly, they couldn't contact HQ in Britain.

The Dutch did offer them the use of the telephones, which did have a connection to Britain. However, the British refused and continued to try to use the radios. The reason for this is not entirely clear but it is known that the British officers were told not to trust the Dutch, as they hadn't been 'cleared'.

As a result, Britain got most of its information second-hand through the Dutch Resistance.

Answer: They lost control of the landing ground.

The battalions defending the landing ground came under stiff assaults from the Germans and eventually lost control of the landing. Sadly, glider elements from the Polish, carrying anti-tank guns and jeeps, who had been cleared to go to Arnhem without the rest of the Brigade, landed on the landing zone just as the British were retreating across it.

As a result, many of the gliders were shot down as they landed.

Answer: Victoria Cross

The 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment was the only regiment in the entire war to receive two Victoria Crosses for one engagement.

Major Cain received one for encouraging his men to fight on and knocking out 6 tanks and numerous self-propelled guns during which he was suffering from a perforated ear-drum and multiple wounds.

The other recipient was Lance-Sergeant John Daniel Baskeyfield who was an anti-tank gunner. He refused to be taken to an aid station when seriously wounded in the leg and fought on on his anti-tank gun alone to improve morale. When that gun was knocked out he crawled over to another one and continued the process before he was finally killed in action.

Answer: 9 days

They were supposed to be relieved by XXX Corps in 3 days, but this never happened. Contrary to belief, the 1st didn't actually surrender after 4 days of fighting. However, John Frost's 2nd Battalion did surrender after 4 days after it had suffered severely at the hands of the Germans. It sent out a final message over its radio, 'Out of ammo, God Save the King', which was only heard by the Germans. The rest of the division held out at Oosterbeek for another 5 days before being evacuated across the Rhine.

Of the 10,500 troops sent into Arnhem, only 2,500 came back. 6,5000 were taken prisoner and another 1,500 were killed. The 1st Airborne Division never saw action again, apart from a brief spell of rounding up Germans in Norway at the end of the war. As soon as it returned from Norway, the division was immediately disbanded.