The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 23, Number 6 | Page 32

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | June 2017
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division, the Screaming Eagles, and the 82nd Airborne (The All Americans) who had seen action at Normandy and
throughout Sicily.
Operation Market Garden came about because the Russians were pushing the Germans back towards Germany to
the east, in the south the Allies had pushed Germany back out of Africa up through Italy and back to Germany, and
clearly 3 months earlier the Allies had landed at Normandy and pushed the Germans back up through France, Bel-
gium to Holland (where they had already occupied territory). Market Garden therefore came about on the back of
victory after victory after victory after victory as the Allies successfully pushed the Germans back in bitter and
entrenched warfare. However, by the time this particular battle began, troops were tired and overstretched, and
intelligence was not acted upon. Add to that the fact that the Allies had only secured one major port, some 300 miles
away at Cherbourg, and although Antwerp was under Allied control, it was not really fit for purpose, neither would it
be fit for some weeks to come after Arnhem.
The Allied Commanders also believed that the Germans were a broken army (on the back of their previous successes
against them), believing them to be a disparate army with low morale that would only take one more push to deliver
the blow that would bring with it victory for the Allies. The problem, too, is that winter was only a month or so away,
and if the battle to take the bridges along the Siegfried line were not secured would mean pushing back the advance
until the Spring of 1945 (if you recall the weather played an integral part in the D-Day landing decision). The attack
could not be put on hold, there was political pressure to end the war by Christmas, it had been ongoing for some 5
years already, and in terms of human and financial costs, the war needed now to come to a speedy end.
Politicians were bringing the weight of their power onto the shoulders of the commanders of American and British
commanders alike.
There was also political pressure to utilise the 1st Allied Airborne Army (remember not yet deployed and seen
action), to show that Britain and European allies, specifically Poland were seen to be doing their part in this battle.
Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, commanding the Anglo Canadian 21st Army group, had a plan, and asked
Eisenhower for resources to complete it. Eisenhower was battling internally to satisfy all of the egos of all the
commanders in the field at the time, and suggested Montgomery should wait, however he was convinced that he
couldn't afford a single attack, he wanted a broader attack, to try to satisfy the British and American politicians and
generals. Remember he was also being pressured to knock out the V2 bomber launchers that were wrecking havoc
and terror throughout the UK, and to a lesser extent in Europe. Eisenhower was also conscious of what the press
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