On this day in 1944 Operation Market Garden was launched by the Allied Forces in WW2. The goal of the operation was to establish a bridgehead over the lower Rhine river in order to create access routes to the North of Germany and threaten the Ruhr area, the industrial heartland of Germany.

The operation was initially a success. My hometown, Eindhoven, was quickly liberated by the Allies together with many other Dutch towns and villages in the days after. Nijmegen was also captured and the river Waal could be crossed.

The main objective was however capturing the city of Arnhem and its bridge. The allies conducted the largest airborne operation up to that point in the war and many paratroopers landed north of the Rhine.

It turned into a disaster. 8 000 out of the 12 000 men from the 1st Airborne Division were killed, wounded or captured. The armoured divisions who would support the airborne division from the south were also halted by the Germans.

The Allies did not achieve their main objective and failed. Arnhem was 'A Bridge too far' as the 1977 movie depicting Operation Market Garden is called. The operation has often been criticized by historians. World War 2 would have also looked very different if it had succeeded.

In Dutch history Operation Market Garden plays a big role. During the operation the Dutch government in exile gave orders for a massive railway strike and resistance groups also carried out acts of sabotage anticipating imminent liberation. Finally, the south of the Netherlands, below the big rivers, was liberated, but the northern part was still occupied by the Germans after the failed operation.

To punish the Dutch citizens for their acts or resistance and disobedience, the Nazis blocked all food transports to the western part of the Netherlands where the four major cities are located. This caused the 'Dutch Famine' or 'Hunger Winter' of 1944-1945. Around 20 000 people died and hundreds of thousands barely survived on diets consisting of nettles and tulip bulbs. The Netherlands were fully liberated on May the 5th 1945.

Originally posted on Instagram on September 17, 2023