Victory for the Allies seemed close.īut Hitler's forces were regrouping, and as the Allies pushed nearer to Germany's borders, German resistance stiffened. For the next three weeks they rolled through France and Belgium, liberating Paris and Brussels.
The glittering triumph of the D-Day landings in France had become bogged down in the slow and costly progress through the Normandy fields and hedgerows, which the Germans defended with skill and tenacity.ĭespite this, after weeks of heavy fighting, the Allies had finally broken through. The plan was conceived by General Bernard Montgomery, commander of the British forces in Europe. They would relieve the airborne troops, and then cross the intact bridges.
Thirty thousand British and American airborne troops were to be flown behind enemy lines to capture the eight bridges that spanned the network of canals and rivers on the Dutch/German border.Īt the same time, British tanks and infantry were to push up a narrow road leading from the Allied front line to these key bridges.
Market Garden was one of the boldest plans of World War Two.
