A Bridge Too Far

By the morning of September 18, the second day of Operation Market-Garden, signs of Allied overconfidence and logistical strain were beginning to show. At Arnhem, Colonel John Frost’s battalion clung to the northern end of the bridge, but they were now surrounded and cut off. German commanders began organizing a pincer movement to crush Frost’s position. Meanwhile, German reinforcements—including the 10th SS Panzer Division—were slowly ferrying equipment across the Rhine to reinforce defenses at Nijmegen. Despite the Allies’ initial gains, the failure to secure key bridges swiftly, worsening communication breakdowns, and delays in the XXX Corps’ advance jeopardized the operation’s momentum. German commanders, once caught off guard, were now reacting with speed and coordination, determined to regain control of the corridor.

On the morning of Monday, September 18, daily life appeared to continue with a semblance of normalcy for Dutch civilians in the Lower Rhine region, particularly in the village of Driel and nearby Oosterbeek. Cora Baltussen, a young Dutch woman, took the ferry across the river to pick up a birthday cake for her mother—unaware of the battle about to consume the area.