A Bridge Too Far

By the morning of September 22, 1944, the British 1st Airborne Division had been reduced to a fragmented force holding a shrinking perimeter around Oosterbeek. Surrounded on three sides and under constant German attack, the men clung to trenches, shell holes, and improvised positions. Supplies were nearly gone, casualties were mounting, and the situation was rapidly deteriorating. For a moment, hope surged: British artillery from across the Rhine began targeting enemy armor, and signals with XXX Corps briefly restored communication. Urquhart’s men believed that relief was imminent. 

That afternoon, nearly 1,000 paratroopers from General Sosabowski’s long-delayed Polish Brigade dropped near Driel under devastating fire. Many landed safely, but others drowned in the Rhine or were hit before they touched the ground. Civilians like Red Cross worker Cora Baltussen rushed to aid the wounded, even as the town came under bombardment. Sosabowski, having feared the drop would be a disaster, watched enemy tanks crossing the Arnhem bridge and realized the truth: His men were being sacrificed due to British disorganization. Efforts to ferry troops across the river collapsed. A cable ferry once thought intact had vanished, and British patrols failed to locate it in time—though it was later discovered, moored and useless, downstream.