Holland, October 1944. A reconnaissance patrol from the 101st airborne division had been tasked with capturing two German prisoners of war behind enemy lines. They came back with 32. This is the story known as “the incredible patrol”. It was published in LIFE Magazine in 1945. After that it was largely forgotten. Until now.
ARNHEM – It is a bizarre story, but it is true. A month after the end of Market Garden, six American soldiers were ordered to take two German prisoners of war north of the Rhine. The patrol returned a day later with 32 German prisoners of war. (By: Patrick Arink) The bizarre exploration took place…
If everything went as planned, the tanks and ground troops of XXX Corps could advance without any problems from the south over “a carpet of airborne troops” from the Belgian border to the Rhine bridge in Arnhem. At least: that was how the British army leadership had presented the advance of the ground troops to…
The British at Arnhem were not the only airborne troops who encountered problems after the landings. The American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division who had landed near Groesbeek also did not reach the objectives they were supposed to achieve on September 17 . Capturing the Waal Bridge was not at the top of the…
The leading ground troops of XXX Corps, led by British General Horrocks, had not advanced beyond Valkenswaard on Sunday, September 17. The Germans had fought back more fiercely than the British had anticipated. The advance north was therefore slow. The bridge at Son, between Eindhoven and Grave, had been blown up the day before before…
After the British withdrew across the Rhine during the night of September 25 to 26, many paratroopers and air crews were still left behind on the north side of the river. Through a daring escape, 130 soldiers managed to return to the Allied lines a month later. The escape, called Operation Pegasus, is considered one…
