It is an inconspicuous house in an inconspicuous street on the west side of Arnhem. But this is a house with a story. After the airborne landings of Operation Market Garden near Arnhem, airborne commander General Roy Urquhart of the 1st British Airborne Division was forced to hide in the attic of this house for…
“Thank God Operation Comet was called off. It would have been a disaster.” British General Shan Hackett’s assessment of Operation Comet is clear. Hackett and Polish General Stanislav Sosabowski strongly opposed the plan underlying Operation Market Garden. ‘Operation Comet’ is the name of a plan that British General Bernard Montgomery came up with on September…
While his troops were engaged in fierce battles with the Germans, General Roy Urquhart, the commander of the 1st British Airborne Division, was hiding in an attic at Zwarteweg 14 in the Arnnhem district of Lombok. In the book that General Urquhart wrote after the war about his experiences during the Battle of Arnhem, he…
On the morning of Friday, September 22, General Urquhart realized that his troops would not last much longer against the immense German pressure on the perimeter positions in Oosterbeek. In the plans for Operation Market Garden, the 1st British Airborne Division would be relieved after 48 hours in Arnhem by the ground troops advancing from…
When Major General Roy Uquhart was told in January 1944 that he was nominated as the new commander of the 1st British Airborne Division, he was just as surprised as the British para-troopers he had to lead. Urquhart, a tall 42-year-old Scotsman, had no experience whatsoever with airborne troops. In fact, Urquhart hated flying. He…