80th Anniversary: The Battle of Arnhem

On the 80th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, join retired soldier Andy Middlemiss as he discusses The Battle of Arnhem.

September 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem. 1st (UK) Airborne Division was the most northerly of the three Allied airborne divisions to be dropped as part of Operation Market Garden, a bold attempt to ‘bounce’ German western defences.

‘The Battle of Arnhem’ is perhaps a misnomer; the vast majority of those who took part never saw the Arnhem Road Bridge, becoming involved in the battle to hold the Oosterbeek Perimeter, some miles to the west of the bridge. Seven days later, roughly a fifth of the 1st Airborne Division withdrew across the Rhine, having doggedly defended a shrinking part of the northern side of the Oosterbeek Perimeter which, at its largest, was only 1200 metres long and 800 metres wide.