The Peel-Raam Line (Dutch: Peel-Raamstelling) was a Dutch defence line built in 1939 and attacked and conquered on 10 May 1940 by the German forces.
66-701: The defence line was behind the Maas Line (about 9 km to 21 km away) and started at Grave , where a barrack complex was built as part of the Peel-Raam line. From there, the line passed by Mill , Peel along the Zuid-Willemsvaart until the Belgium border nearby Weert . In the north, the defence line was connected to the Grebbe Line . The line could profit from the natural protection of
132-768: A "single thrust" forward into Germany, but each man saw himself as the leader of a single thrust. Montgomery said the allied strategy should be "one powerful full-blooded thrust across the Rhine and into the heart of Germany backed by the whole of the resources of the Allied Armies". Such a policy would relegate Bradley's American armies to a "purely static role". On his part, Patton said that with 400,000 gallons of gasoline he could be in Germany in two days. War planners saw both men's proposals as tactically and logistically infeasible. While agreeing that Montgomery's drive towards
198-420: A British officer – Browning in particular – be appointed its commander. Browning for his part decided to bring his entire staff with him on the operation to establish his field HQ using the much-needed 32 Airspeed Horsa gliders for administrative personnel, and six Waco CG-4 A gliders for U.S. Signals' personnel. Since the bulk of both troops and aircraft were American, Brereton, a U.S. Army Air Forces officer,
264-659: A German train crashed into this spargel-obstruction . There were not many communication lines between the casemates and the main force of the infantry was far behind the line of casemates. The Dutch would like to have connected their defence line with the one along the Albert Canal , in Belgium, but the Belgian army wanted a new defence line (the Orange Line (Dutch Oranjelinie) along the line Tilburg - Waalwijk and
330-482: A co-pilot but would instead carry an extra passenger. Because the C-47s served as paratrooper transports and glider tugs and because IX Troop Carrier Command would provide all the transports for both British parachute brigades, this massive force could deliver only 60 percent of the ground forces in one lift. This limit was the reason for the decision to split the troop-lift schedule into successive days. Ninety percent of
396-419: A collection of anti-aircraft batteries and a mix of 25 self-propelled guns and tank destroyers . Kriegsmarine and SS units were also allocated to Student's command, and Hitler had promised Model that 200 Panther tanks would be sent straight from the production lines; he also ordered all Tiger tanks , Jagdpanther self-propelled guns, and 88 mm guns that were available in Germany to be transferred to
462-499: A defence against what Wehrmacht intelligence judged to be 60 Allied divisions at full strength, although Eisenhower possessed only 49 divisions. Model set out to stop the Allied advance. The German 719th Infantry Division , part of LXXXVIII Corps, was dispatched south to the Albert Canal and Model requested reinforcements from Germany, stating that he would require 25 infantry divisions and six armoured divisions to hold; he envisioned
528-430: A limited airborne coup de main operation that was to be launched on 2 September 1944. Comet envisioned using British and Polish airborne forces to capture several bridges en route to the Rhine. However several days of poor weather and Montgomery's concerns over increasing levels of German resistance caused him to postpone the operation and then cancel it on 10 September. Montgomery replaced Comet with Market Garden,
594-834: A line stretching from Antwerp via Maastricht to Metz and from there to follow the line of the Albert Canal to the Meuse and the Siegfried Line. Meanwhile, Colonel General Kurt Student , commander of the Fallschirmjaeger , the German airborne forces, received orders from Alfred Jodl , Chief of the Operations Staff of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht , to immediately move from Berlin and proceed to
660-443: A long column like that in a single thrust you'd have to throw off division after division to protect your flanks from attack. Nevertheless, Eisenhower consented to Operation Market Garden, giving it "limited priority" in terms of supplies – but only as part of an advance on a broad front. Eisenhower promised that aircraft and trucks would deliver an additional 1,000 tons of supplies daily to Montgomery for Market Garden. Eisenhower
726-785: A more ambitious plan to bypass the West Wall or Siegfried Line of German defenses by hooking around its northern end and securing a crossing of the Rhine River, thereby gaining a path to the Ruhr. Another factor was the existence of V-2 sites in the Netherlands which were launching rocket strikes on London . On 10 September Dempsey, the British Second Army commander, told Montgomery that he had doubts about this plan. Montgomery replied that he had just received an order from
SECTION 10
#1732765608186792-568: A proper troop experience... his staff was superficial... Why the British units fumble along... becomes more and more apparent. Their tops lack the know-how, never do they get down into the dirt and learn the hard way." Garden consisted primarily of XXX Corps and was initially spearheaded by the Guards Armoured Division , with the 43rd Wessex and 50th Northumbrian Infantry Divisions in reserve. They were expected to arrive at
858-446: A reserve. Near Eindhoven and Arnhem a number of scratch formations were being assembled. Several SS units, including an NCO training battalion and a panzergrenadier reserve battalion, were being prepared to enter combat and Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine personnel were being grouped into Fliegerhorst and Schiffstammabteilung formations. There were also a number of training battalions that were being equipped, several depot battalions from
924-650: Is a city and former municipality in the Dutch province of North Brabant . The former municipality had a population of 12,486 in 2021. Grave is a member of the Dutch Association of Fortified Cities. The former municipality included the following towns : Grave (capital), Velp , Escharen and Gassel . Grave, Boxmeer , Cuijk , Mill en Sint Hubert , and Sint Anthonis merged into the new municipality of Land van Cuijk on 1 January 2022. Grave received city rights in 1233. The former municipality of Grave
990-712: The Bergsche Maas . That meant the line was vulnerable, and the enemy could go around the line to cross into Belgian soil. The Peel-Raam Line is, for most part, intact; particularly the northern part. The stretch between Griendtsveen and De Peel Air Base and the spot nearby Mill features several visible remains. The fortifications and the casemates in the municipalities of Deurne , Venray and Mill en Sint Hubert are protected as national monuments . [REDACTED] Media related to Peel-Raam Line at Wikimedia Commons Grave, Netherlands Grave ( Dutch: [ˈɣraːvə] ; formerly De Graaf )
1056-571: The Panzer Division Hermann Göring and various artillery, anti-aircraft, and field police units scattered throughout the north of the Netherlands. Rundstedt and Model suspected that a large Allied offensive was imminent, having received many intelligence reports that described a 'constant stream' of reinforcements to the right wing of the British Second Army. Anthony Blunt is accused of passing information from MI5. The senior intelligence officer of Army Group B believed
1122-640: The Red Ball Express , from makeshift ports in Normandy . A potential solution to the logistics problem was to capture a large port more accessible to the advancing allied armies. On 4 September, Montgomery's troops did just that, capturing the massive port of Antwerp in Belgium virtually intact, but the Scheldt Estuary leading to it and preventing its use was still under German control. Neither Eisenhower nor Montgomery initially made opening
1188-586: The 101st, 82nd and 1st Airborne Divisions and the Polish Brigade. 14,589 troops were landed by glider and 20,011 by parachute. Gliders also brought in 1,736 vehicles and 263 artillery pieces. 3,342 tons of ammunition and other supplies were brought by glider and parachute drop. To deliver its 36 battalions of airborne infantry and their support troops to the continent, the First Allied Airborne Army had under its operational control
1254-648: The 14 groups of IX Troop Carrier Command, and after 11 September the 16 squadrons of 38 Group RAF (an organization of converted bombers providing support to resistance groups) and a transport formation, 46 Group . The combined force had 1,438 C-47/Dakota transports (1,274 USAAF and 164 RAF ) and 321 converted RAF bombers. The Allied glider force had been rebuilt after Normandy until by 16 September it numbered 2,160 CG-4A Waco gliders, 916 Airspeed Horsas (812 RAF and 104 U.S. Army) and 64 General Aircraft Hamilcars (large cargo gliders). The U.S. had only 2,060 glider pilots available, so that none of its gliders would have
1320-467: The 85th Infantry Division, which had suffered heavy casualties during the retreat from Normandy, he had assumed command of the remnants of the 84th and 89th Infantry Divisions en route. Initially ordered to take his command to the Rhineland for rest and reinforcements, Chill disregarded the order and moved his forces to the Albert Canal, linking up with the 719th; he also had "reception centres" set up at
1386-625: The Allied breakout from Normandy and the closure of the Falaise Pocket , the allied armies pursued the retreating German army, expelling it from nearly all of France and Belgium. On 1 September, the Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower took over command of ground forces, while continuing as Supreme Commander. Montgomery resented this change, although the US and UK had agreed to it before
SECTION 20
#17327656081861452-518: The Arnhem thrust. Thereafter it was given first priority." Eisenhower proposed a "broad front strategy" in which the allied armies of Montgomery in Belgium and Bradley further south in France advanced in parallel on a front several hundred miles wide into Germany. Montgomery – and Bradley's aggressive subordinate, George S. Patton – both desired a concentration of forces,
1518-537: The British and Polish paratroopers managed to avoid capture by the Germans and were sheltered by the Dutch underground until they could be rescued in Operation Pegasus on 22 October 1944. Historians have been critical of the planning and execution of Operation Market Garden. Antony Beevor said that Market Garden "was a bad plan right from the start and right from the top". The Germans counter attacked
1584-496: The British government that the V-2 launch sites around The Hague should be neutralised and that the plan must therefore proceed. That same day, angered by Eisenhower's reluctance to give his plan the priority he desired, Montgomery flew to Brussels to meet him. Montgomery tore a file of Eisenhower's messages to shreds in front of him, argued for a concentrated northern thrust, and demanded priority in supplies. So fierce and unrestrained
1650-551: The German resistance had broken. Most of the German Fifteenth Army in the area appeared to be fleeing from the Canadians and they were known to have no Panzergruppen . It was thought that XXX Corps would face limited resistance on their route up Highway 69 and little armour . Meanwhile, the German defenders would be spread out over 100 kilometres (62 mi) trying to contain the pockets of airborne forces, from
1716-548: The Netherlands, especially around Arnhem. Brereton's experience with tactical air operations judged that flak suppression would be sufficient to permit the troop carriers to operate without prohibitive loss. The invasion of Southern France had demonstrated that large scale daylight airborne operations were feasible. Daylight operations, in contrast to those in Sicily and Normandy, would have much greater navigational accuracy and time-compression of succeeding waves of aircraft, tripling
1782-426: The Netherlands, where he would collect all available units and build a front near the Albert Canal, which was to be held at all costs. This front was to be held by the new First Parachute Army , a euphemistic name for a paper formation. Its units were scattered throughout Germany and the Netherlands and consisted either of units in the process of being formed or remnants cadred by survivors of previous units. Though
1848-421: The Netherlands. On 4 September he recalled Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt , who had been in retirement since Hitler had dismissed him as Wehrmacht Commander-in-Chief West on 2 July, and reinstated him in his former command, replacing Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model , who had taken command just 18 days previously and would henceforth command only Army Group B. Rundstedt immediately began to plan
1914-866: The Nijmegen salient but failed to retake any of the allied gains. Arnhem was finally captured by the Allies in April 1945, towards the end of the war. Highway 69 (later nicknamed "Hell's Highway") leading through the planned route was two narrow lanes, partly raised above a surrounding flat terrain of polder or floodplain . The ground on either side of the highway was in places too soft to support tactical vehicle movement and there were numerous dikes and drainage ditches. Dikes tended to be topped by trees or large bushes, and roads and paths were lined with trees. In early autumn this meant that observation would be seriously restricted. There were six major water obstacles between
1980-510: The Normandy invasion. He had been the commander of ground forces and the change resulted in his former subordinate, Omar Bradley , becoming his equal. Montgomery continued to command the 21st Army Group, consisting mainly of British and Canadian units. By late August the allied armies were running out of petroleum gasoline. Several allied divisions and corps were forced to halt their advance temporarily to replenish supplies. To Eisenhower fell
2046-613: The Second Army in the south to Arnhem in the north. The rout of the Wehrmacht during July and August led the Allies to believe that the German army was a spent force unable to reconstitute its shattered units. During those two months the Wehrmacht had suffered a string of defeats with heavy losses. Between 6 June and 14 August it had suffered 23,019 killed in action, 198,616 missing or taken prisoner and 67,240 wounded. Many of
Peel-Raam Line - Misplaced Pages Continue
2112-464: The Second Army would launch an offensive in the direction of Nijmegen, Arnhem and Wesel with a primary objective of reaching the industrial area along the Ruhr river. He was convinced that airborne troops would be used in this offensive but was unsure where they would be deployed, suspecting areas along the Siegfried Line north of Aachen or possibly even near the Saar. Second Army would assemble its units at
2178-513: The USAAF transports on the first day would drop parachute troops, with the same proportion towing gliders on the second day (the RAF transports were almost entirely used for glider operations). Brereton rejected having two airlifts on the first day, although this had been accomplished during Operation Dragoon, albeit with slightly more daylight (45 minutes) and against negligible opposition. 17 September
2244-641: The West. On 5 September, Model's forces were bolstered by the arrival of the II SS Panzer Corps , which consisted of the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions under the command of Lieutenant General Wilhelm Bittrich . The Corps had been reduced to approximately 6,000–7,000 men, 20–30% of its original strength in the course of continuous action since late June including in the Falaise pocket ; losses in officers and NCOs had been especially high. Model ordered
2310-868: The XXX Corps' jumping-off point and the objective of the north bank of the Lower Rhine River: the Wilhelmina Canal at Son en Breugel 100 feet (30 m) wide; the Zuid-Willems Canal at Veghel 80 feet (20 m); the Maas River at Grave 800 feet (240 m); the Maas-Waal Canal 200 feet (60 m); the Waal River at Nijmegen 850 feet (260 m); and the Rhine at Arnhem 300 feet (90 m). The plan
2376-561: The bridges ("Garden"). The airborne operation was undertaken by the First Allied Airborne Army with the land operation by the British Second Army , with XXX Corps moving up the centre supported by VIII and IX Corps on their flanks. The airborne soldiers, consisting of paratroops and glider-borne troops numbering more than 41,000, were dropped at sites where they could capture key bridges and hold
2442-610: The bridges crossing the Albert Canal, where small groups of retreating troops were picked up and turned into ad hoc units. By 7 September the 176th Infantry Division , a Kranken division composed of elderly men and men with various medical complaints, had arrived from the Siegfried Line and elements of the First Parachute Army began to appear. At this stage the Army consisted of approximately seven Fallschirmjaeger regiments composed of some 20,000 airborne troops along with
2508-471: The bridges north of Eindhoven at Son and Veghel. The 82nd Airborne Division , under Brigadier General James M. Gavin , would drop northeast of them to take the bridges at Grave and Nijmegen and the British 1st Airborne Division , under Major-General Roy Urquhart , with the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade , under Major General Stanisław Sosabowski , attached, would drop at the extreme north end of
2574-576: The formations the Wehrmacht had at the beginning of the Normandy campaign had been annihilated or reduced to skeleton formations by the end of August. As the German armies retreated towards the German frontier, they were often harried by air attacks and bombing raids by aircraft of the Allied air forces, inflicting casualties and destroying vehicles. Attempts to halt the Allied advance often seemed fruitless as hurried counter-attacks and blocking positions were brushed aside and at times there seemed to be too few German units to hold anywhere. By early September
2640-499: The industrial district of the Ruhr in Germany should have priority, Eisenhower still thought it was important to "get Patton moving again". This strategy was contested by Montgomery, who argued that with the supply situation deteriorating, he would not be able to reach the Ruhr, but "a relocation of our present resources of every description would be adequate to get one thrust to Berlin". Montgomery initially suggested Operation Comet ,
2706-416: The intended drop zones. Eisenhower believed that the use of the airborne forces might provide the push needed for the allies to cross the Rhine. The plan of action consisted of two operations: Market would employ four of the six divisions of the First Allied Airborne Army. The U.S. 101st Airborne Division, under Major General Maxwell D. Taylor , would drop in two locations just north of XXX Corps to take
Peel-Raam Line - Misplaced Pages Continue
2772-772: The liberation Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the German-occupied Netherlands from 17 to 25 September 1944. Its objective was to create a 64 mi (103 km) salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the Nederrijn (Lower Rhine River), creating an Allied invasion route into northern Germany. This was to be achieved by two sub-operations: seizing nine bridges with combined US and British airborne forces ("Market") followed by British land forces swiftly following over
2838-468: The need to prepare for the first drop by bombarding German flak positions for half a day and a weather forecast on the afternoon of 16 September (which soon proved erroneous) that the area would have clear conditions for four days, so allowing drops during them. After one week preparations were declared complete. The planning and training for the airborne drops at Sicily and Normandy had taken months. One United States Air Force historian noted that 'Market'
2904-426: The number of troops that could be delivered per hour. The time required to assemble airborne units on the drop zone after landing would be reduced by two-thirds. IX Troop Carrier Command's transport aircraft had to tow gliders and drop paratroopers, duties that could not be performed simultaneously. Although every division commander requested two drops on the first day, Brereton's staff scheduled only one lift based on
2970-580: The port of Antwerp a top priority and Antwerp was not used by allied supply ships until 28 November after the Battle of the Scheldt . The allied failure to win access quickly to the port of Antwerp has been called "one of the greatest tactical mistakes of the war". Winston Churchill later acknowledged that "clearing the Scheldt Estuary and opening the port of Antwerp had been delayed for the sake of
3036-423: The route, capturing the road bridge at Arnhem and the rail bridge at Oosterbeek . The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division would be flown to the captured Deelen Airfield on D+5. The First Allied Airborne Army had been created on 16 August as the result of British requests for a coordinated headquarters for airborne operations, a concept approved by General Eisenhower on 20 June. The British had strongly hinted that
3102-438: The situation seemed dire, the German front was starting to form into what Robert Kershaw terms "a crust". Leadership, initiative, and a good staff system were beginning to create an organised push-back out of the initial chaos. On 4 September, the 719th infantry division began to dig in along the Albert Canal and was soon joined by forces under the command of Lieutenant General Kurt Chill . Although Chill only officially commanded
3168-422: The situation was beginning to change. Some 65,000 troops of the German Fifteenth Army were extricated from the area with 225 guns and 750 trucks by a flotilla of commandeered freighters, barges and small boats. From there they moved to the Netherlands. Adolf Hitler began to take a personal interest in the apparent disintegration of Army Group B , which comprised the German armies in northern France, Belgium, and
3234-415: The south before they reached the Rhine. The British 1st Airborne Division was unable to secure the bridge and was withdrawn from the north side of the Rhine after suffering 8,000 dead, missing, and captured out of a complement of 12,000 men. When the retreat order came there were not enough boats to get everyone back across the river. The Germans subsequently rounded up most of those left behind, but some of
3300-401: The south end of the 101st Airborne Division's area on the first day, the 82nd's by the second day and the 1st's by the fourth day at the latest. The airborne divisions would then join XXX Corps in the breakout from the Arnhem bridgehead. Four days was a long time for an airborne force to fight unsupported. Even so, before Operation Market Garden started it seemed to the Allied high command that
3366-607: The swamps, rivers and canals in the area. In the north, an artificial barrier was made, the Defensiekanaal, which was a canal. The line was made of casemates (200 m apart) and barbwire obstructions. The railway bridge on the Defensiekanaal near Mill, also had a spargel-obstruction (precursor of the Rommelspargel which the German Army used from 1943 onwards). On the first day of the German invasion, 10 May 1940,
SECTION 50
#17327656081863432-409: The task of responding to competing demands for fuel and other supplies for the armies under his command. There was no shortage of fuel in the makeshift ports in Normandy; the difficulty lay in transporting sufficient quantities from Normandy to the armies in Belgium and northern France. Most arrived at the front in five gallon jerry cans after being transported hundreds of kilometres by trucks, known as
3498-412: The terrain until the land forces arrived. The land forces consisted of ten armoured and motorised brigades with a similar number of soldiers. The land forces advanced from the south along a single road surrounded by flood plain on both sides. The plan anticipated that they would cover the 103 km (64 miles) from their start to the bridge across the Rhine in 48 hours. About 100,000 German soldiers were in
3564-598: The time of Operation Market Garden, the 10th SS Panzer Division had an approximate strength of 3,000 men; an armoured infantry regiment, divisional reconnaissance battalion, two artillery battalions, and an engineer battalion, all partially motorised. However, Bittrich said after the war that he only had five tanks at Arnhem. Other formations were appearing to strengthen the German defences. Between 16 and 17 September, two infantry divisions from Fifteenth Army assembled in Brabant, under strength but well-equipped and able to act as
3630-444: The two divisions to rest and refit in "safe" areas behind the new German line; these areas coincidentally were to be Eindhoven and Arnhem. The 10th SS Panzer Division was to be restored to full strength in order to provide an armoured reserve and thus the 9th SS Panzer Division was ordered to transfer all of its heavy equipment to its sister division; it was intended that the 9th would then be transported to Germany for replenishment. At
3696-425: The vicinity to oppose the allied offensive. It was the largest airborne operation of the war up to that point. The operation succeeded in capturing the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen along with many towns, and a few V-2 rocket launching sites. It failed in its most important objective; securing the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem . The Germans slowed and then halted the armoured brigades advancing from
3762-445: Was Montgomery's language that Eisenhower reached out, patted Montgomery's knee, and said, "Steady, Monty! You can't talk to me like that. I'm your boss." Eisenhower allegedly told Montgomery why a "single thrust" toward Berlin was not feasible: What you're proposing is this – if I give you all the supplies you want, you could go straight to Berlin – right straight (500 miles) to Berlin? Monty, you're nuts. You can't do it... If you try
3828-489: Was abolished and a part thereof, the parish Gassel , was also added to the municipality Grave. Near to Grave lies a bridge, now called John S. Thompsonbrug , built in 1929. It is the northern connection to Gelderland , spanning the river Maas . The bridge was one of the key strategic points in Operation Market Garden ; the city was liberated at 17 September 1944, suffering very little damage. The bridge
3894-561: Was also under pressure from the United States to use the First Allied Airborne Army as soon as possible. After Normandy, most of the airborne forces had been withdrawn to England, re-forming into the First Allied Airborne Army of two British and three US airborne divisions and the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade. Eighteen airborne operations had been proposed, then cancelled, when the rapidly moving Allied ground forces overran
3960-561: Was for airborne forces to seize bridges across all these obstacles nearly simultaneously – any failure to do so would result in delay or defeat. In case bridges were demolished by the Germans, XXX Corps had plans to rebuild them. To this end, a vast quantity of bridging material was collected, along with 2,300 vehicles to carry it and 9,000 engineers to assemble it. Although the area is generally flat with less than 30 feet (9 m) of variation in altitude, Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks , commander of XXX Corps, recalled that "The country
4026-460: Was formed in the Napoleonic era (1810) and coincided with the fortified Grave and immediate surroundings. The history of the town was thus linked to that of the place. This changed in 1942. Then there was a reclassification place where the municipality Grave was expanded with the previously independent municipalities Velp and Escharen . Moreover, in 1994 the neighboring municipality of Beers
SECTION 60
#17327656081864092-426: Was named by Eisenhower on 16 July and appointed by SHAEF on 2 August. Brereton had no experience in airborne operations but had extensive command experience at the air force level in several theaters, most recently as commander of Ninth Air Force , which gave him a working knowledge of the operations of IX Troop Carrier Command . Market would be the largest airborne operation in history, delivering over 34,600 men of
4158-654: Was named in 2004 after Lieutenant John S. Thompson of the US Army 's 82nd Airborne Division , who commanded the platoon of the 82nd Airborne Division that captured the bridge. The Hampoort is the old entrance to the city, and it is still largely intact and can be visited. Operation Market Garden 1st Parachute Army [REDACTED] 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" 4,600 combined allied aircraft Luxembourg The Netherlands Belgium France Britain 1941–1943 1944–1945 Germany Strategic campaigns Chronology of
4224-402: Was on a dark moon and in the days following it the new moon set before dark. Allied airborne doctrine prohibited big operations in the absence of all light, so the operation would have to be carried out in daylight. The risk of Luftwaffe interception was judged small, given the crushing air superiority of Allied fighters but there were concerns about the increasing number of flak units in
4290-437: Was the only large airborne operation of the war in which the USAAF "had no training program, no rehearsals, almost no exercises, and a... low level of tactical training." Gavin had doubts about the plan. In his diary he wrote, "It looks very rough. If I get through this one I will be very lucky." He was also highly critical of Browning, writing that he "... unquestionably lacks the standing, influence and judgment that comes from
4356-521: Was wooded and rather marshy, which made any outflanking operation impossible." Two important hill areas, 300 feet (90 m) high, were some of the highest ground in the Netherlands: one northwest of Arnhem and one in the 82nd Airborne Division's zone, the Groesbeek ridge. Seizure and defence of this elevated terrain was considered vital to holding the highway bridges. In August 1944, following
#185814