Battle of Arnhem: 75th Anniversary

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, an unsuccessful Allied operation during the Second World War. The objective of the operation was to capture river and canal crossings in the German-occupied Netherlands and establish a route into Germany.

The operation ran from 17–25 September 1944, and involved over 35,000 Allied parachute and glider troops landing behind enemy lines. This was the largest airborne operation attempted up to that point during the Second World War. Allied ground forces also advanced into the occupied Netherlands, in a coordinated fashion, in an attempt to secure the crossings once they had been captured. The furthest from the frontline were the road and rail crossings at the city of Arnhem. The Battle of Arnhem saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war. The Allied forces were eventually defeated at Arnhem following heavy losses.

This briefing provides an overview of what took place during Operation Market Garden. It also provides details of the commemorative events taking place to mark this anniversary.