Black Friday

Six days into Operation Market Garden and the situation was still chaotic for both Allied and German commands alike. Hell's Highway, a long narrow strip of road, was the only lifeline supplying the beleaguered American and British paratroopers. Knowing its …

1944-09-24

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Six days into Operation Market Garden and the situation was still chaotic for both Allied and German commands alike. Hell's Highway, a long narrow strip of road, was the only lifeline supplying the beleaguered American and British paratroopers. Knowing its importance, the Germans had made several attempts to cut this vital artery—but with little success. But, today would be different. At around 1600 hours, Kampfgruppe Jungwirth, consisting of elements from the 6th FJD and Jagdpanthers from the 559th Schw.PzJg.Abt struck. They quickly destroyed an Allied supply column and cut the “highway”. Shortly after, in the Logtenburg forest, the Germans began digging in while the Jagdpanthers patrolled the road. It would be a Black Friday for the Allies.

Son, Holland

Operation Market Garden was a failed World War II military operation fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 25 September 1944. It was the brainchild of Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery and strongly supported by Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. The airborne part of the operation was undertaken by the First Allied Airborne Army with the land operation by XXX Corps of the British Second Army. The objective was to create a 64 mi (103 km) salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, creating an Allied invasion route into northern Germany. This was to be achieved by seizing a series of nine bridges by Airborne forces with land forces swiftly following over the bridges. The operation succeeded in liberating the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen along with many towns, creating a 60 mi (97 km) salient into German-held territory limiting V-2 rocket launching sites. It failed, however, to secure a bridgehead over the Rhine, with the advance being halted at the river.

Wikipedia: Operation Market Garden

American

German