Arnhem Airborne Assault - Operation Market Garden Poster - 31 ½” x 21 ¾”

Product Info:

This WW2 poster is 31 ½” x 21 ¾” (80cm x 55cm) and printed on carbon balanced FSC silk 250 gsm paper.

Simon's graphic portrayal depicts a scene on the first day of Operation Market Garden - the Allied military operation fought in the German-occupied Netherlands from 17th to 27th September 1944. Early in the afternoon, glider borne infantry from the British 1st Air Landing Brigade successfully secure ‘DZ-X’, the drop-zone on Renkum Heath several miles to the west of Arnhem. Overhead paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Brigade begin their drop from USAAF C-47s.

Historical Context:

In September 1944, despite Allied optimism in France, the stretched supply line prompted Field Marshal Montgomery to propose a concentrated push into the Netherlands, aiming to turn the German flank. Eisenhower disagreed, opting for a broader advance to the Rhine. As a compromise, he allocated Montgomery the First Allied Airborne Army for Operation Market Garden, intending to seize key bridges in the Netherlands.

The operation began on September 17, with the US 101st and 82nd Airborne securing their objectives and linking up with XXX Corps. However, at Arnhem, the British 1st Airborne faced mounting resistance from two SS Panzer Divisions due to intelligence lapses and logistical challenges. Despite initial success in seizing the bridge, the British forces endured four days of fierce fighting and heavy casualties.

Reinforcements, the Polish Parachute Brigade, faced difficulties on the south bank of the Rhine, slowing XXX Corps' advance. Short of supplies and ammunition, the remnants of the British 1st Airborne were trapped in a shrinking defensive pocket, and by the time XXX Corps arrived, only a fraction could withdraw. Nearly 1,500 were killed, and over 6,500, including wounded, became prisoners of war, marking the costly failure of Operation Market Garden.