After the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, the Allied troops made a quick advance towards Germany.
The supply troops could not keep up with the troops on the front line causing the advance to a halt.
A new frontline was formed in Belgium and France.
To avoid the Siegfried Line, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery planned an operation in which Allied forces would occupy several bridges in the Netherlands between Eindhoven and Arnhem.
If this mission succeeded, the road to Germany would be open.
Operation Market Garden started on September 17th 1944 and ended in the morning of September 26th.
In the end, Operation Market Garden failed due to a combination of factors: a lack of airlift to transport the British 1st Airborne Division and the Polish Brigade on the first day, poorly chosen drop and landing zones for the troops that were too far from the Arnhem bridge over the Rhine, an unrealistic timetable for their relief by XXX Corps, and above all, intense German opposition by the disregarded presence of SS armoured forces in the Arnhem area.

In the area around Arnhem more than ten thousand men of the British 1st Airborne Division and the Glider Pilot Regiment landed north of the Lower Rhine, whilst the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade landed on its southern banks in order to capture the Arnhem Road Bridge.
Over 700 men under the command of John Dutton Frost did manage to reach the bridge and held its northern ramp for 4 days, but the bulk of the British forces were engaged by superior German forces (including the II SS Panzer Corps) and became trapped in Oosterbeek.
Major General Roy Urquhart chose ‘Hartenstein’ as his headquarters.
After holding out north of the Rhine for nine days, the division had to be withdrawn, although just over 2,000 of the 10,000 men who had landed reached the Poles south of the river.
The Allied troops lost the Battle of Arnhem and ‘Hartenstein’ was left in a heavily damaged condition.
After the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, the Allied troops made a quick advance towards Germany. The supply troops could not keep up with the troops on the front line causing the advance to a halt. A new frontline was formed in Belgium and France. To avoid the Siegfried Line, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery planned an operation in which Allied forces would occupy several bridges in the Netherlands between Eindhoven and Arnhem. If this mission succeeded, the road to Germany would be open. Operation Market Garden started on September 17th 1944 and ended in the morning of September 26th. In the end, Operation Market Garden failed due to a combination of factors: a lack of airlift to transport the British 1st Airborne Division and the Polish Brigade on the first day, poorly chosen drop and landing zones for the troops that were too far from the Arnhem bridge over the Rhine, an unrealistic timetable for their relief by XXX Corps, and above all, intense German opposition by the disregarded presence of SS armoured forces in the Arnhem area.
In the area around Arnhem more than ten thousand men of the British 1st Airborne Division and the Glider Pilot Regiment landed north of the Lower Rhine, whilst the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade landed on its southern banks in order to capture the Arnhem Road Bridge. Over 700 men under the command of John Dutton Frost did manage to reach the bridge and held its northern ramp for 4 days, but the bulk of the British forces were engaged by superior German forces (including the II SS Panzer Corps) and became trapped in Oosterbeek. Major General Roy Urquhart chose ‘Hartenstein’ as his headquarters. After holding out north of the Rhine for nine days, the division had to be withdrawn, although just over 2,000 of the 10,000 men who had landed reached the Poles south of the river. The Allied troops lost the Battle of Arnhem and ‘Hartenstein’ was left in a heavily damaged condition.
Airborne Museum 'Hartenstein'