September 22nd, 1944, 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade

Link up with XXX Corps

At 01:00 hours, a Royal Engineers officer from the 1^st Airborne Division arrives with information about the crossing area and reports that one raft is almost completed. By 02:00 hours, the Brigade Group reaches the new crossing area, prepared for the operation.

By 03:00, Major-General Sosabowski realises that a crossing attempt in the dark would be impossible, and trying to cross in daylight would result in heavy casualties. He returns to headquarters and calls in his Deputy Brigade Commander, Colonel Jachnik. He orders Jachnik and the 3^rd Parachute Battalion to remain on watch and attempt a crossing if the rafts appear. However, for the rest of the brigade, Sosabowski decides it is too risky to stay and orders them to move to Driel, where they will regroup and dig in.

By 05:30 hours, the 1^st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade starts arriving in Driel. Tasks are quickly assigned: the 2^nd Parachute Battalion is to establish defensive positions as planned, Engineer Company, Anti-Tank Battery, and Brigade Headquarters will occupy defensive positions within the perimeter.

At Dawn, Colonel Jachnik and the 3^rd Parachute Battalion reports to Major-General Sosabowski that the expected rafts have not arrived, and there has been no sign of British forces on the northern side of the river. The Germans, positioned on higher ground across the river, have a clear view of the Polish trenches. With the arrival of daylight, German shelling begins, resulting in the death of Lieutenant Slesicki and injuring several civilians. Despite efforts by Sosabowski to persuade the civilians to seek safety in cellars and evacuate the area, many refuse to leave. The 3^rd Parachute Battalion is also tasked with establishing two advanced strongpoints. The local villagers, stirred by the activity, offer shovels and tools to help the soldiers fortify their positions. The overall mission for the 1^st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade is static defence, set up in all directions in a “hedgehog” formation.

Sosabowski instructs his troops to rest as much as possible, anticipating a long night of action ahead. Meanwhile, at Brigade Headquarters, there is little opportunity for rest. Local civilians provide useful intelligence about the German positions and patrol movements. Sosabowski learns that although the Germans do not permanently occupy the Heteren area, they regularly send strong patrols across the river from Heelsum and Renkum.

At 08:45 hours, a reconnaissance platoon, consisting of three Daimler Dingo scout cars from the Household Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant R. Wrottesley, navigate through country lanes and reaches Driel. Their wireless equipment allows Sosabowski to establish communication with General Horrocks’ headquarters, delivering a detailed report on the brigade’s situation.

From 10:00 hours throughout the day and into the night, repeated enemy attacks are launched from the southeast and west, supported by Armoured Fighting Vehicles, attempting to break into the Brigade Group’s defensive positions. The enemy force is estimated to be around one infantry battalion in strength.

To gather more information, Sosabowski orders several reconnaissance patrols. At 10:00 hours, A patrol heads towards Elst, aiming to bypass the enemy and make contact with XXX Corps to relay the brigade’s position. The Elst patrol confirms earlier reports from Miss Baltussen that British troops are being sheltered by civilians in the village. The brigade later brings these troops into its defensive perimeter. The patrol returns later that night and confirms the presence of enemy troops in the area. Additionally, Sosabowski sends Lieutenant Detko on a solo motorcycle mission to reach Nijmegen. Detko navigates through enemy lines, despite encountering German forces, and successfully reaches the 43^rd (Wessex) Infantry Division to deliver vital information to General Thomas.

By 11:00 hours, a stronger reconnaissance detachment, is dispatched. Captain Wardzala leads one company-sized patrol towards the village of Elden and the Arnhem bridges, tasked with gathering intelligence and, if possible, capturing a prisoner. Later that day, Captain Wardzala’s patrol returns with a German prisoner and two downed British airmen. They report that the Arnhem bridges have been destroyed, and the approaches are heavily defended by German fortifications. Though Wardzala’s men had attempted an ambush on a German patrol, they were ambushed themselves and narrowly escaped with the prisoner.

At 11:30 hours, another reconnaissance detachment is sent along the Driel-Vogelzang axis towards the road fork there to observe enemy positions as far north as possible and scout for the enemy at Elden. This detachment, made up of the para lift from the Anti-Tank Battery, confirms that the area east of the railway line is heavily fortified by the enemy. They capture one enemy officer and bring back one Royal Air Force Non-Commisioned Officer and two soldiers from the 1^st Airborne Division.

Throughout the day, the Germans intensify their artillery and mortar fire on the Polish positions. Any movement by the troops triggers an immediate German response, teaching them valuable lessons in caution and fieldcraft. Sosabowski personally inspects various units, ensuring that defensive preparations are underway, while enduring enemy fire from both the north and southeast. The brigade’s supply unit, which is still retrieving equipment from the landing zones, faces sporadic harassment from enemy forces.

With limited time and a large area to cover, Sosabowski borrows a bicycle from outside Brigade Headquarters and cycles to the western sector. The sight of their general on a bicycle in the midst of battle amuses the men, but the method allows him to move quickly between units.

At 20:00 hours, in the western positions, Sosabowski inspects the defences and anti-tank measures. As he confers with the Company Commander, they spot a group of three tanks approaching from the west. With the Germans able to see the tanks clearly but not firing upon them, the assumption is made that the tanks are enemy. The Company Commander holds fire, expecting them to drive over the anti-tank mines. However, as the tanks approach, Sosabowski notices they bear British markings. The tanks are advanced elements of the 130^th Infantry Brigade arrive in Driel, including, a small contingent of Sherman tanks from the 4^th/7^th Royal Dragoon Guards, accompanied by infantry from the 5^th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in Bren gun carriers, also arrive in Driel. The tanks are halted just in time, preventing them from setting off the mines.

Shortly afterwards, Sosabowski receives a wireless message informing him that the supply unit has been forced to withdraw under heavy enemy fire. Reports from other units indicate that the Germans are preparing for an attack on the brigade. The intensity of artillery and machine-gun fire increases, with Sosabowski’s farmhouse headquarters shaking from the explosions. As German forces move closer, Sosabowski heads outside, equipped with his helmet, to assess the situation.

However, reports soon come in that enemy tanks have breached the defensive lines in the southwest. Sosabowski turns to the captain of the British tanks, explaining the emergency and requesting assistance. Though the captain’s mission is reconnaissance, he agrees to support the brigade. Sosabowski mounts his bicycle once more and leads the tank forward to the frontlines, with the troops watching in amusement as their general cycles ahead of the armoured vehicle. The tank is positioned in time, and its gunfire helps bolster the Polish defences, forcing the Germans to withdraw. Later on, the tanks also damage a German steamer and sink three German barges on the Neder Rijn, disrupting German supply lines and river operations.

Although this marks a near connection between the ground forces and the airborne troops, the position at Driel remains precarious. The troops are situated at the end of a long, vulnerable corridor that is difficult to defend and can easily be severed.

German Reaction to the Landing of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade

The landing of the 1^st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade at Driel one day earlier makes the Germans to reassess their troop dispositions. Concerned that the newly arrived Polish forces might cut off the main road to Nijmegen, thereby trapping the 10. SS-Panzerdivision “Frundsberg”, or even attempt to retake Arnhem Bridge, the Germans divert approximately 2,400 soldiers who would have otherwise been committed to the battle at the perimeter of the 1^st Airborne Division at Oosterbeek. These troops are relocated south of the Rhine to form a blocking line, known as Sperrverband Harzer, to counter a move that ultimately never occurs. Despite this seemingly defensive stance on the southern side of the Rhine, the Polish Brigade endures heavy attacks throughout Friday. Their positions are first subjected to intense mortar fire, followed by infantry assaults supported by tanks. Some outlying positions are briefly overrun, but the Poles hold firm and successfully repel the German advance, maintaining control of Driel.

Return of Captain Zwolanki

Captain Zwolanski returns within the perimeter of the 1^st Airborne Division, at dawn, tired but in good spirits, dressed in Dutch civilian clothes after successfully re-crossing the river by boat with a British Royal Engineers officer. He mentions that the swim across the frigid river was challenging, and that he came under fire from the Germans during the crossing. He reports that he located the Brigade near the ferry and briefed the General, but reveals that only two battalions are accounted for, with the rest unlocated. The Brigade is heavily engaged with the Germans, who are pressing hard, while the Brigade counter-attacks. They plan to search for a way to cross the river today and attempt to cross tonight.

Contact with the 1st Airborne Division

During the early morning, Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie and Lieutenant Colonel Myers cross the Rhine in a rubber boat to join the Polish Brigade, arriving under heavy enemy fire intended to prevent the Poles from advancing towards the Arnhem Road bridge. Before reaching Driel, they witness the first direct contact between XXX Corps and the 1^st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade when the three scout cars from the Household Cavalry, arrive.

Once in Driel, Mackenzie and Myers use the Household Cavalry’s radios to contact Lieutenant General Horrocks at XXX Corps Headquarters, relaying Urquhart’s urgent request for immediate reinforcements and supplies. Recognising the critical situation, Horrocks orders units from the 43^rd (Wessex) Infantry Division to move to the Rhine with amphibious DUKW’s. However, the route to Driel is soon cut off again by enemy forces, complicating the operation.

Crossing the Rhine

Mackenzie now approaches Sosabowski with urgent orders from Major General Urquhart. It is crucial to ferry Polish troops across the river to reinforce the perimeter’s defences before they are overrun. “Even a few men could make the difference,” Mackenzie emphasises. He mentions that the airborne forces have several two-man rubber dinghies, which could potentially be used for the crossing. Sosabowski agrees and plans to initiate the operation at nightfall, hoping that the DUKW’s from the 43^rd (Wessex) Infantry Division might arrive by then to assist.

Meanwhile, the 43^rd (Wessex) Infantry Division is struggling to make progress. The 129^th Infantry Brigade is attempting to advance along the Nijmegen–Arnhem road alongside the Guards Division, while the 214^th Infantry Brigade is trying to push forward along minor roads to the west. Both brigades encounter strong resistance from well-equipped German forces supported by armour, making progress slow and requiring well-coordinated, set-piece attacks.

Brigadier Essame, commanding the 214^th Infantry Brigade, decides to send a flying column from Lieutenant Colonel Taylor’s 5^th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry alongside roads in an attempt to reach the river. The column includes the two DUKW’s loaded with supplies, which they hope to use to ferry Sosabowski’s brigade across.

The journey undertaken by Taylor’s group proves hazardous, but they eventually reach the river after confronting and dealing with two Tiger tanks along the way. With the DUKW’s now at Driel, there is finally a means to ferry Sosabowski’s brigade across the river. However, finding a suitable launching site proves challenging. To make matters worse, rain begins to fall, turning the ground near the river into mud, which immobilises the heavy vehicles. Despite strenuous efforts to push them towards the river, the DUKW’s slide into ditches and become hopelessly bogged down. All attempts to free them fail.

With the amphibious DUKW’s rendered inoperative, the Poles are forced to resort to using the rubber dinghies send over by the 1^st Airborne Division, ferrying two men at a time across the 400-metre-wide river.

1st Airborne Division’s preparations for the Polish crossing

Meanwhile, around noon, in Oosterbeek, Captain Harry Faulkner-Brown, commander of No. 3 Troop, 4^th Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers, is ordered to report to Lieutenant Colonel E. Myers, Commander of Royal Engineers, at the Hartenstein Hotel. Upon arrival, Captain Faulkner-Brown is instructed to take a portion of his troop and begin ferrying Polish soldiers across the river. Faulkner-Brown is ordered to collect two-man inflatable dinghies, known as recce boats, from a location south of the Hartenstein. The operation is to be carried out under the cover of darkness, with the aim of transporting up to 200 Polish reinforcements. In the early afternoon, Captain Faulkner-Brown sets out in a jeep to retrieve the boats. At the designated location, a single-story timber building, he finds that it is being used to shelter lightly wounded soldiers. With the help of a Non-Commissioned Officer, he locates six recce boats and one large Royal Air Force dinghy, possibly from a crashed aircraft. After loading the boats onto the jeep, Captain Faulkner-Brown is offered a cup of tea by a well-dressed padre. During their conversation, a mortar bomb explodes nearby, and a large splinter fatally injures the padre.

As dusk falls, Captain Faulkner-Brown selects twelve sappers to accompany him. They load the boats, along with tracing tapes, signal cables, and a wireless set connected to Divisional Headquarters, onto two jeeps and head out. Upon reaching the church near the river, they cross the polder and encounter an anti-flooding dyke about 1.2 metres high, beyond which lies the river. The shoreline, sheltered by stone groynes extending about 45 metres into the water, is deemed suitable for loading and unloading.

In the evening, British Lieutenant Maclean of the Glider Pilot Regiment approaches the Polish Advanced Liasson Party under command of Captain Zwolanski with a question about the night crossing to bring the Polish soldiers over to the Division’s positions. When informed that the operation is set to begin around ten o’clock, Maclean expresses his eagerness to join, along with his fellow glider pilots. Their offer of assistance is enthusiastically accepted.

Captain Zwolanski and Lieutenant Maclean quickly collaborated to develop a detailed plan, covering where to establish posts along the riverbank, how to navigate across the meadow, and the route the force would take from Oosterbeek to their positions.

As the group sets out, they pick up the glider pilots along the way. Maclean locates one of his teams in the forest, and they moved ahead into the darkness. The group gathers additional teams and sends them ahead to the river before following themselves.

As they advanced, the roar and whistle of shells passing overhead became the loudest they had experienced in Arnhem. Although the shells were landing at a considerable distance, perhaps a mile or more ahead, their explosions were so powerful that the group instinctively ducked with each passing shell, unnerved by the intensity.

The sound indicated the presence of heavy artillery, a development that caused great concern. While the troops could withstand mortar and light artillery fire, the prospect of heavy artillery posed a severe threat. A single shell could devastate the hotel at Hartenstein and obliterate the trenches, highlighting the precariousness of their situation.

At the same time, Captain Faulkner-Brown sets up a defensive position on the shore and rows across the Rhine to establish contact with the Polish forces. On the far side, he is greeted by a group of Polish soldiers and discusses the plan to attach signal cables to the dinghies to facilitate the crossing. However, the first attempt fails when the cable snaps due to the strong current. Recognising the limitations of the signal cable, Captain Faulkner-Brown decides that the dinghies must be rowed manually, with only one passenger at a time.

The first group of soldiers from the Polish Brigade reports briefly that they are under heavy fire and waiting to cross the river. Despite facing ground fire during the landing, they manage to catch the Germans by surprise. The new arrivals are eager to learn about the situation on the northern bank, but there is little time for detailed explanations.

An hour later, the Polish Advanced Liasson Party begins heading towards the river to collect the Polish soldiers that are crossing it. Rain is falling, and mud clings to their boots as they carefully move through the vegetable plots. Captain Mackowiak leads the way quietly, with 2^nd Lieutenant Majewski following. The group enters the riverside meadow, now part of “No Man’s Land,” where the cover of night provides some concealment.

The night, however, is not as dark as expected. The suburb of Arnhem is burning brightly, and the village of Driel on the opposite bank is also ablaze, where the Polish Brigade is positioned. The flames cast a red light across the meadow and river, revealing large, indistinct shapes moving ahead. The sound of cows, disturbed by the shelling, adds to the atmosphere.

The group passes a hedge and descends into marshy ground before reaching the riverbank, where they take cover behind a stone embankment. Captain Mackowiak identifies German machine-gun positions about 270 metres to the left and others about 800 metres to the right. He instructs the group to remain quiet and hidden to ensure the Polish troops can cross undetected.

As the officers move on, artillery shells continue to pass overhead between the southern and northern banks. The fires illuminate the area, and the dark shape of a dinghy becomes visible as it approaches the bank. The dinghy moves cautiously, its oars dipping silently into the water, reflecting the light from the flames.

Suddenly, a German machine gun fires a burst of tracer rounds, followed by an orange flare. The night brightens, but it becomes clear that the crossing has not been detected. The dinghy reaches the shore, and six Polish soldiers quietly disembark.

Lieutenant David Storrs, a Field Engineer from the Commander of Royal Engineers, joins the operation and, with great determination and physical effort, rows back and forth across the river twenty-three times, ferrying one Polish soldier on each trip. Despite their best efforts, only about forty to fifty Poles are successfully transported across. Frustration mounts as the Polish liaison officer continues to complain about the slow progress, leading Captain Faulkner-Brown to firmly order him to leave.

As more Polish soldiers arrive on the north side of the River Rhine, they quietly move along the embankment back to the meadow. A machine gun fires behind them, but the increasing rain provides cover as the group moves quickly. Despite the challenges, the reinforcements gather with a sense of purpose. The group reaches the artillery positions, where a guard directs the Polish soldiers to the church to await further instructions. Inside the darkened church, the distant fires cast a crimson light through the windows, illuminating the high altar. The atmosphere in the church is focused on the task at hand and the mission ahead.

Once complete, the group forms up in lines along the road and sets off. Captain Zwolanski explains that the reinforcements are needed at the Airlanding Brigade’s positions, where a counterattack is planned for the following day to address the advancing Germans.

By 04:00, the ferrying operation is halted, likely due to German interference and the exhaustion of the men. While accounting for his troops near the church, Captain Faulkner-Brown realises that Lance Corporal Flannery remains on the south bank. He, and one sapper quickly row back across the river to retrieve Flannery, who is safely brought back without incident. Between fifty and sixty Polish soldiers of the 8^th Parachute Company, 3^rd Parachute Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Smaczny make it across the river. Too few to make a difference.

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