September 26th, 1944, 1st Airborne Division

Operation Berlin

The rainy, dark night helps conceal the retreat, but many British soldiers struggle to navigate the terrain. The distance to the riverbank is short, but the route is fraught with danger. The journey is perilous, and several soldiers lose their lives along the way. They navigate through fields and hedges under the threat of German machine-gun fire. German patrols, isolated positions, and the lack of physical links between British positions make the journey perilous. The columns move slowly, relying on glider pilots stationed at key points to guide them. Reaching the assembly point at the Oude Kerk in Oosterbeek proves difficult, with some units taking over three hours to cover the distance. Some groups, however, lose their way in the darkness.

Upon arriving at the church, each group of soldiers is instructed to wait until called forward for the crossing. The Allies have assembled a fleet of 21 wooden storm boats, each equipped with an outboard motor, as well as 10 canvas assault boats and a few small rubber craft.

Progress is slow, further hampered by waterlogged outboard motors that force soldiers to paddle with their hands or rifle butts. Some airborne troops, growing impatient or fearing they will not be rescued before dawn, attempt to swim across the Rhine. Many of them, weakened by exhaustion and carrying their weapons, drown in the strong current.

Despite these setbacks, Operation Berlin proceeds relatively smoothly for several hours. Eventually, the Germans realise that crossings are occurring, but they mistakenly believe the boats are bringing in reinforcements rather than evacuating troops. In response, they begin firing on the boats and shelling likely assembly points on the southern bank of the Rhine. Despite this increased pressure, the sappers continue their work, though both enemy action and mechanical issues gradually reduce the number of operational boats.

The exact number of crossings and the total number of troops evacuated are difficult to determine due to the conditions. Paper records disintegrate in the rain, and visibility is limited, making it impossible to keep an accurate count. However, it is estimated that approximately 150 boatloads are brought back by stormboat crews, with an average of sixteen passengers per trip, resulting in the evacuation of about 2,400 to 2,500 troops. The maximum load carried in one trip is thirty-six men, while the minimum is six. Despite the chaos and danger, the personnel involved perform admirably, with several individuals noted for their exceptional contributions.

By 01:30 hours, most of the glider pilots, tasked with guarding prisoners, are withdrawn and ferried across the river. At 04:15 hours, the Commander Royal Engineer of the 43^rd Infantry Division orders the cessation of the evacuation operation. It has become clear that any further attempts to rescue men would be too dangerous, posing a suicidal risk to the boat crews.

Following this decision, the two field companies, along with attached troops, retreats to the off-loading area and embarks on their journey back to the advanced harbour area at Valburg. Lieutenant Aspler and his team have breakfast prepared and take responsibility for feeding not only the company’s personnel but also many of the returned Airborne troops.

Meanwhile, the positions at the perimeter are largely manned by Polish soldiers and troops from the 4^th Battalion, the Dorset Regiment. According to British military protocol, the soldiers who had arrived last to reinforce the perimeter, are tasked with covering the retreat. A small contingent of Military Police also remains behind, guarding approximately two hundred German prisoners of war who have been detained on the tennis courts at Hotel Hartenstein. To prevent these prisoners from escaping and alerting German forces of the British withdrawal, they are held until dawn.

As dawn approaches, not all of the British troops have made it to the south bank, causing anxiety and panic among those still waiting to cross. Fearing they will be left behind, stormed the boats, causing some to capsize.

At 05:45, with daylight making further crossings too dangerous, the order is given to halt the evacuation. However, Lieutenant Russell Kennedy of the Royal Engineers disobeys and makes two more crossings. On his first trip, five soldiers are injured, and on the second, fatalities are high, with few men reaching the other side unharmed.

The final troops guarding the perimeter evacuate just before dawn, including the Polish forces covering the retreat. Polish Corporal Boleslaw Kuzniar describes the grim scene as they make their way to the Rhine: “We passed a fallen tree on the way. There were the bodies of about thirty British soldiers. They must have been so exhausted that they didn’t realize crossing open ground made them easy targets for German machine guns. It was a terrible sight.”

By the time the Polish soldiers reach the river, it is daylight, and the evacuation has already ceased. Some attempt to swim across, but most remain behind, ultimately captured by the Germans later that morning. Many choose to swim, stripping off their uniforms to make the crossing easier, and most succeed in reaching the southern bank. Unfortunately, the strong currents sweep some men downstream, where they are either captured by German patrols or drown. It is estimated that 95 airborne soldiers die during the evacuation, and around 300 men, possibly fewer, are left on the northern bank and taken prisoner.

Royal Engineer, Lieutenant Cronyn was assigned to stay behind, when the evacuation seized, at the off-loading area to gather any stragglers who might arrive after the main body has departed. He remains on site until 10:30 hours, but none of those previously reported missing turn up, and there is little expectation of anyone appearing until darkness falls again.

No forward facilities are available for the care of the wounded beyond the Regimental Aid Posts set up by the 260^th Field Company and the 23^rd Canadian Field Company. Many of the rescued troops are wounded, and the Regimental Aid Posts treat sixty-nine stretcher cases and over one hundred walking wounded. The care of these casualties places a significant strain on manpower, preventing adequate relief for the boat crews and carrying parties. The Canadians lose seven men killed and four wounded, while the British sappers of the 260^th Field Company, who paddle the slower assault boats, suffer no serious casualties but become increasingly exhausted.

German Response to the Evacuation

In the early hours Field Marshal Walter Model contacts General Wilhelm Bittrich, the German commander leading the offensive against the British perimeter. Model demands to know when the battle will conclude. Bittrich responds that his forces had exerted maximum effort the day before, throwing everything they had at the British defences. At this moment, both German commanders remain unaware that the British have already begun their retreat.

During the phone call, a motorcycle courier arrives to inform Bittrich that the British airborne forces have started their evacuation overnight. Hearing this, Model expresses relief: “Thank God,” he says. As dawn breaks, an eerie calm settles over the battlefield. After days of relentless bombardment and fighting, Oosterbeek is unusually quiet. Local residents awaken to the absence of gunfire, something they have not experienced for over a week.

Cautiously, German soldiers enter what had been the British defensive perimeter. They find several hundred British soldiers, particularly around the Oude Kerk in Oosterbeek. The British evacuation across the Rhine had been halted after sunrise due to heavy losses sustained during the attempted crossing under daylight. Some British troops, desperate to reach safety, try to swim across the river, but many are swept away by the strong current, while others are killed by German shellfire. Only a small number manage to reach the other side.

The three hundred British soldiers, unable to escape, prepare to be taken as prisoners of war. The captured troops are escorted to Arnhem in a column. Along the way, they make “V for Victory” signs to the cameras of German propaganda units and sing marching songs. Dutch civilians, drawn from their homes by the singing, look on in amazement, and even the German soldiers feel a grudging respect for the British.

The destruction in Oosterbeek is immense. Many houses within the British perimeter are heavily damaged, and the debris of the battle litters the area. A German officer notes the aftermath, observing dead British and German soldiers, as well as wrecked tanks, including two Panther tanks with their burned-out crews still inside. Colourful parachutes used by the British to supply their forces are draped over the trees, remnants of the brutal conflict.

As German forces thoroughly search the area, they discover several hundred more British soldiers, many of whom had been left behind due to injury. Some exhausted troops, having slept through the evacuation, find themselves waking to an empty battlefield. Others, hidden by local civilians or taking refuge in the surrounding woods, number around three hundred, including Polish troops. About 130 of these men will successfully cross the Rhine in Operation Pegasus, a daring mission organised by the local resistance and Allied forces, a month after the battle.

Evacuation of the British Wounded

During the morning, under the terms of a new ceasefire, German ambulances arrive at Hotel Schoonoord and Hotel de Tafelberg, two of the most critical emergency hospitals in the British sector, to transport the injured. Hundreds of wounded soldiers are carefully evacuated.

In a show of respect, the Germans behave correctly and with unexpected helpfulness. There is speculation as to whether this behaviour is motivated by the anticipation of an Allied victory and the repercussions it could bring. However, it seems more likely that the conduct of General Bittrich, who consistently urged his forces to act with chivalry, is the key factor. Bittrich had also been responsible for approving the earlier ceasefire, much to the irritation of Field Marshal Model, who reprimanded him with the question, “What the hell were you thinking?”

Oosterbeek, home to nine Main Dressing Stations and Regimental Aid Posts where injured British soldiers and civilians are treated, sees over nine hundred British wounded evacuated by the Germans following the fighting. Warrack and his medical team are also transferred to Willem II barracks in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn by the evening, where they continue caring for the wounded.

Dr. Alexander Lipmann-Kessel, who has been treating British soldiers at the Elisabeth Gasthuis hospital in Arnhem since the start of the operation, is also relocated to Apeldoorn. Both Warrack and Lipmann-Kessel remain there through October, continuing to provide medical assistance to the wounded. As the number of recovered British soldiers decreases, with many being sent to prisoner of war camps, the doctors realise their mission is nearing its end.

On October 15^th, 1944, Lipmann-Kessel successfully escapes, followed by Warrack two days later, on October 17^th, 2944. After a difficult journey, both doctors manage to reach Allied lines.

Aftermath

After their evacuation, the exhausted and freezing British and Polish soldiers are brought to a barn near Driel. There, they are offered tea with rum, hot food, and blankets to help them recover from the ordeal. Some soldiers, who had removed their clothing while swimming across the river, are provided with clothes donated by local residents. In some cases, these replacements include floral dresses, leading to a surreal sight of battle-hardened troops walking around in borrowed garments.

The Polish soldiers who made the crossing from Oosterbeek to Driel are surprised not to find any of their comrades from the Polish Parachute Brigade. General Sosabowski and the rest of his men have already been ordered to march to Nijmegen on foot, as no transport is available for them.

The evacuated troops from Driel are transported to Nijmegen in trucks. However, a lack of sufficient transport means that hundreds of soldiers must make the journey on foot.

Upon arrival in Nijmegen, the soldiers are housed in three local schools. Here, they are provided with food, tea, and a bed to rest in, with some soldiers sleeping for up to two days straight due to sheer exhaustion. As they gather for the first time since the retreat, the soldiers begin to understand the scale of their losses.

The recovery and repatriation of the 1st Airborne Division survivors after the battle is handled with efficiency and urgency. Later that week, the surviving members of the British 1^st Airborne Division are flown back to Britain. The air bridge, which had been established to support Operation Market Garden, is quickly repurposed to transport the troops back to England. The process is well-organized, prioritising the wounded soldiers who are fit to travel, ensuring they are the first to be flown out. After the wounded, the uninjured soldiers are also rapidly repatriated. This swift operation underscores the importance of restoring the division and providing medical care for those who have endured the intense fighting.

The division, heavily depleted and unable to return to action, does not see combat again for the remainder of the war. After being restructured, they are eventually sent to Norway in 1945, following Germany’s surrender, to oversee the German capitulation and maintain order.

Among the rescued is General Roy Urquhart, commander of the 1^st Airborne Division. Upon reaching Driel, he searches for General Boy Browning, his superior, but Browning remains at his headquarters in Nijmegen, much to the frustration of the British officers. Urquhart is picked up by Browning’s adjutant, Harry Cator, and they drive through the pouring rain to Nijmegen in the dark.

By the time they arrive, Urquhart is drenched and exhausted, too tired even to sit down. While waiting for Browning, Urquhart notices a framed photograph of a German general hanging crooked on the wall, its glass shattered. Cator explains that Browning, in a moment of anger earlier that week, had thrown an inkwell at it. Moments later, Browning enters, as if he had just come from a formal event, rather than the midst of a chaotic battle. Urquhart informs Browning that the remnants of the 1^st Airborne Division have nearly completed their evacuation from Oosterbeek, adding, “I’m sorry we didn’t achieve what we were told to do.”

Major General Roy Urquhart’s return to England on September 29^th, 1944, is uneventful compared to the battle he had just endured. He is flown back aboard a Dakota, piloted by Major Heinz of the IX Troop Carrier Command U.S.A.A.F., courtesy of Major General Paul L. Williams’ personal aircraft. Ironically, despite arriving in Arnhem by Horsa glider, his fellow passengers on the Dakota are members of the Glider Pilot Regiment: Staff Sergeants John Bonome, Harry Caunter, Albert Bowman, and Sergeants David Hartley and John Woodward. Their return is documented by a U.S. Signal Corps photographer at Northolt, capturing the iconic images of Urquhart stepping off the plane with the glider pilots by his side, images that have since become synonymous with Operation Market Garden.

Elsewhere in England, survivors of the battle are also arriving at their home airfields, filled with anxiety about the fate of their comrades. The chaotic nature of the Arnhem battle had scattered men across a wide area, and most soldiers remained unaware of the full extent of the losses suffered.

Casualties

The official tally of men who cross the river is 2,398, including 2,163 from the 1^st Airborne Division (along some 422 glider pilots, 160 Polish troops, and seventy-five from the 4^th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment. However, when individual unit reports are combined, the total is closer to 2,500.

The full scale of the losses from Operation Market Garden took weeks, if not months, to emerge. The official tally of men who cross the river is 2,398, including 2,163 from the 1^st Airborne Division (along some 422 glider pilots, 160 Polish troops, and seventy-five from the 4^th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment. However, when individual unit reports are combined, the total is closer to 2,500. It is estimated that ninety-five men are killed during the retreat to the riverbank or while attempting to cross the river. Some of these losses are due to drowning, as men are hit by mortar fire while in boats or swept away by the strong currents as they attempt to swim.

The 1^st Airborne Division deploys over 11,500 men into Holland, but of these, 1,440 are killed in action or later die from their wounds. Around 500 men, who do not make it to the boats, remain behind, evading capture in and around Arnhem. With the help of the Dutch Resistance, 200 of these men eventually manage to return to Allied lines. However, more than half of the division is captured, with 5,960 soldiers falling into German hands. The intensity of the fighting is reflected by the fact that nearly 3,000 of these prisoners are wounded when they are taken into captivity. A large portion of the division’s medical staff and chaplains remain with the wounded, and 300 of these individuals are also captured by the enemy.

The Glider Pilot Regiment had entered Opartion Market Garden at its peak, having successfully executed glider landings in Normandy, which had erased some of the bitter memories of Sicily. Confidence had been high as the 667 gliders, crewed by 1,334 pilots, were released over Holland, a number that included two wing padres and twelve stowaways, Royal Air Force riggers and tug masters.

1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regiment, which had started as the divisional reserve near the Hartenstein Hotel, was hit particularly hard. Their central position placed them in the line of fire, particularly in the defence of the Light Regiment’s gun positions. Lieutenant Colonel Iain Murray later reported a combined loss of 131 pilots killed in action and 253 captured. B Squadron, under Ian Toler, and D Squadron, commanded by Captain Ogilvie, bore the brunt of these losses, accounting for more than half of the dead and wounded.

Lieutenant Colonel John Place undertook the grim task of tallying 2 Wing Glider Pilot Regiment’s casualties. As part of the 1^st Airlanding Brigade, 2 Wing had spent much of the battle in frontline positions, especially around the landing zones before withdrawing into Oosterbeek. This exposure led to heavy losses for the wing. The final toll for 2 Wing, Glider Pilot Regiment was 228 pilots killed, with an additional 466 taken prisoner. E and F Squadrons, who had fought alongside the airlanding battalions as makeshift infantry, suffered particularly high casualties. Additionally, 46 Glider Pilot Regiment pilots remained unaccounted for, with no known graves, 29 of these from 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regiment, possibly due to the intensity of German artillery fire in their area.

The Polish forces, who risked their lives crossing the Rhine to reinforce the Oosterbeek perimeter, suffer significant losses. During their landings and river crossings, they lose fifty men, and an additional forty-nine are killed in action while taking and holding the village of Driel. Meanwhile, the 4^th Battalion of The Dorset Regiment suffers a catastrophic loss, with 275 men killed in their unsuccessful attempt to seize the Westerbouwing feature, marking one of the operation’s most devastating setbacks.

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