XXX CORPS BATTLEFIELDS

SEPTEMBER -OCTOBER 1944

XXX Corps, commanded by General Sir Brian Horrocks, was spearhead on 17th September 1944 by the Guards Armoured Division. They would follow the narrow stretch of road ('Club Route') from the start line north of Joe's Bridge on the Schedle-Maas canal, to Eindhoven, and then across the bridges captured by 82nd and 101st (American) Airborne, finally reaching men of 1st Airborne in a few days. The reality was very different, and although XXX Corps got as far as the Island, with some artillery units getting to Driel to lay down a support barrage around the Oosterbeek Perimeter, the planned link up never came.

On route, elements of XXX Corps ran into far more opposition than expected, the road proved tough going for some of the armoured formations, and not all the bridges were captured intact by the Americans, so Bailey Bridges had to be constructed.

This section of the Arnhem pages will look at 'Operation Garden' - the ground forces - and places connected with their efforts in the fighting of September-October 1944.

Paul Reed

Email: [email protected]