Waal Crossing

The situation

On September 17, 1944, the Allies of World War II attempted to cross the bridge on Rhine near Arnhem, using the American 101st Airborne Division to capture and secure Eindhoven, the 82nd Airborne Nijmegen, and the British 1st Airborne to capture and secure the objective itself. The British XXX Crops would try to rush up 64 miles along the countryside to link up with the 1st Airborne. This act could have end the war early, maybe before Christmas. The airborne troops drop on the morning of September 17. The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne were supposed to capture the bridge of Nijmegen, but unfortunately the action was not carried out until afternoon. General James M. Gavin gave the 508 order to circle around the build-up area but Colonel Roy E. Lindquist thought he had to secure the area first. When they arrived the original 800 Wehrmacht soldiers were already reinforce by a small amount of 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg. A recon battalion of 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen was also send and encountered no Allies but turned by to Arnhem and suffered heavy losses by the 1st Airborne. Victor Gräbner, the battalion commander, was killed during the cross. The whole 10th SS Panzer was send by the path was blocked by the 1st Airborne again, so they took the ferry and made slow work. The XXX Crops arrived on the 19th and Gavin had ordered to capture the bridge as soon as possible. General Frederick Browning, deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army and Gavin met at Overasselt and decided that an assault on the bridge should be carried out today. The 504th left some men to defend the secured bridges. The rest went to Nijmegen with the Grenadier Guards and the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment launched an attack on the traffic bridge. The assault was in vain, and so Gavin came up with a idea-amphibious assault.

The plot

The operation would use the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment to assault the left side, then flank the Germans and secure the railroad bridge, and 'C' Company would continue to move until they could flank the Germans on the traffic bridge. The 'C' Company of the 307th Airborne Engineer to ferry the 504 across, while the Grenadier Guards and the 505 would retry their cross on the traffic bridge. Before the landing began (1430) the RAF Second Tactical Air Force would shell the Germans' positions on the other bank with rockets and guns. The Royal Artillery's No. 153 Leicesthershire Yeomanry Field Regiment would be put up the remain artillery support and to launch a smoke curtain across the river, preventing any accurate fire from the Germans.

Delay

It was 0730 of D-Day and the boats still had not arrived. So the crossing was postponed to 1100, so the paratroopers would be going the 160 meters to the other side of Waal river without the cover of darkness. The H-Hour was postponed three times in total.H-Hour would be 1500, 7 hours later than originally planned. At last, at 1430 the XXX Crops truck brought them in. They brought 26 collapsible canvas boats without significant quantities paddles. Using their rifle butts as paddles was the only choice.