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    Hell's Highway: U.S. 101st Airborne & Guards Armoured Division
    Hell's Highway: U.S. 101st Airborne & Guards Armoured Division
    Hell's Highway: U.S. 101st Airborne & Guards Armoured Division
    Ebook418 pages4 hours

    Hell's Highway: U.S. 101st Airborne & Guards Armoured Division

    By Tim Saunders

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    This WWII history and battleground guide offers a fascinating look at the vital and infamous stretch of road through the Netherlands.

    After the Allied victory at Normandy, Operation Market Garden was intended to cut a path to Germany through the Netherlands. Essential to the plan was a two-lane road that came to be known as Hell's Highway. This was the route that the British 3rd Guards Armored Division had to advance down rapidly to relieve the American Paratroopers of the 82d Airborne at Nijmegen and the British I st Airborne Division at Arnhem.

    Beginning with the famous capture of Joe’s Bridge by the Irish Guards—an essential preliminary action before the start of Operation Market Garden—historian Tim Saunders guides visitors through the seizure of bridges, the liberation of small towns, and other actions undertaken by the famous Screaming Eagles. With vivid personal accounts throughout, this guide features practical visitor information about monuments and other important sites.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateMay 18, 2009
    ISBN9781783036639
    Hell's Highway: U.S. 101st Airborne & Guards Armoured Division
    Author

    Tim Saunders

    Tim Saunders served as an infantry officer with the British Army for thirty years, during which time he took the opportunity to visit campaigns far and wide, from ancient to modern. Since leaving the Army he has become a full time military historian, with this being his sixteenth book, has made nearly fifty full documentary films with Battlefield History and Pen & Sword. He is an active guide and Accredited Member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides.

    Read more from Tim Saunders

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      Book preview

      Hell's Highway - Tim Saunders

      Other guides in the Battleground Europe Series:

      Walking the Salient by Paul Reed

      Ypres - Sanctuary Wood and Hooge by Nigel Cave

      Ypres - Hill 60 by Nigel Cave

      Ypres - Messines Ridge by Peter Oldham

      Ypres - Polygon Wood by Nigel Cave

      Ypres - Passchendaele by Nigel Cave

      Ypres - Airfields and Airmen by Michael O’Connor

      Ypres - St Julien by Graham Keech

      Walking the Somme by Paul Reed

      Somme - Gommecourt by Nigel Cave

      Somme - Serre by Jack Horsfall & Nigel Cave

      Somme - Beaumont Hamel by Nigel Cave

      Somme - Thiepval by Michael Stedman

      Somme - La Boisselle by Michael Stedman

      Somme - Fricourt by Michael Stedman

      Somme - Carnoy-Montauban by Graham Maddocks

      Somme - Pozieres by Graham Keech

      Somme - Courcelette by Paul Reed

      Somme - Boom Ravine by Trevor Pidgeon

      Somme - Mametz Wood by Michael Renshaw

      Somme - Delville Wood by Nigel Cave

      Somme - Advance to Victory (North) 1918 by Michael Stedman

      Somme - Flers by Trevor Pidgeon

      Somme - Bazentin Ridge by Edward Hancock

      Arras - Vimy Ridge by Nigel Cave

      Arras - Gavrelle by Trevor Tasker and Kyle Tallett

      Arras - Bullecourt by Graham Keech

      Arras - Monchy le Preux by Colin Fox

      Hindenburg Line by Peter Oldham

      Hindenburg Line Epehy by Bill Mitchinson

      Hindenburg Line Riqueval by Bill Mitchinson

      Hindenburg Line Villers-Plouich by Bill Mitchinson

      Hindenburg Line - Cambrai by Jack Horsfall & Nigel Cave

      Hindenburg Line - Saint Quentin by Helen McPhail and Philip Guest

      La Bassée - Neuve Chapelle by Geoffrey Bridger

      Mons by Jack Horsfall and Nigel Cave

      Accrington Pals Trail by William Turner

      Poets at War: Wilfred Owen by Helen McPhail and Philip Guest

      Poets at War: Edmund Blunden by Helen McPhail and Philip Guest

      Poets at War: Sassoon & Graves by Helen McPhail and Philip Guest

      Gallipoli by Nigel Steel

      Italy - Asiago by Francis Mackay

      Boer War - The Relief of Ladysmith by Lewis Childs

      Boer War - The Siege of Ladysmith by Lewis Childs

      Boer War - Kimberley by Lewis Childs

      Isandlwana by Ian Knight and Ian Castle

      Rorkes Drift by Ian Knight and Ian Castle

      Hougoumont by Julian Paget and Derek Saunders

      WW2 Pegasus Bridge/Merville Battery by Carl Shilleto

      WW2 Utah Beach by Carl Shilleto

      WW2 Gold Beach by Christopher Dunphie & Garry Johnson

      WW2 Omaha Beach by Tim Kilvert-Jones

      WW2 Sword Beach by Tim Kilvert-Jones

      WW2 Battle of the Bulge - St Vith by Michael Tolhurst

      WW2 Battle of the Bulge - Bastogne by Michael Tolhurst

      WW2 Dunkirk by Patrick Wilson

      WW2 Calais by Jon Cooksey

      WW2 Das Reich – Drive to Normandy by Philip Vickers

      WW2 Hill 112 by Tim Saunders

      WW2 Market Garden - Nijmegen by Tim Saunders

      WW2 Market Garden - Hell’s Highway by Tim Saunders

      Battleground Europe Series guides under contract for future release:

      Somme - High Wood by Terry Carter

      Somme - German Advance 1918 by Michael Stedman

      Somme - Combles by Paul Reed

      Somme - Beaucourt by Michael Renshaw

      Walking Arras by Paul Reed

      WW2 Boulogne by Jon Cooksey

      Wars of the Roses - Wakefield/ Towton by Philip A. Haigh

      WW2 Market Garden - The Island by Tim Saunders

      WW2 Normandy - Jig Beach by Tim Saunders

      With the continued expansion of the Battleground series a Battleground Series Club has been formed to benefit the reader. The purpose of the Club is to keep members informed of new titles and to offer many other reader-benefits. Membership is free and by registering an interest you can help us predict print runs and thus assist us in maintaining the quality and prices at their present levels.

      Please call the office 01226 734555, or send your name and address along with a request for more information to:

      Battleground Series Club Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS

      Cover painting by James Dietz, WRATH OF THE RED DEVILS, Operation Market Garden, September, 1944.

      To my son William Saunders

      with love

      Published by

      LEO COOPER

      an imprint of

      Pen & Sword Books Limited

      47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS

      Copyright © Tim Saunders 2001

      ISBN 0 85052 837 2

      eISBN 978 1 78303 663 9

      A CIP record of this book is available

      from the British Library

      Printed in the United Kingdom by

      CPI UK

      For up-to-date information on other titles produced under the Leo Cooper

      imprint, please telephone or write to:

      Pen & Sword Books Ltd, FREEPOST SF5, 47 Church Street

      Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2BR

      Telephone 01226 734555

      CONTENTS

      Acknowledgments

      Introduction

      Advice for Visitors

      Chapter 1: JOE’S BRIDGE

      The Irish Guards seize a vital bridge

      Chapter 2: BACKGROUND AND THE MARKET GARDEN PLAN

      Alliance politics, logistics and Montgomery’s plan

      Chapter 3: BREAKOUT TO VALKENSWAARD

      The wait, the ambush and the halt at Valkenswaard

      Chapter 4: THE ADVANCE TO EINDHOVEN AND THE SON BRIDGE

      The Guards’ advance continues and the liberation of Eindhoven

      Chapter 5: 101st US AIRBORNE AT SON

      The blowing of the Son Bridge and 107 Panzer Brigade’s attack

      Chapter 6: BEST - THE UNPLANNED BATTLE

      An unequal battle on the flanks

      Chapter 7: ST OEDENRODE

      The drop and capture of the town

      Chapter 8: VEGHEL

      The misdrop, capture and defence of the town

      Chapter 9: SCHIJNDEL

      The big trap that was not to be

      Chapter 10: VEGHEL-CLOSURE OF HELL’S HIGHWAY

      Hell’s Highway is cut at a vital moment

      Chapter 11: THE CUT AT KOEVERING

      The final cut that crushed Montgomery’s dream

      Appendix I Closure of Hell’s Highway

      Appendix II Order of Battle

      Appendix III Cemeteries

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      I am indebted to veterans on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly those of 101st Airborne Division, for their help in preparing this book. Much has been written over the fifty years since the dramatic events of September 1944. However, much of the material has proved to be superficial, contradictory and often simply incorrect but veterans’ contributions and examination of archives have helped clear up a number of issues and myths. Again, I am indebted to the hard-pressed staff of the regimental headquarters of the British units, whose forebears’ battles are covered in this book. They have been most helpful, overworked regimental secretaries or highly knowledgeable volunteers have been a mine of information and guidance. Across the Atlantic, veterans’ associations have helped me with official and personal accounts. Visits to the Public Record Office and airborne museums in Britain and Holland to view their archives were essential and I unreservedly thank them for their help.

      I would like to thank the many Dutch people who helped me locate and gain access to some of the more obscure sites and for providing me with numerous maps and photographs. It would take too long to name them here but their greatest contribution has been their warmth and friendliness. Sources in Germany, have helped guide me to records of Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe units, including to some of the many ad hoc formations and units taking part in the fighting on Hell’s Highway

      Again, I am indebted to both family and friends for their tolerant support and encouragement, while I researched and wrote this book. I am most grateful for the time they spent spotting my errors and inconsistencies, while reading through all too many drafts of the manuscript. Thank you one and all.

      Tim Saunders

      Lichfield, Staffs

      INTRODUCTION

      This volume of the Battleground Europe series starts with one of the most celebrated events of the North West-European Campaign, the spectacular capture of Joe’s Bridge by the Irish Guards. Though, strictly, not a part of MARKET GARDEN, it is an important and exciting precursor. This is followed by an explanation of the controversial and optimistic assumptions made by 21st Army Group and the Airborne Army’s planning staff and the difficult logistic and Alliance issues that General Eisenhower had to deal with. However, the meat of the book covers the part played in operation MARKET GARDEN by 101st US Airborne and the British Guards Armoured Divisions in the heady days of September 1944, following the German defeat in Normandy. The first phase of the battle was the seizure of the river and canal bridges on twenty miles of road between the city of Eindhoven and the town of Veghel. The British XXX Corps were to drive north up the road, variously called the ‘Corridor’, ‘Centre Line’ or ‘Club Route’ and the Americans, with full justification, came to know as Hell’s Highway. Over the following days, in operations reminiscent of the Indian Wars fought on the Great Plains of America, the 101st Airborne or ‘Screaming Eagles’ marched and counter-marched to keep German Kampfgruppen at bay.

      Almost without exception, accounts of MARKET GARDEN correctly stress the difficulties of moving across country. However, in most cases the difficulties were not of becoming instantly bogged down in ‘wet going’ but of crossing the many drainage ditches, encountering weak bridges and a fear of antitank mines. Tanks could and indeed did take short excursions across country but they were invariably very slow.

      During MARKET GARDEN, the Germans displayed their ability to mount an effective defence with ad hoc formations of units and individuals who, in this case, had escaped from the German fortresses along the North Sea coast. In retrospect, the failure to secure the sixty-mile Scheldt waterway between Antwerp and the sea, across which the Germans escaped, was a grievous error. These escapees, augmented by trainees from what was a rear area, were able to pose a significant threat to the pencil thin Hell’s Highway. But for the tough and experienced paratroopers of 101st Airborne Division, and their attached British armour, the Germans may have succeeded in inflicting a crushing reverse on an extremely exposed British 2nd Army.

      It should be borne in mind that, while 101st and elements of the Guards Armoured Divisions were fighting on Hell’s Highway, further to the north, others were fighting equally desperate battles. The fighting by British and American troops in the Nijmegen/Groesbeek area, on The Island (between the Waal and the Rhine) and at Arnhem, is covered in separate Battleground volumes.

      As a final point, I would like to explain that I have covered the principal memorials in the battle area. However, space has not permitted me to include details and photographs of every memorial to the 101st and every community’s memorial to its liberation. However, they can be easily found in town centres or at the scene of the action described in the following chapters.

      I hope this book will encourage those studying MARKET GARDEN to visit and appreciate the highly significant battles fought on Hell’s Highway, the road to Arnhem.

      At home or on the ground, enjoy the tour.

      German troops intent on withdrawing from the North Sea coast.

      ADVICE TO VISITORS

      Travel to Holland

      A range of ferry crossings to mainland Europe and Holland are available from various UK ports, that can be used by those visiting the MARKET GARDEN battlefields. In the north, Newcastle has an overnight service (fourteen hours) to Amsterdam and further south, Hull has a similar service to Zeebrugge. Harwich has sailings to the Hook of Holland (three and a half hours). Both Amsterdam and the Hook are about two hours drive from Eindoven, on good motorways. Sailings from the East Coast are not as frequent and can be more costly than those from the Channel Ports but savings in fuel and tiredness always make East Coast services worth considering. The Channel crossing, though shorter and quicker, do mean that the visitor is faced with a three to four-hour drive from Calais, via busy motorways (toll-free) around Antwerp and through southern Holland. For those who dislike ferries there is the Channel Tunnel, but this option, though quicker, is usually more expensive. It is worth checking out all the options available and make your selection of route based on UK travel, ferry times and cost. Special offers and Internet deals are always worth keeping an eye on and have, in my case, resulted in impromptu visits to the Continental battlefields.

      Traffic law requires drivers to carry a full driving licence, a vehicle registration document, warning triangle and a spare fuel can of an approved type. Spare head light bulbs etc should be taken and, if your headlights do not have left-hand drive adapters, black tape. Do not forget your passport and a GB sticker. Agood web site to visit for up to date travel information is http://www.visitholland.com/geninfo/travel/.

      Insurance

      It is important to check that all visitors are properly insured to travel in France, Belgium and Holland. Firstly, check with insurance brokers to ensure that your car is properly covered for driving in the above countries and, secondly, make sure all have health cover. It is a legal requirement for a driver to carry a valid certificate of motor insurance. For those travelling by air and hiring cars, Amsterdam/Schipol is a major international hub, while Eindhoven is a significant regional airport in the centre of the Hell’s Highway battle area. For EU Citizens, form E111, available from post offices, grants the bearer reciprocal treatment rights in most European countries. However, the visitor should give serious consideration to purchasing a package of travel insurance from a broker or travel agent.

      Accommodation

      The Hell’s Highway battle area is dominated by the vastly expanded city of Eindhoven. Those who are drawn to cities will find every grade of hotel in the city but during weekdays it is advisable to book in advance, as rooms fill up with business travellers. The towns on the route, Valkenswaard, Son en Brugel, St Oedenrode, Veghel and Uden, all have attractive hotels of varying styles and grade. There are also significant numbers of well-ordered campsites, which represent good value for money and offer a wide range of services. Information on availability of rooms and bookings can be supplied by the Dutch Tourist Office. For those with access to the Internet, a visit to the following web site will be helpful if searching for the better hotels:

      http://hotels.bookings.nl/tourist.nederland.hotbot.html/.

      For those who wish to combine a family holiday with a tour of Hell’s Highway, a CentreParcs complex is located at Valkenswaard.

      Courtesy

      Despite considerable expansion of the villages, towns and cities on Hell’s Highway, much of the battle-area covered in this book, is open farmland, with many of the villages forming important parts of the battlefield. Whether open country or built up area, please respect private property, particularly avoid driving on unmade up farm tracks and entering non-public areas in villages. Adequate views of the scene of the action can be enjoyed from public land. Drivers should be particularly aware of the many cyclists in this flat part of Holland and please watch out for cycle lanes, which should not be blocked by careless parking. The people of Holland extend a genuine welcome to those who come to honour the memory of their Allied liberators. To preserve this welcome, please bear in mind the local people.

      Maps

      Good maps are an essential prerequisite to a successful battlefield visit. Best of all is a combination of contemporary and modern maps. The Battleground series of course, provides wartime maps, however, a full modern map sheet enables the visitor or those who are exploring the battlefield from the comfort of their armchair, to put the battle in a wider context. A number of modern maps are available in both the UK and Holland. A good road map of Holland is essential to navigate around Hell’s Highway, which takes the visitor on to some minor roads. The best and most detailed map coverage is available from stationers in Eindhoven. In the UK, detailed maps of the Netherlands are normally only available on order from a specialist map shop or as a special order through high street bookshops such as Waterstones.

      CHAPTER ONE

      JOE’S BRIDGE

      The Irish Guards seize a vital bridge

      After D Day, the Allies initially made slow progress in terms of captured terrain, with the SHAEF planners’ expectations not being met. However, by mid

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