OPERATION MARKETGARDEN (PT II): #WWII A BRIDGE NOT TOO FAR: SPIES, LIES, AND ALIBIS

1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast

Jon Hagadorn

Society & Culture, History

4.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 December 2021

⏱️ 108 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

OPERATION MARKETGARDEN (PT II): SPIES, LIES, AND ALIBIS The two part story of a bold plan to strike the heart of Germany by dropping 36,000 British, Canadian, Polish, and American paratroopers in German controlled Holland in Sept 1944. Dedicated to the men who never made it back, this story doesn't pull any punches as to the command elements who screwed up through a combination of poor planning and in some cases, very likely sabotage. This is an incredible story of heroism on the part of the men who fought and liberated the south of Holland in the process. Recommended: A Bridge Too Far (Movie ) 1977 Part One: Field Marshall Montgomery devises a bold and desperate plan to drop 36,000 men behind German lines and Eisenhower reluctantly agrees. The plan is full of holes from the beginning, as intelligence is ignored and the wrong men are appointed for a few critical command positions. Finally, Sept 17th arrives and a 90 mile long, 3 mile wide armada of planes and wooden gliders take off from 24 air bases in England as the mission begins. It is the largest single day air drop in recorded history. Part II The American 82nd and 101st Airborne begin heavy fighting in Holland to secure the bridges spanning the nine waterways which the British 30 Corps, with its tanks and infantry, will need to cross along its 60 mile run from the Belgium border in the south up to Arheim, near the German border. The British 1st airborne is dropped 8 miles west of its target Arnheim, and finds that it is separated from Arnheim by two Panzer divisions. Only one brigade, Frost's Brigade, reaches Arnheim, and fights desperately to control and then hold the bridge long enough for 30 corps to reach it. Interview segments with Moffit Burris (82nd Airborne) and Brigade Commander Tony Hibbert (British 1st Paratroop Div) provided by Tony Gosling from "A Bridge Not Far" YouTube. An interview with historian Tony Gosling discussing this documentary is included at the end of this story. Includes the story of the spy "King Kong" who sabotaged the mission. Voices of: Maj. Moffitt Burris 82nd Airborn Maj gen Tony Hibbert British First Airborne Maj Brian Urquhart Intelligence Gen. Brereton Lt Col John Frost Gen Roy Urquhart (not related) Gen Kurt Student (German Officer) James Magellus 82nd Airborne Music: Reverie by Ross Bugden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I finally got sent away, I think, for a remark which turned out to be odd and prophetic
0:07.9	because our general, who was a very dashing figure, called boy-braining, said to Prince
0:12.6	Bernadette the Netherlands that the Allied forces were going to advance into Germany over
0:17.8	a coffee to their born troops, and I said to our chiefs of staff, I wonder if they're
0:22.7	going to be alive or dead airborne troops.
0:25.0	This didn't go well at all.
0:27.0	So everybody decided that they had enough, and I got sent away, I asked if I could
0:31.9	stay just as an ordinary officer in the operation, as it loathe.
0:36.0	Everyone said, the British took too much time coming up that highway.
0:42.0	I had felt that, had that with George Pat, coming up that highway, he'd have made it.
0:51.0	The way that he said, General Horax asked, can you let's do the job, can they get the bridge?
1:00.0	Colonel Thompson said, let me ask you a question, General.
1:03.0	Can we take that bridge?
1:05.0	What are sure as to what we have from you?
1:07.0	The job tags will be lined up far enough and foolish.
1:12.0	And Horax, and I can remember if your marks are as if they were actually sent by tags
1:18.0	that will be lined up and foolish, they'll be far enough and nothing will stop.
1:24.0	That's not what happened, one gun stopped.
1:29.0	On the bridge, we were holding the northern perimeter, and we had removed the charges on the bridge.
1:41.0	But we failed to get any troops.
1:47.0	First the river.
1:49.0	And I said that Lyon route, which was the southern way of route, which we'd used, was still open.
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