In September 1944, the war seemed all but over. The Allied armies, after a stunning breakout from Normandy and race across France, stood poised to enter Germany. Hoping to end the conflict by Christmas, Field Marshal Montgomery conceived the bold Operation Market Garden – a lightning thrust through the Netherlands, across the Rhine, and into the heart of the Reich.
But Montgomery‘s audacious plan ran headlong into an unexpected obstacle: a hastily assembled group of battle-weary German generals, leading the battered remnants and reserves of their once-mighty army. Through their quick thinking, tactical skill, and sheer determination, these commanders would snatch an improbable victory from the jaws of defeat, extending the war in Europe by critical months. This is their story.
The Desert Fox‘s Heir
The linchpin of the German defense was Field Marshal Walter Model, the commander of Army Group B. A favorite of Hitler nicknamed the "Führer‘s Fireman" for his knack at stabilizing crumbling fronts, Model had been rushed from the Eastern Front to halt the Allied advance in the West. Gruff, brilliant, and decisive, Model was the heir apparent to Erwin Rommel as Germany‘s preeminent defensive tactician.
Model‘s immediate superior was the venerable Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, Commander-in-Chief West. One of the eldest German field marshals at age 69, von Rundstedt had been sacked by Hitler after Normandy but quickly reinstated. A master of mobile warfare who had helped pioneer the blitzkrieg, von Rundstedt brought decades of wisdom to bear. Together, he and Model made a formidable team.
The Waffen-SS Hardened by Fire
As luck would have it, Model had in the Arnhem area the 2nd SS Panzer Corps, led by the ruthless SS-General Willi Bittrich. Though reduced to a mere 7,000 men and 20 tanks after the carnage of Normandy, Bittrich‘s corps included two elite divisions led by battle-hardened commanders.
The 9th SS Panzer was commanded by SS-Oberführer Walther Harzer, a veteran of the titanous armored clash at Kursk. The 10th SS Panzer fell under SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Harmel, who had fought with distinction in France, Poland, and the Balkans. These were no ordinary opponents, but men steeled in the crucible of war.
Paratroops Against Paratroops
South of Arnhem, the Allies ran up against a familiar foe – General Kurt Student, the founder and leader of Germany‘s airborne forces. Student had been a key architect of the stunning airborne victory on Crete in 1941. Now he found himself commanding the 1st Parachute Army, a force that existed largely on paper.
But Student was a master of improvisation. He cobbled together a defensive line using a mix of paratroopers, Luftwaffe ground personnel, and anyone else he could find. He was joined by General Eugen Meindl‘s 2nd Parachute Corps, itself severely mauled in Normandy. These ad hoc forces bought precious time for Model to react.
The Hodgepodge Defenders
Rounding out Model‘s motley defensive force were an assortment of units scraped together from all corners of the Third Reich. General Friedrich Christiansen, a Luftwaffe administrator, organized anti-aircraft crews and training units into battle groups. SS-General Karl Feldt, pulled out of retirement, found himself leading a division.
Gerd Scherbening had been a glorified administrator of a "paper division" before being thrust into command of a mix of soldiers, sailors, and air force personnel. Yet this ragtag group would help Model achieve the impossible.
Nine Days in September
The Allied airborne landings on September 17th caught the Germans by surprise, but not unprepared. Model rush north, conferring with Bittrich and ordering the SS Panzer divisions to secure the critical Arnhem bridge at all costs. To the south, Student and Meindl threw their ersatz forces in front of the British armored advance, forcing them to fight for every mile.
Meanwhile, Bittrich‘s panzers slammed into the outskirts of Arnhem, isolating the British paratroopers clinging to the bridge. Despite heroic resistance, the Red Devils were slowly squeezed by Harmel and Harzer‘s tanks and Feldt‘s infantry. After nine days of brutal fighting, the shattered remnants of 1st Airborne were withdrawn.
Operation Market Garden, the great Allied gamble, had failed.
Against All Odds
The remarkable German triumph at Arnhem was a testament to the skill, experience, and adaptability of their oft-overlooked generals. Faced with severe disadvantages in men and materiel, deprived of air support, and forced to cobble together units on the fly, they nonetheless turned the tables on the overconfident Allies.
Model deserves special credit for his nimble generalship, as does the aggressiveness of Bittrich and his panzer leaders. But it was the iron will of all the German commanders, from the venerable von Rundstedt down to the humblest lieutenant, that carried the day. Through their efforts, the war would drag on into 1945.
In the end, Arnhem stands as an object lesson in the dangers of underestimating a wily enemy. Montgomery and the Allies saw only shattered remnants blocking their path, not the battle-tempered leaders determined to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Model, Bittrich, Student, and the rest may have lost the war, but they bought their nation a respite from defeat through their remarkable stand.
