A Bridge Too Far by Martin Bowman

Author:Martin Bowman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War II
ISBN: 9781473829787
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2013-09-23T16:00:00+00:00

The troop carriers could not have speeded up the operation by using more or larger planes, since they had put into ‘Market’ almost every aircraft and crew they had, The C-46 was not yet available to IX TCC and the C-47 units of the 302nd Transport Wing were neither trained nor available for airborne missions. One remedy for this limited capacity would have been to fly two sets of missions in one day as had been done in southern France over a course comparable to that flown in ‘Market’. However, even in retrospect IX TCC held that this expedient would have done more harm than good, since the September days were too short for adequate rest and servicing between the missions.35 The American glider missions could have been completed on D+1 by using Horsa gliders or by flying Wacos in double tow, but the Americans had acquired an aversion to the Horsa and double-tow, though used later in ‘Varsity’, was a perilous novelty in 1944. The time which might have been spent in practicing it had been eaten up by bad weather and the air supply effort. Double-tow from England would also have involved a fuel problem, but this could have been met by the use of extra tanks or by allowing the units involved to land at bases in Belgium.

A partial solution would have been possible if the three groups which were moving to bases near Reims when preparations for ‘Market’ began had been retained there. Flying from northern France they could easily have accomplished two missions in a day and would have been much less handicapped by bad weather than they were in the Grantham area. However, to do this, large amounts of troop carrier materiel and all the airborne troops with their supplies and equipment would have had to be flown in from England. It is hardly conceivable that this movement could have been made in time if ‘Market’ had begun on the 14th or 15th as originally contemplated. It might possibly have been done before the 17th, but IX TCC would have had to divert to the staging operation hundreds of planes which were bringing supplies to Brussels for Montgomery. Furthermore, bad weather could have disrupted ‘Market’ as badly by interrupting the staging process as it did by grounding missions. Although it can be argued that some troop carrier and airborne units should have been already deployed in northern France, the logistical situation there would probably have made such a move an excessive strain on available resources. Under the circumstances, the decision to fly all missions from England must be regarded as logical.

The final straw which tipped the scales against ‘Market’ was the slowness of the British ground troops. The delay of the Guards Armoured Division in reaching Eindhoven made little difference, since if it had gone faster it would have had to wait longer before crossing the bridges at Son and Nijmegen. What did hurt was the failure of 43 Division to move up fast

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