Retaking of Arnhem
The Germans initially underestimated the scale of the airborne landings but quickly recognized Arnhem’s strategic importance. Among the key German units involved in the counterattack was the II SS Panzer Corps, particularly elements of the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen and the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg. These divisions had been refitting in the area and were among the few armored formations in the region capable of mounting an immediate response.
To retake the Arnhem bridge, the Germans relied on superior firepower, heavy weaponry, and the coordination of armor, artillery, and infantry. They brought in tanks, self-propelled guns, mortars, and Nebelwerfer rocket launchers, concentrating overwhelming firepower on the British perimeter. The paratroopers, lightly armed and with dwindling supplies, could do little to counter the weight of this assault. German forces also employed flame-throwing tanks and infantry with flamethrowers to clear the buildings the British held, setting them ablaze and reducing strongpoints one by one.
The paratroopers, lacking sufficient anti-tank weapons and unable to receive reinforcements or resupply due to the cut-off drop zones and German control of the surrounding area, were gradually worn down. Sniper fire, artillery barrages, and tank shells smashed through the buildings where Frost’s men had dug in. Despite their stubborn resistance and fierce defense, by the fourth day the British position had become untenable.
On September 21, with ammunition nearly exhausted, casualties mounting, and many buildings in ruins or on fire, the remnants of the British force at the bridge were finally overwhelmed. Frost himself, wounded, was captured along with many of his men. Of the roughly 740 men who had initially reached the bridge, only a handful managed to escape back to British lines. The rest were either killed or taken prisoner. Casualty estimates vary, but it is believed that more than 300 of the defenders were killed, with over 400 captured.
The German success in retaking Arnhem bridge was achieved through a combination of rapid armored response, coordinated infantry assaults, and the use of overwhelming firepower against an isolated and undersupplied enemy. The resistance of the British paratroopers became legendary, celebrated for their courage and tenacity. Yet tactically, the battle marked a decisive German victory, preventing the Allies from securing the final objective of Operation Market Garden and prolonging the war in Western Europe.
Though Arnhem did not fall in the way the Allies had intended, the valor of the airborne troops at the bridge, and the brutal efficiency with which the Germans retook it, became a symbol of both heroic resistance and the harsh realities of modern warfare.
