Operation Market Garden

17th September 1944: The Allies launch a bold attempt to use airborne troops to seize bridges in advance of an armoured thrust into the Netherlands

Paratroops drop from Dakota aircraft over the outskirts of Arnhem, 17 September 1944.

As the Allied advance through north west Europe began to slow, partly as a consequence of extended supply lines and partly as a consequence of stiffening German resistance, an audacious attack deep into German occupied territory was launched. Operation Market Garden sought to penetrate right up to the gateway to Germany, the bridge over the Rhine in the Dutch town of Arnhem. Airborne troops would go ahead, seizing a series of critical bridges and then hold them until the armoured spearhead could burst through to relieve them

17 September 1944: Six American paratroopers of the First Allied Airborne Army receive a final briefing from their commanding officer before emplaning.

Operation MARKET I: the airborne operation to seize bridges between Arnhem and Eindhoven, Holland, (part of Operation MARKET GARDEN). Vertical photographic-reconnaissance aerial showing Airspeed Horsa and GAL Hamilcar gliders on Landing Zone (LZ) 'Z' near Wolfheze woods, west-north-west of Arnhem.

James Magellas¹ had already been wounded twice whilst serving with the 504th Regiment of the US 82nd Airborne Division in Italy. The Regiment had not jumped with the rest of the 82nd on D-Day in Normandy. Now he wanted to get back into action: