Day 8 Operation Market Garden

Day 8: Sunday, 24 September

Another German force successfully attacked the road to the south of Veghel and set up defensive positions for the night. It was not clear to the Allies at this point how much of a danger this represented, but the principal objective of Operation Market Garden, i.e. the Allied crossing of the Rhine, was essentially abandoned this day, and the decision made to go over to the defensive with a new front line in Nijmegen. Nevertheless, an attempt was made on Sunday night to reinforce the 1st Airborne Division with the 4th Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment.

Two companies were put across the river, however the location of the crossing point was ill-advised and the Dorsets landed among prepared German positions. Fragmented by their landing and immediately pinned down, of the 315 men who crossed only 75 reached Oosterbeek; the remainder were taken prisoner. As a result of this failure, it was decided to withdraw the 1st Airborne Division from its bridgehead on the northern side of the Rhine.