Re: battle for arnhem....
Meanwhile, facing XXX Corps, the situation had changed beyond all recognition between 3 September 1944 when they took Brussels and 17 September, the start of Garden. The Germans managed to create an effective front based upon two waterlines, the Albert canal and the Meuse-Escaut Canal. The battle of the canals went on with hard fighting until the start of Garden itself, which continued the thrust NE of Brussels towards Eindhoven.
The Welsh Guards managed to secure a damaged wooden bridge at Beeringen over the Albert Canal. Defence of the Bridge, and another a few hundred yards away, was entrusted to the Dutch soldiers of Royal Netherlands Brigade 'Prinses Irene'. On Sept 9 a strong force of freshley arrived Fallshirmsjager Regt 6
with TDs of Pz Jg Abteilung 559
counterattacked destroying 33 admin vehicles of 8th Armoured Brigade. The 'A' echelon units and REME fought back desperately until the Dutch counterattacked and pushed the Germans back.
Pz Jg Abteilung 559 was destined to play a busy part in the campaign. It arrived as reinforcements from Milau in E Prussia to Utrecht on 1 September 1944. It had 17 jagdpanthers in its Stab and 1 Kompanie,
with 28 stug3s in Kompanies 2 and 3. It was assigned as a fire brigade unit to the Armee Korps and fought very hard at Merxem near Antwerp, Beeringen, Gheel, Leopoldsville and the counter attacks on Joes Bridge before re-appearing on the West side of the corridor to Nijmegen and take part in several successful attempts to cut it. It lost many vehicles during the course of these battles.
