ABOVEGAD Shermans
near Arras, September
1, 1944. By the end
of the month they'd
near the Rhine.BELOW A Firefly leads
a mixed column from
the Grenadier Group
near Nijmegen.
TAYLOR LIBRARY/
PEN & SWORD BOOKSTHE ORIGINAL THUNDER RUN|ARNHEM
country ahead was even more difficult
for armour than the ground the
Guards had already traversed.
There were road and rail bridges
at Nijmegen and these were the only
crossings over the Waal for some 20
miles. From there and on to Arnhem
the roads ran on raised embankments
over marshy ground, making it
largely impossible for armour to
move cross-country. Thus, having
secured Nijmegen, the Guards would
be forced to drive on elevated routes
in clear view of enemy anti-tank guns
and infantry with shoulder-mounted
anti-tank weapons.THE HAIL MARY
CROSSING
At Nijmegen the Grenadier
Group moved up to support 82nd
Airborne against doughty resistance.
Irish Guards tanks joined in a
bombardment as US paratroopers
used assault boats to cross the river.
Known as the ‘Hail Mary Crossing’,
this was described by Gorman as “the
bravest action I ever witnessed”. The
Grenadiers played a major part in
securing the town in turn but suffered
many losses, which would have left
the Irish Group to undertake the final
advance to Arnhem alone. However,
the Welsh Group was transferred to
5 th Brigade to relieve the Grenadiers.
The Welsh Group included 1st
Welsh Guards and 2nd Welsh
(Armoured) Battalion – the latter had
been the divisional reconnaissance
regiment but, when battle groups
were created following Operation
Goodwood, that role fell to 2HCR,
equipped with armoured cars ratherpushed on to Zon by nightfall. The
bridge there had been blown by the
Germans.A GRAVE SITUATION
At Valkenswaard the division split its
centreline. As the Irish and Grenadiers
continued northwards, the Welsh
and Coldstream Groups – the Welsh
leading – turned east for Leende,
Geldrop and Helmond. However,
that secondary axis of advance proved
no easier. Sharp fighting occurred at
Leende and Heeze – both of which
were liberated by dusk – but the
German garrison at Geldrop proved
more stubborn. Moreover, civilian
reports indicated Helmond was the
principal German local stronghold.
Adair, the long-serving GOC of the
Guards Armoured Division, decided
to re-group along the main centreline,
which was held by US troops as far
as Grave where a parachute infantry
regiment had taken the bridge intact.
At Grave, the Guards halted.
Lieutenant-General Frederick ‘Boy’
Browning, I British Airborne Corps’
commander, wanted to see the
commanding officers of both leading
battalions at his HQ, some 5 miles
(8km) south of Nijmegen. Horrocks,Adair and Brigadier Gwatkin
(commanding 5th Guards Brigade,
which included the Grenadier and
Irish Groups) were also summoned
to confer with Browning. There, they
learned that 82nd (US) Airborne held
only part of Nijmegen bridge, that
initial British landings at Arnhem
had been successful but that little was
known of their situation and that later
drops into Arnhem had been delayed
by bad weather. In addition, the http://www.britainatwar.com^3734-41 THUNDER_RUN_ARNHEM BAW SEPT2019.indd 37 8/14/2019 5:14:20 PM