explosive charges to remove, plus
and it was getting dark. The crossing
had done much to secure the bridge,
but Carrington was now separated
from his battlegroup and he had no
means of performing an effective
reconnaissance. When the Guards did
move on (once the Grenadiers finished
clearing Nijmegen) they encountered an
effective defensive screen and with air
support being limited, the advance was
constantly frustrated.PRESSING URGENCY
The sense of urgency was not lost on
the British commanders. Although
well aware of the situation in Arnhem
and Oosterbeek, they were also acutely
anxious that the Guards Armoured
Division could be temporarily cut off in
Nijmegen and mindful that there were
shortages in supply and infantry. TheCARRINGTON – ONE MAN'S DECISION|ARNHEM
had done much to secure the bridge,
but Carrington was now separated
from his battlegroup and he had no
means of performing an effective
reconnaissance. When the Guards did
move on (once the Grenadiers finished
clearing Nijmegen) they encountered an
effective defensive screen and with air
support being limited, the advance was
constantly frustrated.PRESSING URGENCY
The sense of urgency was not lost on
the British commanders. Although
well aware of the situation in Arnhem
and Oosterbeek, they were also acutely
anxious that the Guards Armoured
Division could be temporarily cut off in
Nijmegen and mindful that there were
shortages in supply and infantry. TheABOVE
Taken on September
28, this photograph
shows the damage
to Nijmegen
following the fighting
to take the city
and secure the all-
important bridge.
TOPFOTOBELOW
Cromwell tanks
of the 2nd Welsh
Guards cross
Nijmegen Bridge,
September 21,
1944.much needed 43rd Infantry Division
was miles back and had yet to cross
at Grave. It too was frustrated by
constant attacks on the narrow route
upon which the sustainability of the
offensive relied.
Despite the futility of pressing
on, what happened next is heavily
contested. It is clear there were at least
three occasions where Carrington or
his NCOs had abrasive encounters
with American officers. One Thomas
Moffat Burriss, a captain in the US
504th Regiment and future Republican
politician, was immediately critical
of Carrington when he halted north
of the Waal. Not only did he accuse
Carrington of cowardice, but his
understanding of the situation, at least
in memory, appeared faulty. In his
memoirs, he reflected: “Carrington said
his job was to take the bridge and hold
it until further orders...pushed from the Waal. On September
20, a number of Tigers under the
command of Hauptmann Hans
Hummel crossed Arnhem Bridge and
took up positions blocking XXX Corps
(possibly up to 14 – how many were
serviceable or passed through British
positions at Arnhem unscathed is
unclear). Some have suggested that
XXX Corps elements, combined with
a push from the Poles at Driel and – to
the north of the river – a break out of
1st Airborne may have succeeded. But,
had Carrington or a larger XXX Corps
detachment advanced into the night on
the 20th, they’d have encountered the
Tigers early the next morning.
Lord Carrington had no reasonable
means by which to ascertain what lay
ahead. Air reconnaissance was lacking,
so XXX Corps relied solely on its
own recce assets which encountered
resistance wherever they sortied
(andhad not yet crossed the Waal).
With no options for cover, just one
well-concealed anti-tank gun could
have knocked out his tanks with
impunity, let alone a force of Tigers.
Consequently XXX Corps was unable
to reach the Rhine in strength until the
43rd Infantry Division – a considerably
larger force than the four Shermans –
reached the Poles on the 22nd.
Therefore, had he advanced; his
chances seemed slim. The ground
ahead was clearly infantry country,
and as evening fell and without their
infantry support, the Grenadiers- initially just Carington’s four
Shermans, including the two that
were damaged – had no option but
to wait. There were prisoners to
process, infantry had to clear the bridge
and its approaches of the dozens of
Germans who continued to contest
it, and engineers had obstacles and
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