British POWs at Arnhem
British POWs at Arnhem
bigpigeon.us webpage WWII - Germany > ETO > Arnhem & Antwerp, updated by RAC 17 May 2022.

The northern sector of the Allied line in the ETO was held by British and Canadian forces. During the fall of 1944, activity in this sector focused first on the attempt to achieve a breakthrough at Arnhem on the top and the following map and then on the development of Antwerp as the major seaport supporting ETO operations.
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​Links to subordinate webpages: 
Timeline - Arnhem and Antwerp:
  • 4 Sep '44 - Antwerp, the largest port in Europe at the time, is captured intact. Unfortunately it can't be used because German forces control the Scheldt River estuary leading to Antwerp.
  • 17 Sep '44 - Beginning of Operation Market Garden, the Allied attempt to seize bridges across lower branches of the Meuse/Maas and Rhine Rivers in the southeastern Netherlands to access the North German Plain. After a week's effort, Operation Market Garden ends in failure at Arnhem, about eighty miles north of Eindhoven. 
  • 2 Oct '44 - Beginning of the Allied attempt to clear the Scheldt River estuary, so the port facilities at Antwerp can be used. The German presence along the Estuary ends on 8 Nov. Clearing of naval mines follows.
  • 28 Nov '44: first Allied convoy reaches Antwerp.
  • 16 Dec '44 - The massive Germany counteroffensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge begins. All Allied offensive activities in the ETO are soon cancelled to free resources to deal with the attempted German breakthrough.
The ETO - 15 Sep 1944
The ETO - 15 Sep 1944
Sources for the Arnhem and Antwerp webpage:
  • The header photo of British prisoners of war at Arnhem in the failed September 1944 Market-Garden operation is courtesy of argunners.com, an on-line war history magazine.