23rd September – Urquhart’s paratroopers and airlanding men at Oosterbeek are increasingly pressed by the surrounding Germans who are held off by the guns of XXX Corps across the river. Another 200 Polish paratroopers join the beleaguered troops north of the Lower Rhine. (From From ‘Operation Market Garden, Netherlands 17th – 25th September 1944’)
50th (Northumbrian) Division were tasked with capturing Bemmel, a village on the ‘Island’ between the Lower Rhine and the Waal, south-east of Elst, where the Guards were still embattled. By 25th September they had achieved this but were kept under heavy artillery fire by the Germans. (From TT 50th Infantry Division.)
Anthony Rampling remembers watching Germans north of the river:
“When we got near Arnhem we got up into the attics of houses on the side of the river and took some tiles off the roof and could see the Germans the other side, scuttling around. We didn’t obviously fire at them because that would have drawn fire back onto us – just observed from the attics. I always remember in the attics there was tobacco leaves hanging up.” From Anthony Rampling’s account of 61st Recce (pers comm).
According to Roy Howard the supply line for XXX Corps had again been cut, this time at Sint Oedenrode, south-west of Veghel. Eric Brewer records: “Shelled to where Gerry broke through but not much doing, plenty of shelling through the night.” (From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)
Dick’s future regiment, 52nd (Lowland) Recce, now east of Grave near Oss, were also engaged in heavy fighting to defend the corridor as the Germans pressed in hard from both sides.
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