US 82nd Airborne Division - Operation Market Garden

The US 82nd Airborne was dropped in the Groesbeek heights area, to the south of Nijmegen. They had many objectives for the first day.

• Securing the Groesbeek heights - there seems to have been a major worry that this hilly area would be an exposed flank to Hell's Highway, probably as the German border and the Reichswald forest was just to the east.
• Secure the Grave bridge - this was done very successfully by E/2/504 with the only coup de main drop conducted in OMG
• Secure at least 1 of the 4 bridges over the Maas-Waal Canal, the north most (Honinghutie) was the preferred bridge, but it was the southern most (Molenhoek) that was captured intact.
• Secure 1 of the 2 bridges over the Waal at Nijmegen - this seems to have had fairly low priority, and ended up being the Achilles heel of the whole operation.

Timeline for the 82nd during OMG

Date	504	505	508	Others
17th Sept	DZs North of Grave E coy 2 Bttn landed by Maas bridge near Grave and captured it quickly with support from rest of 2/504 Mass-Waal Canal Bridges Southern most (Molenhoek) captured Centre 2 blown by Germans North (Honinghutie) major road and rail bridge, protected by trenches, mines and pillboxes. Attacks held off by Germans	DZ South of Groesbeek Heights - with 376, Div HQ & Corps HQ Captured Groesbeek village Linked with 504th by night fall	DZ East of Groesbeek Heights 2nd Bttn sent to help 504 at canal Rest establish perimeter at east of GH. Met determined resistance at Wyler (over the German border). 18:00 1st Bttn sent to Nijmegen, reached bridge around 22:00 same time as KGr Euling from 10th SS PzDiv. Involved in close quarter battle around bridge.	DZ south of Groesbeek Heights - 376 Para Artillery Regt, Div HQ & Corps HQ
18th	Mass-Waal Canal Bridges at Honinghutie held by Germans until mid-morning. Then blew bridges, destroying rail and damaging road.	German 406th Div attack LZ approx 2300 men low quality, 5 armoured cars, 3 halftrack with 20mm. see Kershaw p121 Groesbeek held, but some Germans reach LZ 2/505 in divisional reserve sent in with 2 Coy Engineers to repel attack	1/508 and 3/508 involved in street fighting near railway bridge in early hours of morning 3/508 returns to DZ in early morning	2nd Lift  14:00 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (12 x 75mm) 319th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (12 x 75mm) 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (12 x 75mm) Battery of 8 x 57mm ATG Engineer Medical unit 30 of 36 75mm were safely landed along with 78/106 jeeps and all 8 ATGs.
19th	Linked with GAD late morning at Grave, but Honinghutie bridge was too damaged so had to re-route to Molenhoek Hasty attack with Grenadier Guards & 2/505 late in day at Nijmegen	Infiltration by Germans to LZ 2 bttn, hasty attack with Grenadier Guards & 504 late in day at Nijmegen		3rd Lift due pm but delayed by bad weather in England Carrying 325th Glider Inf Regt
20th	08:30 504 with Irish Guards clear river bank 15:00 river crossing by H & I 3/504 26 boats 50% make it across. Pre-planned arty attack, direct support from IG tanks, and Typhoons.	2/505 with Grenadier Guards start advancing through Nijmegen (mouse holing)

82nd Airborne Order of Battle

Divisional Commander: Brigadier-General James Gavin
Chief of Staff: Colonel Robert Wienecke

• 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment - Lieutenant-Colonel Reuben Tucker
  • 1st Battalion - Major William Harrison
  • 2nd Battalion - Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Wellems
  • 3rd Battalion - Major Julian Cook
• 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment - Lieutenant-Colonel Ben Vandervoort
  • 1st Battalion - Major Talton Long
  • 2nd Battalion - Major Vandervoort
  • 3rd Battalion - Major James Krause
• 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment - Lieutenant-Colonel Roy Lindquist
  • 1st Battalion - Lieutenant-Colonel Shields Warren
  • 2nd Battalion - Major Otho Holmes
  • 3rd Battalion - Lieutenant-Colonel Louis Mendez
• 325th Glider Infantry Regiment - Colonel Charles Billingslea
  • 1st Battalion - Lieutenant-Colonel Teddy Sanford
  • 2nd Battalion - Major Charles Major
  • 2nd Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment - Major Osmond Leahy
• Divisional Artillery - Colonel Francis March
  • 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion - Lieutenant-Colonel Wilbur Griffith
  • 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion - Lieutenant-Colonel Wagner d'Allesio
  • 319th Glider Field Artillery Battalion - Lieutenant-Colonel James Todd
  • 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion - Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Wright
  • 80th Anti-Tank Battalion - Colonel Raymond Sangleton
• Divisional Units
  • 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion - Colonel Edwin Bedell
  • 307th Airborne Medical Company - Major Jerry Belden
  • Divisional Signals Company
  • Quartermaster Company
  • Ordnance Company

TOE at Platoon level

Parachute Battalion

• HQ (60 pts)
• Mortar Platoon (40 pts)
• 2 x LMG Platoons* (50 pts)
• 9 Rifle Platoons (225pts )
• Total 375 pts
• Option - Para Recce unit, either Jeep or Infantry (35 or 40 pts)

* LMG Platoon - in the actual organisation this was 1 large platoon with 8 guns, which is best represented by 2 bases at this level.

 

Glider Battalion

• HQ
• Mortar Platoon*
• MG Platoon
• 9 Rifle Platoons**
• Option - Recce unit, either Jeep or Infantry (35 or 40 pts)

* the mortar platoon had 6 tubes, so an extra mortar based could be fielded if 2 battalions are present

** the Glider Rifle Platoon, had 2 rifle platoons and a MG and mortar section, in BKC terms this is best represented as 3 Infantry units as the mortars and MGs are all light

 

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