Operation Market Garden order of battle

This is the complete order of battle of Allied and German forces involved during Operation Market Garden.

Allied forces

US General Dwight D. Eisenhower was Supreme Commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF) and in that capacity was ultimately responsible for the planning and execution of the whole operation. British Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder was his deputy, while Major General Walter Bedell Smith was chief of staff.

21st Army Group

Under Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery

First Allied Airborne Army

Commanded by Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton, USAAF

British I Airborne Corps

Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning; also deputy commander of the 1st Airborne Army

• 1st Airborne Division - Major-General Roy Urquhart
  • 1st Parachute Brigade
    • 1st Parachute Battalion
    • 2nd Parachute Battalion
    • 3rd Parachute Battalion
    • 1st Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery
    • 1st Parachute Field Squadron, Royal Engineers
    • 16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 4th Parachute Brigade
    • 10th Parachute Battalion
    • 11th Parachute Battalion
    • 156th Parachute Battalion
    • 2nd Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery
    • 4th Parachute Field Squadron, Royal Engineers
    • 133rd (Parachute) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 1st Airlanding Brigade
    • 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment
    • 7th Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers
    • 1st Battalion Border Regiment
    • 9th Airborne Field Company, Royal Engineers
    • 181st (Airlanding) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 21st Independent Parachute Company (pathfinders)
  • 1st Airlanding Light Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 1st Forward (Airborne) Observation Unit
  • 1st Airborne Divisional Signals
  • 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron
  • 261st (Airborne) Field Park Company
  • 250th (Airborne) Light Composite Company, Royal Army Service Corps
  • 1st (Airborne) Divisional Field Park, Royal Army Ordnance Corps
  • 1st (Airborne) Divisional Workshops, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • 1st (Airborne) Divisional Provost Company, Corps of Military Police
  • 89th (Parachute) Field Security Section, Intelligence Corps
  • Glider Pilot Regiment Colonel George Chatterton (flew to Nijmegen)
    • No.1 Wing
    • No.2 Wing
• Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade - Major-General Stanisław Sosabowski
  • 1st Parachute Infantry Battalion
  • 2nd Parachute Infantry Battalion
  • 3rd Parachute Infantry Battalion

• 82nd Airborne Division - Brigadier General James M. Gavin
  • 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
  • 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
  • 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment
  • 325th Glider Infantry Regiment
  • 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion
  • 319th Glider Field Artillery Battalion
  • 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion
  • 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion
  • 80th Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion
  • 82nd Airborne Signal Company
  • 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion
  • 307th Airborne Medical Company
  • 82nd Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment
  • 782nd Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company
  • 407th Airborne Quartermaster Company
  • 82nd Parachute Maintenance Company

• 101st Airborne Division - Major General Maxwell D. Taylor
  • 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment
  • 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment
  • 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
  • 327th Glider Infantry Regiment
  • 1st Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment
  • 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion
  • 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion
  • 463rd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion
  • 907th Glider Field Artillery Battalion
  • 81st Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion
  • 101st Airborne Signal Company
  • 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion
  • 326th Airborne Medical Company
  • 101st Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment
  • 801st Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company
  • 426th Airborne Quartermaster Company
  • 101st Parachute Maintenance Company

• IX Troop Carrier Command - Major General Paul L. Williams
  • 50th Troop Carrier Wing (C-47 Skytrain) - Brigadier General Julian M. Chappell
    • 439th Troop Carrier Group
    • 440th Troop Carrier Group
    • 441st Troop Carrier Group
    • 442d Troop Carrier Group
  • 52nd Troop Carrier Wing (C-47) - Brigadier General Harold L. Clark
    • 61st Troop Carrier Group
    • 313th Troop Carrier Group
    • 314th Troop Carrier Group
    • 315th Troop Carrier Group
    • 316th Troop Carrier Group
  • 53rd Troop Carrier Wing (C-47) - Brigadier General Maurice M. Beach
    • 434th Troop Carrier Group
    • 435th Troop Carrier Group
    • 436th Troop Carrier Group
    • 437th Troop Carrier Group
    • 438th Troop Carrier Group

• • No. 38 Group RAF - Air Marshal L.M. Hollinghurst (under operational control of IX Troop Carrier Command)
    • No. 190 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)
    • No. 196 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)
    • No. 295 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)
    • No. 299 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)
    • No. 570 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)
    • No. 620 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)
    • No. 644 Squadron RAF (Stirlings)
    • No. 296 Squadron RAF (Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle)
    • No. 297 Squadron RAF (Albemarle)
    • No. 198 Squadron RAF (Handley Page Halifax)
    • No. 644 Squadron RAF (Halifax)
  • No. 46 Group RAF - Air Commodore L. Darvall (under operational control of IX Troop Carrier Command) (Douglas Dakota)
    • No. 48 Squadron RAF
    • No. 233 Squadron RAF
    • No. 271 Squadron RAF
    • No. 437 Squadron RAF
    • No. 512 Squadron RAF
    • No. 575 Squadron RAF
    • No. 437 Squadron RCAF

British Second Army

Commanded by Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey

VIII Corps

Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor

• 3rd Infantry Division - Major-General L. G. Whistler
• 11th Armoured Division - Major-General G. P. B. Roberts
• 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade - Colonel B. Piron
• 4th Armoured Brigade - Brigadier R. M. P. Carver

XII Corps

Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie

• 7th Armoured Division - Major-General G. L. Verney
• 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division - Major-General C. M. Barber
• 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division - Major-General R. K. Ross

XXX Corps

Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks

• 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment
• Guards Armoured Division - Major-General A. H. S. Adair
  • 2nd Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion Welsh Guards^[1]
  • 5th Guards Armoured Brigade
    • 2nd Armoured Battalion Grenadier Guards
    • 1st Armoured Battalion Coldstream Guards
    • 2nd Armoured Battalion Irish Guards
    • 1st Motorised Battalion Grenadier Guards^[2]
  • 32nd Guards Brigade
    • 5th Battalion Coldstream Guards
    • 1st Battalion Welsh Guards
    • 3rd Battalion Irish Guards
  • 1st Independent Machine Gun Company (Northumberland Fusiliers)
  • 55th Field Regiment Royal Artillery^[3]
  • 153rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery^[4]
  • 21st Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery^[5]
  • 94th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery
  • 14th Field Squadron Royal Engineers
  • 615th Field Squadron Royal Engineers
  • 148th Field Park Squadron Royal Engineers
  • 11th Bridging Troop Royal Engineers
  • Guards Armoured Division Postal Unit Royal Engineers
  • 310th Armoured Brigade Company Royal Army Service Corps
  • 224th Infantry Brigade Company Royal Army Service Corps
  • 535th Infantry Brigade Company Royal Army Service Corps
  • 5th Guards Armoured Brigade Workshop Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • 32nd Guards Brigade Workshop Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • 19th Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 128th Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 8th Guards Field Dressing Station Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 60th Field Hygiene Section Royal Army Medical Corps

• 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division - Major-General G. I. Thomas
  • 129th Infantry Brigade
    • 4th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry
    • 4th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment
    • 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment
  • 130th Infantry Brigade
    • 4th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment
    • 5th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment
    • 7th Battalion Hampshire Regiment
  • 214th Infantry Brigade
    • 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
    • 5th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
    • 7th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry
  • 8th Battalion Middlesex Regiment (Machine Guns)
  • 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment Reconnaissance Corps
  • 94th Field Regiment Royal Artillery
  • 112th Field Regiment Royal Artillery
  • 179th Field Regiment Royal Artillery
  • 59th Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery
  • 110th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery
  • 13th Bridging Platoon Royal Engineers
  • 204th Field Company Royal Engineers
  • 207th Field Park Company Royal Engineers
  • 260th Field Company Royal Engineers
  • 553rd Field Company Royal Engineers
  • 16th Airfield Construction Group Royal Engineers
  • 43rd (Wessex) Division Postal Unit Royal Engineers
  • 54th Company Royal Army Service Corps
  • 504th Company Royal Army Service Corps
  • 505th Company Royal Army Service Corps
  • 506th Divisional Company Royal Army Service Corps

• 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division - Major-General D. A. H. Graham; On September 18, the division was transferred to VIII Corps
  • 2nd Battalion The Cheshire Regiment (Machine Gun)
  • 69th Infantry Brigade
    • 5th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment
    • 6th Battalion Green Howards
    • 7th Battalion Green Howards
  • 151st Infantry Brigade
    • 6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
    • 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
    • 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
  • 231st Infantry Brigade
    • 1st Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment
    • 1st Battalion Hampshire Regiment
    • 7th Battalion Devonshire Regiment
  • 2nd Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment (Machine Guns)
  • 74th Field Regiment Royal Artillery
  • 90th Field Regiment Royal Artillery
  • 124th Field Regiment Royal Artillery
  • 102nd Anti-Tank Regiment (The Northumberland Hussars), Royal Artillery
  • 25th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
  • 233rd Field Company Royal Engineers
  • 501st Field Company Royal Engineers
  • 505th Field Company Royal Engineers
  • 235th Field Park Company Royal Engineers
  • 50th (Northumbrian) Division Postal Unit Royal Engineers

• 8th Armoured Brigade - Brigadier E. G. Prior-Palmer
• Royal Netherlands Brigade 'Prinses Irene' - Colonel A. de Ruyter van Steveninck

Air forces

Royal Air Force

Second Tactical Air Force - Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham

• No. 83 Group RAF - Air Vice-Marshal H. Broadhurst
  • RCAF 39 Reconnaissance Wing
  • 121, 122, 123, 143 Wings (Typhoon)
  • 125 Wing (Spitfire)
  • RCAF 126, 127 Wings (Spitfire)
• No. 2 Group RAF - Air Vice-Marshal B. E. Embry
  • 136, 138, 140 Wings (Mosquito)
  • 137, 139 Wings (B-25 Mitchell)
• No. 84 Group RAF - Air Vice Marshal Leslie Brown

Fighter Command - Air Marshal Roderick Hill

Bomber Command - Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris

RAF Coastal Command - Air Chief Marshal Sholto Douglas

United States Army Air Forces

U.S. Eighth Air Force - Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle

U.S. Ninth Air Force - Lieutenant General Hoyt S. Vandenberg

German forces

The majority of German units stationed west of the Rhine were under the responsibility of Oberbefehlshaber West (OB West), commanded at the time by Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt.

Due to a lack of replacements (both in terms of personnel and materiel) German units were generally severely understrength at this point in the war, with many units at about 50% of establishment strength.

German Armed Forces Group (AFC) Netherlands

Commanded by General der Flieger Friedrich Christiansen

Army Group B

Commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Walther Model

II SS Panzer Corps

SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Bittrich

• 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen - SS-Obersturmbannführer Walter Harzer
  • 9th SS Panzer Regiment
  • 19th and 20th SS Panzergrenadier Regiments
  • 9th SS Artillery Regiment
  • 9th SS Recon Battalion
  • 9th SS Antitank Battalion
  • 9th SS Engineer Battalion
  • 9th SS Flak Battalion
  • 9th SS Signals Battalion

• 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg - SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Harmel
  • 10th SS Panzer Regiment
  • 21st and 22nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiments
  • 10th SS Artillery Regiment
  • 10th SS Recon Battalion
  • 10th SS Antitank Battalion
  • 10th SS Engineer Battalion
  • 10th SS Flak Battalion
  • 10th SS Signals Battalion

• Training Regiment of Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring- Oberstleutnant Fritz Fullriede
• Kampfgruppe "Von Tettau" - Generalleutnant Hans von Tettau
• Kampfgruppe "Kraft"-SS-Sturmbannführer Sepp Kraft of Training and Replacement Battalion 16 {of the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS}
• Kampfgruppe "Henke" - A Fallschirmjager training Regiment under the command of Oberst Henke

Fifteenth Army

General der Infanterie Gustav-Adolf von Zangen

LXVIII Corps

General der Infanterie Otto Sponheimer

• 346th Infantry Division - Generalleutnant Erich Diestel
• 711th Static Division - Generalleutnant Josef Reichert
• 719th Coastal Division - Generalleutnant Karl Sievers - Transferred to 1st Fallschirmarmee September 4.

LXXXVIII Corps

General der Infanterie Hans-Wolfgang Reinhard

• Kampfgruppe "Chill" - Generalleutnant Kurt Chill
• 59th Infantry Division - Generalleutnant Walter Poppe
• 245th Infantry Division - Oberst Gerhard Kegler
• 712th Static Division - Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Neumann

LXXXVI Corps

General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder

• 176th Infantry Division - Oberst Christian Landau - Transferred to 1st Fallschirmarmee September 4.
• Kampfgruppe "Walther"
• 6th Parachute Regiment - Oberstleutnant Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte - Transferred to 1st Fallschirmarmee September 4.
• 107th Panzer Brigade - Major Freiherr von Maltzahn
• Division "Erdmann" - Generalleutnant Wolfgang Erdmann - Transferred to 1st Fallschirmarmee September 4.

XII SS Corps

SS-Obergruppenführer Kurt von Gottberg

• 180th Infantry Division - Generalmajor Bernhard Klosterkemper
• 190th Infantry Division - Generalleutnant Ernst Hammer
• 363rd Volkgrenadier Division - Generalleutnant Augustus Dettling

Wehrkreis VI

Corps "Feldt" - General der Kavalerie Kurt Feldt

• 406th Landesschützen Division - Generalleutnant Scherbenning

Luftwaffe West

Colonel General Kurt Student

• 1st Parachute Army - Drawn from a pool of available units, almost all understrength; totaling 3,000 men as of September 1944
  • I Parachute Corps
  • II Parachute Corps - General der Fallschirmtruppen Eugen Meindl
  • 86th Corps

See also

World War II portal

• List of orders of battle

References and notes

1. ^ three Cromwells and one A30 Challenger tank per troop
2. ^ three companies of infantry mounted on ,-3 half-tracks except for the scout platoon which used 13 Bren carriers
3. ^ 24 towed 25-pdr Field Guns
4. ^ 24 Priest and/or Sexton Self-Propelled Guns
5. ^ two batteries of 17-pdr guns and two batteries of M-10 tank destroyers

External references

• Stephen Badsey, Arnhem 1944: Operation 'Market Garden. Osprey Publishing, Ltd. 1998. ISBN 1-85532-302-8
• Cornelius Ryan, A Bridge Too Far. Simon and Shuster, 1974. ISBN 0-684-80330-5

External links

• Royal Engineers Museum The Royal Engineers and Operation Market Garden