Battle of Arnhem
1944 CE · Netherlands
The Battle of Arnhem was fought in 1944 CE in Netherlands between United Kingdom, United States and Poland vs Germany; German victory; the attempt to seize the Rhine bridge failed.
Battle of Arnhem: quick facts
- Date
- 1944 CE
- Location
- Netherlands
- Belligerents
- United Kingdom, United States and Poland vs Germany
- Commanders
- Bernard Montgomery and Roy Urquhart vs Walter Model and Wilhelm Bittrich
- Result
- German victory; the attempt to seize the Rhine bridge failed.
- Era
- 🪖 World Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Arnhem?
Operation Market Garden, the largest airborne operation in history, aimed to capture key bridges across the Netherlands and outflank Germany's Siegfried Line. British 1st Airborne Division landed near the bridge at Arnhem but found themselves facing two SS Panzer divisions unexpectedly stationed nearby. Colonel Frost's paratroopers held the north end of the Arnhem bridge for four days against overwhelming odds before being overrun. Only 2,163 of 10,000 British airborne troops escaped, and the operation's failure dashed Allied hopes for ending the war in 1944.
Did you know?
Major John Frost's paratroopers at Arnhem bridge held for four days instead of the planned two, inspiring the phrase 'a bridge too far.' Frost himself was wounded and captured but survived the war.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Arnhem on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.