One of my all-time favs, this one. #HATM

Two things that the movie doesn’t mention in the build-up to Market -Garden:

The importance of Antwerp and the state of the airborne divisions, Sept. 1944.

The rapid advance through France had caused the Allies to outrun their supply line. Important resources were running low by the time armored divisions reached Belgium and the Franco-German border.

Oil was the big problem. It was consumed in huge quantities at the front yet had to be moved long distances, creating supply problems and threatening to slow any advance. Patton’s proposed offensive would have required more oil than the Allies could move in Sept.

How to solve this problem: open up a port close to the front line.

Antwerp was the only real candidate. But the estuary leading to the port was still in German hands. Opening the port would take time—time the Germans could use to fortify their position along the frontline.

But Monty’s solution of a quick breakout in Netherlands would consume fewer resources than Patton’s plan. It would liberate the country quickly—an important political goal for the UK, and it would V1 missive attacks on London—and keep up the momentum on the Germans.

Antwerp would not be needed .

Better yet, Montys plan would use the airborne divisions—highly trained, well equipped and battle hardened troops which had been kept off the line for several weeks. The paras were the Allies’ only real strategic reserve, and Montys plan...

...would see them deployed, after dozens of aborted operations during the advance across France. Given the divisions’ excellent reputation and superb equipment, it was believed they would overpower all German forces in their drop zones with little difficulty.

Market-Garden seemed like an ambitious, even fool-hardy plan. But there were powerful incentives (political, strategic, logistical) to undertake it. A very simple one was that Monty, Browning and others were eager to use the para divisions and saw this as the perfect opportunity.

I’ve said enough! Enjoy everyone #HATM