"101st - Market garden" Topic

Any thoughts on German forces available to fight against 101st Airborne and XXX Corps on 17th September 1944?
I had a list/schedule compiled from Highway to Reich and other sources but I can't find it anywhere, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

It is covered in monumental depth in Kershaws 'It Never Snows in September', somewhat lesser depth in the Osprey campaign special on Market Garden and also covered very well in the CDIV/Test of battle Market Garden campaign supplement.

Some things (like the internal composition of some Kampfgruppen) we will just never know as the records are either lost or never existed. I would suggest that some of the elements presented in HTTR were highly speculative, given the state of knowledge at the time.

'Not a lot' is the answer. There were small (platoon-sized) guard-forces at Son and Schijndel. Nijmegen itself had only 'rear-echelon' troops, plus a pair of 88s, though they were enough to prevent a push into Eindhoven on the evening of the 17th. These rear-echelon troops were also reinforced by stragglers running from Guards Armoured Division, who had then been corralled by the Feldpolizei.

A 'regiment' (actually only about 500 men) from 59th Division advanced from 's-Hertogenbosch toward Schijndel during the evening of the 17th.

That's about it really! There was a lot more around on the 18th.

As for the troops facing XXX Corps; there was quite a bit south of Eindhoven on the 16th:

Von Der Heydte's Fallschirmjaeger-Regiment 6 (3 rifle battalions, plus a heavy weapons battalion) held the western side of the XXX Corps bridgehead.

In the centre was Fallschirmjaeger Kampfgruppe 'Hoffmann', with three battalions, plus Luftwaffe Penal Battalion 6. Hoffmann also had 15x Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyers of SS-Kampfgruppe 'Roestler' (10th SS), plus a battery of Wespe from 10th SS in close support. They'd also managed to scrape up a few 88s, but lacked any transport for them, so they were forced to set them up in exposed positions along the road.

These latter elements were detached from SS Kampfgruppe 'Heinke', which was deployed on the eastern side of the bridgehead. Its two infantry 'battalions' (Kampfgruppen 'Richter' & 'Segler') were little more than company strength.

Hoffmann's 2nd & 3rd Battalions, plus the penal battalion, were virtually wiped out on the 16th. 1st Battalion also suffered heavy damage, as did Richter's Jagdpanzers. SS KGr 'Segler' attempted to intervene, but too was apparently wiped out. SS KGr 'Richter' attempted to withdraw to the east, but was caught by 11th Armoured Division's advance through Budel and suffered some 50% casualties. Von Der Heydte's FJR 6 was able to withdraw to 's-Hertogenbosch largely intact.

On the 17th, Hoffmann's reduced 1st Battalion, commanded by Major Kerutt, mounted a rearguard action at Aalst, on the southern fringes of Eindhoven. He'd managed to scrape together the shattered remnants of 3rd Battalion, Roestler's remaining Jagdpanzers, the Wespe battery, a platoon of quad 20mm flak, a couple of 88s and eleven PaK 40s. However, he lacked transport for the guns.

XXX Corps tried to find routes around the Aalst position but failed due to weak bridges that couldn't support AFVs. The Irish Guards Group were therefore forced to batter their way through, which they eventually did, wiping out Kerutt's force in the process.

Many years ago I did a scenario for Kerutt's rearguard action called 'Smashing The Crust', which can be found here:

link

Some extra info re 59. Infanterie-Division:

The regiment that attacked on the evening of the 17th had very little in the way of heavy weapons apart from some 20mm flak guns.

The division's other regiment (again, only around 500 men) had no weapons heavier than man-portable infantry weapons, so probably nothing heavier than an 8cm mortar. This regiment joined the attack on the morning of the 18th, being directed toward Best.

The division also apparently had 18x anti-tank guns and 30x field guns of 105mm & 150mm calibre, but had a severe lack of transport with which to tow them. They also had a pioneer company and a weak field replacement battalion.

Elements of Flak-Brigade 18 were also involved. Flak-Abteilung 424, with an unknown number of 20mm guns, were in action around Best on the 17th & 18th. Flak Kampfgruppe 'Koeppel' was in Eindhoven – we know it had at least two 88s in Eindhoven, as they were reported by the 506th PIR. This unit probably also owned the 88s and quad 20mm flak guns reported by XXX Corps and Kerutt south of Eindhoven.

Fallschirmjaeger Kampfgruppe 'Jungwirth' attacked from 's-Hertogenbosch on the 18th, supporting the attack already begun by 59. ID. Elements of this unit are recorded as:

Fallschirmjaeger Kampfgruppe 'Ewald' – a battalion-sized unit which attacked St Oedenrode.

Fallschirmjaeger March-Battalion – a training unit which attacked Veghel.

There were also two Army march-battalions and a battalion of Grenadier-Regiment 1036 under Jungwirth's command.

Another battalion called Kampfgruppe 'Rink' was directed abainst Best.

Things got VERY exciting on the 19th, with the attack from the east by Panzer-Brigade 107.

Much obliged guys. Totally agree about HTTR, it was just the starting point really. Info about the forces facing 1st Airborne at Arnhem/Oosterbeek is rather more plentiful and accessible, but you've given me the nuts and bolts of what I needed to know. Cheers all round!

Sorry, where I said 'Nijmegen' above, I meant Eindhoven.

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