Operation Market Garden: What You Didn't Know About the 101st Airborne | American Artifact 213

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:05]So what happens when you develop an over complicated plan to be executed on a strict timetable over difficult terrain?

[00:00:16]Well, I'll tell you what you get. You get Operation Market Garden. So Operation Market Garden was kicked off in September of 1944.

[00:00:27]And basically what the allies were trying to do was circumvent the Sigf freed line uh also kind of secure the approaches to the port at Antworp and uh as the the saying goes end the war by Christmas. And again this is going to be well known for its complications and for its ultimate failure. And in a previous series, we talked about the the 82nd Airborne's zone in Naimeme. Uh the the British First Airborne is going to be up in Arnham. And over the next few episodes, we're going to be talking about what happened in Operation Market Garden, where we are right now in the sector of the 101st Airborne.

[00:01:16]Heat.

[00:01:35]Heat.

[00:01:40]Heat. Heat.

[00:02:13]Now, like I said, we are in the area of operations for the 101st Airborne Division, which is just north of the city of Einhovven. Uh for the 101st Airborne, there were three different drop zones that they had for each one of the regiments. Uh to the the far north, you had drop zone A. uh the 5001st parachute infantry division or regiment is going to be landing there. Uh drop zone B, you're going to have the 502nd and then drop zone C, furthest to the south, is going to be secured by the 56th. Uh right now I am standing in drop zone A. So, so this is where the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was going to land. Uh with us today, we got some artifacts that we're going to be looking at here in a little bit. But with us today we have my buddy Sander with Trails of History who's going to kind of orient us as to what's going on here in this drop zone.

[00:03:05]So we're standing now here on the southern end of drop zone A where second battalion and third battalion landed during operation market garden. First battal battalion however landed on the other side of the zillfart and had the task of going from the west into Feckl.

[00:03:21]But now here on this drop zone, third battalion would land here and would go south and between the road of St. Udora and Feckl and defend that area. And the second battalion would head north towards the town of Feckl to capture the bridges over the South Villims. The first battalion however they had to capture the bridges over the AA river and eventually in a combined assault with the first battalion on the left flank from the west and the second battalion from the south they both simultaneously went into Fel and captured the town itself.

[00:03:53]So, here on drop zone A where the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment landed on September 17th in Operation Market Garden, they have what's really kind of a a neat little memorial here. Uh what we are looking at is a Pathfinder. So, the Pathfinders were the guys who came out ahead of the main body and dropped into the area uh of the drop zone and then laid down uh homing beacons so that the men following them uh could be dropped into the right area. So, if you look over like on the other side of this guy's helmet, it's a little bit shadowed here, but uh there's a a headquarters tick uh right there. And uh unfortunately I was unable to uh attend the the trip where it happened. But last December uh Andrew Bio and the rifle uh brought what will likely be the the last 101st Airborne Division veteran out to this very spot. Uh I got to see the video is yeah pretty pretty neat moment.

[00:05:01]But yeah, this is the the memorial here on drop zone A where the 50ohirst landed. And we've also got pretty interesting artifact that we've brought back today.

[00:05:14]I'm at the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment drop zone. Um, and I was here just a few months ago with an actual 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment veteran named Dale Noble with the rifle project. So, I I was just here and we were at this monument, but we're here today to talk about Julian Ule, whose jacket I bought back. Um, that's this is Julian Ule in this photograph. And, uh, when Operation Market Garden started, the 501st was commanded by Howard Jumpy Johnson. And he was very much loved by his men. and he was uh one of those commanders that the men really got behind. Later on during Operation Market Garden when they were out on what was called the island on October 8th, um Johnson was hit in the stomach by German uh shrapnel and uh it was it was a severe wound. Medics didn't think he would last and he eventually did die of his wounds. While he was dying, he said to Julian Ule here, "Take care of my boys." And passed away. Julian Ule then assumed command um of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. So, we have Julian Ule's M43 jacket. Um presum presumably the one that he wore here um with his 101st patch. And we also have his armband. This is also Julian Ule, but this is the armband, his invasion armband. And on the back, he typed that this is his armband from Operation Market Garden. But um I've been wanting to bring these out for a while. I've had I've had this for a long time and we've been wanting to do a series on the 101st Airborne during Operation Market Garden and um we're finally getting to do that today and um with with memories of uh Jumpy Johnson, Julian Ule, and Dale Noble who I was here with just a few months ago. It's really an amazing artifact to bring out to this landing zone.

[00:07:56]We've now moved into the town of Erida.

[00:07:59]This is really close to Veel and is all going to be part of the area of operations for the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. You can see a church here behind me. Uh we're going to go take a look at that in a moment. But there were a lot of photos that were taken here in this area that that we're going to go and and kind of see if we can do a little then and now uh here today here in the town of Erda. They have this old windmill that was here in September of 1944. So, as you can imagine, for for these young American guys who are going to be landing here in this area, uh this was pretty fascinating. You know, something that you wouldn't see at home.

[00:08:38]So, there were quite a few pictures that that were taken of this windmill and also close to the windmill.

[00:08:50]Well, they have this monument here that is quite nice that is dedicated to the men of the 501st parachute infantry regiment. Uh so there you can see it has their their motto there, Geronimo. Uh, and then down here has uh a little memorial to to the dead. So, 12 British and 48 Americans.

[00:09:21]Yeah, quite nice.

[00:09:25]I just walked up to the windmill to take a quick look and noticed that on the side here. Uh they have another little kind of wall of remembrance to those who were killed in this area in Operation Market Garden. Uh so men like Patrick Patrick Chot and Arthur Earl and Jack Delay, guys from the 501st parachute infantry regiment of the 101st Airborne.

[00:09:50]And then right here, you notice it says in in this windmill was killed on Monday, September 18th, 1944, about 11:00 in the morning. Jacob H. Windgard, Pennsylvania, Sergeant 500 First Parachute Infantry Regiment Airborne Division. May he rest in peace. on the American cemetery of Margaraten. And it says, "Between the windmill and the house was a British Sherman tank knocked out during the fight on Sunday, September 24th, 1944. In that tank were killed three British soldiers. May they rest in peace in the churchyard of Erda."

[00:10:32]Yeah. And then over here it lists the uh the British who were killed in this area.

[00:10:39]on the 24th and then also some of the Dutch civilians.

[00:10:45]Just a moment ago when we were there at the memorial, they talked about the British tank that got knocked out nearby. Well, there was actually a picture that was taken of that British tank right here.

[00:11:02]So there, close to where my thumb is at, you can see the tank with the windmill in the background.

[00:11:11]And then this is what it looks like today.

[00:11:16]For our journey through the UP 100 airborne at Operation Market Garden, we are accompanied by Major Dick Wyers's files. So, we have a lot of the original papers and photographs from Major Dick Winter's files, but he also made these bound editions. This is the one for Holland that has all the papers consolidated into one place. So, it's really convenient to bring these out cuz this is a copy. Um, but it was from his files. So, um, one of the things that's in here is this photo of this uh, uh, windmill behind me. Um, but we also are accompanied by Dick Winter's photo album. Now, in his collection, we have I think it's four uh books similar to this of photographs and his original albums were pulled apart when they worked on Bander Brothers the book. And um later on he reassembled them into these types of books, more modern photo albums. And this writing here, I believe, is his wife, Ethel's writing, but you can see the windmill that's behind me in these photographs. And this is a treasure trove of information and photographs and um uh really great for us to bring this out here today to help us with to tell the story of the 101st Airborne in Operation Market Garden.

[00:13:15]Now, But we started off today in the areas of drop zone A where the second and third battalion touched down on September 17th of 1944. And I wanted to come up to where first battalion landed.

[00:13:28]So we are northwest of Vele in the town of Hesvik Denta. This is all Dutch and I don't have enough flame in my throat to to pronounce it properly. So if that's a little bit off, you'll have to excuse me. But first battalion was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Harry Canard and uh they're going to touch down just to the the west of where we are now and are actually going to be moving right along this street.

[00:13:57]So again we are on this street here in Hvakenta and are facing off to the west. So once these guys in first battalion realized that they were in the wrong spot, well, they started moving down towards Vele and would have walked right along here on this road in this picture that you see here uh in in front of me. So, pretty cool that that we can come here and kind of stand in the same spot where these guys walked on the first day of Operation Market Garden.

[00:14:37]Now, for the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, casualties are actually going to be pretty light on the first day of Operation Market Garden. Now, again, they they had landed off of their drop zone. first battalion had landed off of their drop zone and Canard had this concern that, you know, if they left their supplies behind, they might not be here when they get back. So, as they were heading down to Veel, he left 46 men behind, which included, I think, like eight guys who who had been wounded on the drop. And uh they go on down to Veel. Well, unfortunately for these 46 guys, they get surrounded by the Germans. Uh Canard is going to go to Johnson, the regimental commander, and ask to send a a company up here to relieve these men and rescue them.

[00:15:23]Johnson didn't want to to risk, you know, uh having a company that was going to maybe be needed for a German attack in Vele. So he says, "What about a platoon?" So at dark, there's a platoon size element that comes up here to try and and get these 46 guys.

[00:15:39]Unfortunately, they weren't able to break through and they end up becoming prisoners of the Germans. But anyway, that was a little bit on the the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment and drop zone A on the first day of Operation Market Garden.