.

Returning to its base in England, in mid-July, the 501st slowly regained its' pre D-Day capabilities with many replacements and another round of intensive training. There was good news of a Presidential Citation for actions in Normandy, and many planned assaults into France, which aborted as the allies overran planned objectives. Then, in the early fall of 1944, plans were made for what was not a "dry run", the airborne assault into occupied Holland.

Code named "Market Garden", it combined a deep airborne thrust, through western Holland, by the 1st Allied Airborne Army, with an overland drive by the British 2nd Army. The plan visualized airborne forces seizing key bridges over rivers and canals, so 2nd Army could move very deep, very fast, a distance over 100 miles, past the Rhine River, the last major water obstacle short of Berlin. This airborne assault would be made in daylight. The 101st Airborne Division was assigned the southernmost bridges at Eindhoven, Son, St.Oedenrode and Veghel, with the 501st assigned the Veghel Bridges.
 

 

Sunday morning, September 17, 9 a.m.: in platoon columns, men of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment march to their waiting aircraft. The C-47 coded CJ belongs to the 71st Squadron, which together with 72nd Squadron is to fly the first battalion of the 501st from Aldermaston to Veghel in serial A-4.

S2 section 501pir make themselves ready for their jump into Holland.
1:SSgt.John F.Tiller 2:Sgt.William R.Canfield who took part in the Incredible Patrol.(THE INCREDIBLE PATROL: six 501st. troopers take a walk behind the German lines in Holland, spend 24 hours, fire two shots and get back with 32 prisoners).

The airborne assault went as scheduled, on 17 September 1944, with a much improved performance by troop carrier units. Most drop zones were hit, with good drop patterns. 1st Battalion, 501st, however, was dropped some 5 miles east of its planned drop zone. In spite of this, the four bridges in Veghel were captured intact. Then began the really difficult part of the operation, keeping open the highway over which 2nd Army must pass to reach the 1st British Airborne Division, which was fighting for its life at the northern end of the airborne corridor. The fatal flaw in the plan became more evident each day as the forces proved too few, to both keep open the key highway and also fight on to a linkup with the 1st British Airborne, across the Rhine. The 1st British Airborne Division paid the full price for this flaw as they went down fighting against overwhelming odds; less than two thousand men escaped death or captured.

Vlagheide Eerde Sept. 17. 1944(photo:A.Krochka)
In front a 2/501 soldier collecting mortar shells.
In the background the landing of the 3rd Battalion 501PIRbr />

Eerde 17 sept 1944
A farmer from Eerde helps haul equipment for 501st.paratroopers 

The 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) dropped on two Drop Zones (DZs) outside Veghel. Most of the Regiment landed on DZ "A". By 15:00, they had already seized their initial objectives - namely four local bridges in Veghel. The 1st Battalion landed in DZ "A-1" near the town of Kasteel and reached Veghel by 17:00. By nightfall the regiment was set to defend the town against enemy attack.
After establishing communication with Division at 6:00, the 501st PIR continued its defense of Veghel throughout the day

The 501's "C" Company was ordered to send one platoon to Dinter. Reports from this company indicated that the enemy was strong there. The 3rd Battalion of the 501 was ordered to move from Veghel to Eerde. The remainder of the 501 continued to defend Veghel. During the late evening, Company "E" was driven back about 180 meters from its outpost position by a well-executed attack by enemy parachutists.
During the morning, the 1st Battalion of the 501 attacked and seized Dinter. The 2nd Battalion continued to defend Veghel. The 3rd Battalion extensively patrolled the area around Eerde.


Paratroopers entering Kapelstraat Eerde.

Eerde sept.24 1944 (photo:M.Bando)S2 section 501PIR in Eerde, ready to go on patrol.
1:Pfc.Robert Nicolai(bodyguard Col.Howard Johnson)2:unknown 3:Sgt.Eugene Amburgey
4:Pfc.Dick "Smokey" Ladman 5:Pvt.David M.Smith 6:SSgt.John F.Tiller.

Sand Dunes Eerde, Sept. 24.
War booty from A/501 after the battle of sand dunes

The 1st Battalion of the 501 crossed the Willems Vaart Canal in the early morning at Heeswijk and conducted extensive patrolling during the day. At 18:45 an attack was made Schijndel and the northwest section of the town was seized at approximately 22:15. The 2nd Battalion remained at Veghel. The 3rd Battalion moved to the west and cut the St. Oedenrode - Schijndel Road in the vicinity of the railroad station.

At 12:00 the 2nd Battalion 501st PIR was attacked on the Veghel-Erp Road. Additional troops were sent to Veghel and General McAuliffe was placed in command and charged with defense of the town and its bridges. 

General McAuliffe (Div Art), Colonel Sink (506)
and Colonel Harper (327)

Shermantank on a bridge in Veghel conquered by 501,
with extra firm carriageway build by engineers with the help of local people.

At about 14:00, enemy tanks cut the highway northeast of Veghel. Battery "B", 81st AT Battalion, arrived at the same time and immediately destroyed the Mark V tank leading the German attack. The 2nd Battalion 506th PIR took position on the left of the 2nd Battalion 501. The attack was repulsed by nightfall with the assistance of some British artillery gathered from the highway.

At about 14:00 enemy infantry, with tank support, attacked astride the canal from the northwest toward the highway bridge southwest of Veghel. Company "B" 506, which was in Veghel on its way to Uden, was redeployed near the bridge and repulsed the attack. During the afternoon the enemy launched an attack against the town from the north. The German attack was finally halted by elements of the 2nd Battalion, the 501st PIR, and one platoon of "H" Company, 506th PIR, which had taken up a defensive position there a short time before.

The enemy renewed its attacks from the south and southeast during the late afternoon, but by now reinforcements had arrived and the enemy attack was stopped.

Hoogstraat Veghel (after 24 sept.24 1944)
Soldiers of the 326AEB.

Veghel Sept. 17. 1944
German prisoners of war be removed from Veghel.

In the meantime, the 1st Battalion of the 501 attacked at dawn and had occupied all of Schijndel. About 12:00 the 1st the 1st Battalion was ordered to seize Weibosch and provide northern flank protection of Veghel. The 3rd Battalion - which had joined forces with the 1st Battalion in seizing Schijndel - was ordered to Eerde where it took up a defensive position guarding Veghel from the west.
Soon after dawn the enemy launched small scale attacks southeast of Veghel. These were held off without difficulty.

During the morning the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 501 readjusted their defensive positions west and north of Eerde and, at dark, were deployed along the railroad from the canal to Eerde (3rd Battalion) and south along the main highway (1st Battalion).
The bloody battle at Eerde, just southwest of the town of Veghel, was also heroic victory for the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment.


Veghel sept.18 1944
Pvt.John Sullivan D/501 with two German POW's at the Zuid-Willemskanaal
Canal Bridge in Veghel

Prisoners of war are questioned by 501(photo:A.krochka)

During the day a 4th Glider serial arrived, bringing remaining elements of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment and the 907th Glider Field Artillery Battalion. These troops moved immediately to the Veghel area.
At dawn reconnaissance confirmed the enemy had withdrawn to the southeast. The 506th PIR was ordered to take over the defense of Uden.

The Division Command Post was moved from St. Oedenrode to Veghel. The 327th Glider Infantry Regiment was assigned the task of defending Veghel, with the 907th Glider Field Artillery Battalion in support.

The 502 continued to defend the St. Oedenrode area. At 10:00 the enemy launched a series of probing attacks against the defensive position, moving from Schijndel toward Koevering. Two Companies of the 502 were dispatched to Koevering to intercept this force. they held Koevering, but could not prevent the enemy from cutting the highway northwest just before dark. Under the cover of darkness the enemy built up its forces with tanks, self-propelled artillery, and fairly large amount of infantry units.
During the night the 506 - with Batteries "B" 81st Battalion and the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion attached - returned to Veghel from the Uden area. At 09:15 the 506 attacked the enemy at Koevering. However both attacking battalions were pinned down by well-directed artillery and small arms fire. The 2nd Battalion was then ordered to execute a wide envelopment of the enemy's southern flank.

In the meantime, elements of the 50th British Division began an advance from the south. The 501 and Companies "D" and "H" of the 502 assisted by providing bases of fire for the attacking forces. By darkness the enemy had been cleared from all but a very small area south of the road. The 502 continued its defense of the St. Oedenrode area, the 327th its defense of the Veghel area, and the 501 its defense of the Eerde area. All three regiments had several small scale attacks launched against their positions during the day.

"HELL'S HIGHWAY"

The 506 PIR resumed its attack soon after daylight and, by 09:00, had driven the enemy north of the highway and made contact with the 501 PIR. The British forces continued the attack to the north, pinching out the 506 PIR and Companies "D" and "H" of the 502 PIR. At 13:00, the 506 PIR was ordered to return to Uden area. The 502 PIR continued its defense of the St.Oedenrode area, Companies "D" and "H" returning to Regimental control at 15:00. the 501 PIR and the 327th GIT continued their defensive missions, both regiments repelling small scale enemy attacks during the day.

No change in unit dispositions. Several enemy infiltration attempts on front of 501 PIR and 327th GIR repelled.

The 501st, with the rest of the division, moved from initial objective areas to positions on "the Island" between the Waal and Rhine Rivers; it became clear that we would not be withdrawn from Holland after a few days, as we had been told; our combat skills were too much needed by the British. The prolonged fighting on "the island" was anything but the way to use an airborne unit. After the initial hard fighting it became a static war of patrolling and attrition, principally by artillery and mortars. One such mortar attack, near Driel, on 08 October 1944, fatally wounded Colonel Johnson. As he was being evacuated, his last words to LTC Ewell were, "Take care of my boys". Colonel Johnson was our best known loss, but with him we lost 661 other fine soldiers. LTC Ewell, a taciturn West Pointer, succeeded Colonel Johnson. Much less an extrovert than Johnson, he more than made up for any lack of "flash and dash" with a keen mind, tactical prescience and all around professional competence.

Eerde after sept.25 1944
Unknown soldiers of 501PIR in Eerde (jeep probably from Lt.Col Kinnard)
Dodge and jeep have 501PI markings

After 72 days of combat in Holland the division returned to a new staging area, in Mourmelon, France, for what everyone thought would be a long, well deserved rest. Accordingly, many men were on leave or pass, the Division Commander was in the United States, the Assistant Division Commander was in England (leaving the Artillery Commander, General McAuliffe, in command), and there still were major shortages of equipment and supplies, not replaced after Holland.