ABSTRACT
The little railway station at Wolfheze became a centre of activity, with many airborne men arriving there from the landing area. Krafft himself was in Arnhem, where he had brought the remainder of his unit to readiness after the preliminary air raids. Brigadier Gerald Lathbury's 1st Parachute Brigade contained the senior and most experienced parachute units in the British Army. Nothing less than the ultimate success of Operation 'Market Garden' rested on the ability of the Reconnaissance Squadron and the 1st Parachute Brigade Group to capture and hold the Arnhem road bridge. The Reconnaissance Squadron had landed in two parts, the jeeps and drivers by glider, most of the troopers by parachute, but a good rendezvous had been made. The 82nd successfully captured the important bridges over the river Maas at Grave and over a nearby canal, but the division was not yet able to move to the vital Nijmegen bridge, the last one on the road to Arnhem.
