Battle of Arnhem

The Battle of Arnhem was a famous battle of the Second World War fought in and around the Dutch towns of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17–26 September 1944.

After sweeping through France and Belgium in the summer of 1944, the Allies were poised to enter the Netherlands. British Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery favoured a single thrust north over the branches of the Lower Rhine River, allowing the British Second Army to bypass the Siegfried Line and attack the Ruhr. To this end, the Allies launched Operation Market Garden on 17 September. Airborne troops were dropped in the Netherlands to secure key bridges and towns along the Allied axis of advance. Farthest north, the British 1st Airborne Division, supported by men of the Glider Pilot Regiment and the 1st Polish Parachute Brigade, landed at Arnhem to secure bridges across the Nederrijn. Initially expecting a walkover, British XXX Corps planned to reach the British airborne forces within two to three days.

Arnhem

Arnhem [/ˈɑːnəm/ or /ˈɑːnhɛm/, Dutch: [ˈɑrnɛm] or [ˈɑrnɦɛm]] (German: Arnheim, Frisian: Arnhim, South Guelderish: Èrnem) is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located on both banks of the river Nederrijn as well as on the Sint-Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem had a population of 151,356 in 2014 and is one of the larger cities of the Netherlands. The municipality is part of the city region Arnhem-Nijmegen, which has a combined 736,500 inhabitants. Arnhem is home to the Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen and ArtEZ Institute of the Arts.

History

The earliest history of Arnhem

Arnhem was first mentioned as such in 893 as Arneym or Arentheym. Traces of human residence date back much further, however.

The oldest archeological findings of human activity around Arnhem are two firestones of about 70,000 years ago. These come from the stone age, when the Neanderthals lived in this part of Europe. In Schuytgraaf, remnants of a hunters camp from around 5000 BC have been discovered. In Schaarsbergen, 12 grave mounds were found from 2400 BC, which brought the so-called Neolithic revolution to the area of Arnhem, i.e., the rise of the farmers.

Arnhem (ship)

The Arnhem or Aernem (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑrnɛm]) was a Dutch East Indiaman sailing vessel that featured in several notable historical events. It was shipwrecked off Mauritius on 12 February 1662.

Description

The Arnhem was built by the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC) chamber of Amsterdam at their wharf in 1654. It was named after the city of Arnhem in the Netherlands.

The sailing ship was an East Indiaman or spiegelretourschip. It had a capacity of 1,000 tons.

Fate

The Arnhem, captained by Pieter Anthoniszoon, was one of seven VOC ships that left Batavia on 23 December 1661, homeward bound via the Cape of Good Hope. The other vessels were the Wapen van Holland, Prins Willem, Vogel Phoenix, Maarsseveen, Prinses Royal and Gekroonde Leeuw.

On 11 February 1662, the fleet was scattered by a violent storm. The Wapen van Holland (920 tons), Gekroonde Leeuw (1,200 tons) and Prins Willem (1,200 tons) disappeared without trace. The following day Arnhem ran aground on the Saint Brandon Rocks (also known as Cargados Carajos), a group of atolls and reefs some 200 kilometres north-east of Mauritius.

Arnhem (video game)

Arnhem: The 'Market Garden' Operation is a battle strategy game by SSI. It was released for MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC in 1985 and for the Commodore Amiga in 1991. In the U.K. it was published by CCS.

Overview

The player takes the role of either the Germans or the Allies at the Battle of Arnhem in 1944. They have the option of playing the entire campaign or subsections of it, with the computer playing the opposition. There is also a two player mode.

Gameplay

The game uses the overhead map view characteristic of traditional wargames, with combat units indicated by square tokens which the players move by turns. Additional units are added to the battle as reinforcements as the game progresses.

The Allies must capture the bridge at Arnhem within a set number of turns in order to win. The Germans win by successfully defending the Bridge. The campaign may be played in its entirety or the constituent actions may be played separately: