Arnhem
In June 1944, the corps was ordered west to take part in the defence of Normandy. It was involved in heavy fighting against Field Marshal Montgomery's British 21st Army Group in the area around Caen. During this period, SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Bittrich, veteran commander of the Hohenstaufen, was placed in command of the corps.
After the launch of Operation Totalize and the forming of the Falaise pocket, the corps managed to escape encirclement and took part in operations to hold open the escape route for other divisions trapped in the kessel.
The corps executed a fighting withdrawal across France, engaging in several fierce rearguard actions. In early September, the corps was pulled out of the line to rest and refit near Arnhem in the Netherlands. On 17 September 1944, the allies launched Operation Market Garden, an airborne offensive aimed at capturing the Rhine bridge at Arnhem. The corps was put into action and was involved in heavy fighting against the British 1st Airborne Division in Arnhem and also against the US 82nd Airborne Division and British XXX Corps in Nijmegen. The corps played a decisive role in the defeat of the Allied offensive.
Read more about this topic: II SS Panzer Corps, Normandy