Operation Berlin (Arnhem) - The Plan

The Plan

At a conference between Miles Dempsey, Frederick Browning, and Brian Horrocks, it was decided that the British needed to be immediately evacuated from Arnhem. Urquhart's plan called for small groups of men to thin out and man the Oosterbeek perimeter. Then, under cover of night, the main bulk of the force would follow the white tape, laid by the Glider Pilots, through the woods to the river and slip across. The remaining defenders would slowly withdraw and soon they too would make it across the Rhine. To trick the Germans into thinking that the British were still fighting, radio traffic was planned to continue heavily and artillery would bombard the eastern shore of the Rhine to trick the Germans into thinking that there would be another landing to the east. Meanwhile, the division would go by boat across the Rhine to the village of Driel held by the Poles. The wounded would all be left behind to be cared for by the Germans.

Another part of Urquhart's plan called for the 4th Dorsets Battalion of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division to be deployed across the Rhine prior to the British retreat. These forces would open up the base of the Oosterbeek Perimeter and prevent it from being bottled-up by the Germans while the 1st Airborne crossed to safety.