Operation Varsity: The Final Airborne Blow of WW2

Greetings, history enthusiasts. I'm Steve Matthews, and welcome back to WW2 Stories. Today, we're going to explore one of the most consequential yet often overlooked operations of World War II – a massive airborne assault that played a pivotal role in bringing the European conflict to its conclusion. This is the story of Operation Varsity, the largest single-day airborne operation in military history and, as some historians have called it, "the battle that ended World War II in Europe."

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Greetings, history enthusiasts. I'm Steve Matthews and welcome
back to WW2 Stories. Today we're going to explore one
of the most consequential, yet often overlooked operations of
World War 2, a massive airborne assault that played a pivotal
role in bringing the European conflict to its conclusion.

(00:21):
This is the story of Operation Varsity, the largest single day
airborne operation in military history, and, as some historians
have called it, the battle that ended World War 2 in Europe.
As the bitter winter of 1944 to 1945 gave way to early spring,
the Allied forces stood at the threshold of Nazi Germany's

(00:42):
heartland. After the brutal fighting of the
Battle of the Bulge, Allied armies had pushed forward to the
western Bank of the Rhine River,the last major natural barrier
protecting Germany from invasion.
For centuries, the Rhine had served as Germany's historic
defensive frontier, a formidablewaterway that had thwarted

(01:02):
invaders since the time of the Romans.
Now, in March 1945, it stood as the final significant obstacle
between the Allied forces and the complete defeat of the Third
Reich. The Rhine is not merely a river.
It's a massive waterway, averaging 400 yards wide, with
swift currents and in many places, steep banks that make

(01:24):
crossing extremely hazardous. By 1945, almost all bridges
spanning the Rhine had been destroyed by retreating German
forces and the eastern bank was heavily fortified with defensive
positions, artillery and anti aircraft guns.
The Germans, even in their increasingly desperate

(01:44):
situation, understood the critical importance of this
natural barrier and were determined to make any crossing
as costly as possible for the Allied forces.
The Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D Eisenhower, and
his staff faced A crucial strategic decision.
How could they cross this formidable obstacle quickly

(02:04):
while minimizing casualties and preventing the Germans from
establishing a new defensive line east of the river?
The answer was A2 pronged Approach, a massive ground
assault across the river codenamed Operation Plunder,
supported by the largest airborne operation ever
attempted, Operation Varsity. Brigadier General Floyd Parks,

(02:26):
chief of staff for the First Allied Airborne Army, later
recalled the planning sessions. We knew we were planning
something unprecedented in military history.
The discussions were intense, with serious concerns about drop
zones, anti aircraft defenses and the timing of the operation.
When someone suggested dropping directly on the objectives

(02:48):
rather than in a distance, therewas strong opposition initially.
But as we analyzed previous operations, especially the
problems at Market Garden, we realized that in this final
push, bold action might actuallysave lives in the long run.
The plan for Operation Varsity was both innovative and risky.

(03:09):
Unlike previous airborne operations where paratroopers
and glider troops had been dropped miles from their
objectives to avoid anti aircraft fire, this operation
would place Allied airborne forces directly on top of their
objectives behind enemy lines. More than 16,000 paratroopers
and glider borne soldiers would descend upon the eastern Bank of

(03:30):
the Rhine near the town of Vasel, seizing critical high
ground, capturing bridges over smaller waterways, and
preventing German reinforcementsfrom reaching the river to
oppose the main crossing. The operation would focus
primarily on securing the dyersforter walled, a forested
Ridge overlooking the Rhine. This high ground was critically

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important. Whoever controlled it would have
observation points for artilleryfire across the entire area.
If the Germans held this position, they could direct
devastating fire onto the Alliedbridge heads.
If the Allies controlled it, they could protect their
crossing operations and disrupt any German counter attacks.

(04:12):
Colonel James Kouts, who participated in the
reconnaissance flights over the area, described what they
observed. The Dyersforter walled was
clearly visible from our aircraft, a dark green band of
forest rising above the surrounding farmland.
Through binoculars we could see German activity within the
trees, including what appeared to be artillery positions in

(04:35):
anti aircraft emplacements. We knew taking this ground would
be bloody work, but if we didn'tsecure it, the entire Rhine
crossing could be jeopardized. 2elite airborne divisions were
assigned to this crucial mission, the British 6th
Airborne Division and the American 17th Airborne Division.
Many of these men were veterans of previous drops in Normandy,

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Holland or earlier campaigns, but for others this would be
their first combat jump. All knew that they would be
landing directly on top of enemypositions in broad daylight, a
tactic never before attempted onsuch a scale.
As the date for the operation approached, preparations
intensified. The logistical requirements were

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staggering. More than 1500 transport
aircraft and 1300 gliders would be needed to carry the 17,000
troops along with their equipment, artillery pieces,
jeeps and supplies. More than 900 fighter aircraft
would provide escort and air support.
Assembly areas in England and France bustled with activity as

(05:43):
units prepared their equipment and conducted final training
exercises. Staff Sergeant Robert Thompson
of the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment remembered the final
days of preparation. We were bivouacked near an
airfield in France. The security was incredible.
No one was allowed to leave the area and military police patrol

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the perimeter day and night. We spent hours studying sand
table models that showed every building, road and terrain
feature of our drop zones. Officers would quiz us
constantly. What's your first objective
after landing? What's your rally point?
If you're scattered, how will you identify friendly troops?

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They drilled it into us until wecould recite our missions in our
sleep. The tension built with each
passing day. We all knew this was the big
one, the operation that could end the war.
For the paratroopers and glider troops, these final days were
filled with a mixture of intensepreparation and tense waiting.

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They cleaned and checked their weapons repeatedly studied sand
table models of their objectives, and rehearse their
missions down to the smallest detail.
Many wrote letters home, some with premonitions they might not
return. Private First Class Michael
Collins, a 19 year old replacement who had joined the
17th Airborne just after the Battle of the Bulge, wrote to

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his parents the night before theoperation.
Dear Mom and Dad, by the time you receive this letter, you
will probably have heard about our operation on the news.
I can't tell you where we're going, but it's a big one.
The veterans say it might be thelast major battle of the war.
I'm nervous but ready. The training has been tough but

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I feel prepared. The men in my squad have been
good to me, especially Sergeant Hayes who has taken me under his
wing. Don't worry about me, I'm with
the best outfit in the Army. I'll write again as soon as I
can. Your loving son, Mike Collins
would survive the operation, butSergeant Hayes, the veteran who

(07:53):
had mentored him, was killed during the drop when his
parachute was hit by anti aircraft fire.
This pattern of loss experiencedveterans who had survived
multiple campaigns only to fall in the war's final months, was
repeated throughout the airbornedivisions.
The mental preparation for such a mission was as important as

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the physical. Soldiers relied on rigorous
training that had simulated the chaos and fear of combat jumps.
They drew strength from the bonds formed with their comrades
and the trust bill with their leaders.
Unit cohesion was paramount. Each man knew he would be
dependent on those around him once they hit the ground.

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Chaplains held services for those who wish to attend,
providing spiritual comfort before what many knew would be a
brutal fight. Captain Richard Miller, a
chaplain with the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
held services the night before the operation.
I had never seen so many men attend.
Usually about half the company might show up.

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But that night it seemed like everyone was there.
We prayed together, sang a few hymns quietly, and I offered a
brief message of courage and faith.
Afterward, many men approached me privately for prayer or
confession. Some wanted to talk about their
families, others about their fears.
I stayed up most of the night moving among the men, offering

(09:20):
what comfort I could. In the morning I would jump with
them carrying only a Bible and medical supplies.
The paratroopers equipment was carefully prepared and checked
multiple times. Each man carried an
extraordinary amount of gear, their main parachute and reserve
chute, weapons, ammunition, rations, medical supplies and

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various tools needed for their specific missions.
A fully equipped paratrooper often jumped, carrying more than
100 lbs of equipment. For many, this would include
their personal weapon, typicallyan M1 Garon rifle for American
troops or a Lee infield for the British, along with several
grenades, a combat knife, a first aid packet, and enough

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ammunition to sustain them untilthey could link up with ground
forces. Specialized troops carried even
more machine Gunners with their heavy weapons and ammunition,
demolition experts with explosives, radio operators with
their bulky communication equipment, and medics with
additional medical supplies. The weight and bulk of this

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equipment made the actual jump more dangerous, but once on the
ground, these items would mean the difference between success
and failure, between life and death.
Technical Sergeant William O'Brien, a radio operator with
the 507th Parachute Infantry, described his load.
I jumped with over 120 lbs of equipment.

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In addition to my personal weapon and gear, I carried the
radio set, extra batteries, spare parts, antenna sections,
and code books. It was back breaking weight and
I had to waddle like a duck to the aircraft.
During the jump itself. I had to be extremely careful
about my landing position to avoid damaging the radio or

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worse, having it land on top of me.
Once on the ground, I became themost popular man in the company.
Everyone needed communications and I was the link to
headquarters and artillery support.
Glider troops faced their own unique challenges.
While paratroopers at least had some control over their descent,

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glider infantry were essentiallypassengers and fragile engine
less aircraft made primarily of wood and canvas.
The Waco CG4A gliders used by American forces and the British
Horse of Gliders could carry larger equipment, jeeps, anti
tank guns and light artillery pieces, but they were notorious

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for breaking apart on landing, often causing injuries to the
men inside. Glider pilots who had to guide
these unwieldy craft to specificlanding zones while under enemy
fire knew they had one of the most dangerous assignments of
the operation, First Lieutenant David Henderson, a Waco glider
pilot, wrote in his journal. They caused the Suicide Club,

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and with good reason. Once we cut loose from the tow
plane, we're committed. No engines, no second chances,
just one attempt to land in the right spot.
And for Operation Varsity, the right spot happens to be
crawling with Germans shooting at us.
The Waco is a decent glider, butit's essentially made of canvas

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stretched over a metal frame. It offers no protection from
ground fire. If we're hit in a vital area or
lose too much of the wing surface, we're done for.
And even if we make it to the landing zone intact, the landing
itself is often a controlled crash at best.
Yet despite all this, there's noshortage of volunteers.

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Someone has to deliver the heavyequipment, and that someone is
us. The night before the operation,
many units followed the airbornetradition of serving a special
meal, often steak and eggs, a small luxury before the
hardships to come. Some men slept.
Others stayed awake, talking quietly, checking and rechecking

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their equipment or writing finalnotes to loved ones.
The weight of what awaited them hung heavy in the air.
In the pre dawn hours of March 24th, 1945, Operation Varsity
began to unfold. The first wave of bombers struck
German positions along the eastern Bank of the Rhine,

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followed by a massive artillery barrage from thousands of guns
positioned on the western bank. As daylight broke the main river
crossing, Operation Plunder commenced with British and
American troops pushing across the Rhine and small boats and
amphibious vehicles. But it was the airborne
operation that would truly breakthe back of German resistance.

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At approximately 10:00 AM, the skies Over The Rhine filled with
aircraft as far as the eye couldsee.
Wave after wave of C47 Dakota transport planes towing gliders
were carrying paratroopers approached the drop zones.
The Armada stretched for miles across the sky.
More than 1500 transport aircraft, followed by 1300

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gliders, all protected by over 900 fighters and fighter
bombers. Lieutenant Colonel James Pierce
of the American 17th Airborne Division later recalled the
moment when his aircraft approached the Rhine.
Looking out the window, I could see hundreds of planes behind
us, and I knew there were hundreds more ahead.

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The sky was literally filled with aircraft.
The Rhine below reflected the morning sun, and beyond it lay
Germany itself, the end of our long journey that had begun on
the beaches of Normandy. Men were unusually quiet.
Some prayed, others checked their equipment one final time,

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but all of us knew that this wasthe beginning of the end for
Hitler's Germany. For the Germans below, the site
must have been both awesome and terrifying, the seemingly
endless procession of aircraft signaling that the final battle
for their homeland had truly begun.
For the Allied troops waiting tojump, the moments before they
reached the drop zone were filled with a potent mixture of

(15:28):
fear, determination, and focusedconcentration.
For the Germans below, the site must have been both awesome and
terrifying, the seemingly endless procession of aircraft
signaling that the final battle for their homeland had truly
begun. For the Allied troops waiting to
jump, the moments before they reach the drop zone were filled

(15:49):
with a potent mixture of fear, determination and focused
concentration. Peter Davies, A glider pilot who
participated in Operation Varsity and who lived to the
remarkable age of 102, later described his experience.
It's like piloting a brick. There's only One Direction and
that's down. We encountered a significant

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amount of Flack, lost control and after a substantial portion
of one wing was damaged, we found ourselves plunging deeper
into enemy territory. Davies experience was far from
unique. The German defenders had
organized a formidable reception.
Knowing the Allies would eventually attempt to cross the

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Rhine. They had concentrated anti
aircraft defenses in the area. Batteries of German 88mm anti
aircraft guns, the feared FLAC 80 Eights, were positioned to
cover the likely drop zones. Lighter 20mm and 37mm anti
aircraft guns provided additional firepower.

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Machine gun nests were established at key points around
the drop zones, and infantry units with rifles were prepared
to target descending paratroopers.
As the transports reached the drop zones, the sky bloomed with
thousands of parachutes as paratroopers jumped into the
maelstrom below. Anti aircraft guns and small
arms fire filled the air, cutting down aircraft and

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paratroopers alike. The men of the 17th and 6th
Airborne Divisions descended directly into the teeth of enemy
fire, one Sergeant later recalled.
I'll admit that when we stood upin the plane I was damned
frightened and when the bell rang for exit I was scared.
But when we jumped and I heard the Flack, I was terrified.

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I saw two of my buddies get hit while in the air.
I'll always remember how they slumped in their chutes.
Private Frank Wilson of the British 6th Airborne Division
described his jump as I left theaircraft.
The sound was deafening. The engines, the wind, and then
the unmistakable crack of bullets passing close by.

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I could see tracers coming up from the ground, actually
passing through canopies nearby.Time seemed to slow down.
The descent, which probably lasted less than a minute, felt
like hours. I was completely exposed,
dangling helplessly, watching the ground come up to meet me
and knowing there were Germans down there waiting.

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The glider landings were equallyharrowing.
Gliders came in under heavy fire, many already damaged, or a
blaze from ground fire. Witnesses described watching
gliders land already engulfed inflames, with men running out
themselves on fire. The fields east of the Rhine
quickly became a graveyard of shattered aircraft and gliders.

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Captain Harold Montgomery, a medical officer with the
American 17th Airborne Division,landed in a Waco glider that
broke apart on impact. The crash was violent.
We hit the ground at tremendous speed and the glider simply
disintegrated around us. The man next to me was thrown
through the front and killed instantly.

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I was pinned under wreckage and had to be pulled free by the
others. As soon as we emerged from the
wreckage, we came under machine gunfire from a farmhouse about
200 yards away. We had to set up our aid station
right there amid the debris of our glider, treating the injured
from our crash even as more wounded were being brought in
from the drop zones. Jake Dalton, a paratrooper with

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the American 17th Airborne, recalled seeing 20mm bullets
hitting the ground just inches from his face as he landed in an
open field. He crawled desperately for
cover, only to find his Lieutenant dead nearby.
The smell of burning flesh from crashed gliders nearby was
something he would never forget.Sergeant Thomas Riley of the

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British 6th Airborne Division had an experience that
illustrated the chaotic nature of the operation.
I landed in an orchard and immediately became entangled in
a tree. As I hung there trying to cut
myself free, I could see Germansmoving through the orchard
toward other paratroopers who had landed.
I finally managed to release myself and drop to the ground,

(20:11):
only to find myself face to facewith a German soldier no more
than 10 yards away. We both fired at the same time.
I was lucky he wasn't. The confusion and danger of the
initial landings was compounded by the fact that many
paratroopers and gliders missed their designated drop zones.

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This was a common problem in airborne operations as pilots
had to navigate under combat conditions, often taking evasive
action to avoid anti aircraft fire.
Men who were supposed to land together as fighting units found
themselves scattered across the battlefield, forced to band
together with whoever they couldfind and move toward their
objectives. Despite the intense fire and

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high casualties, the paratroopers and glider troops
rallied quickly. Once on the ground, their
training and discipline serve them well as they assembled into
fighting units and move toward their objectives.
The American 500 and 7th Parachute Infantry Regiment
fought their way through to capture the vital dyersforder,
walled the wooden high ground overlooking the Rhine crossings.

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The British 6th Airborne securedbridges over the River Isel and
caught roads that German reinforcements would need to
counter the Allied crossing. The fighting was intense and
often hand to hand as paratroopers cleared German
positions in the forests and villages.
Sergeant William Davis of the 513th Parachute Infantry

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Regiment described one such encounter.
We were moving through the forest when we came upon a
German machine gun position thathad been firing on troops
landing in the fields nearby. There were five Germans with an
MG42 machine gun and a small bunker.
We couldn't approach directly without being cut down, so we
split into two groups to flank them.

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The fighting was at such close quarters that I could see the
whites of their eyes. One of our men was killed and
two others wounded, but we took the position and eliminated a
significant threat to our comrades still landing.
The Germans fought tenaciously, knowing that once the Rhine was
breached, the war would soon reach their homes and families.

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But the sheer scale and coordination of the Allied
assault overwhelmed the defenders.
The bold strategy of landing directly on objectives while
resulting in higher initial casualties had caught the
Germans by surprise and prevented them from organizing
an effective response. Lieutenant Carl Schmidt, a
German officer who survived the battle and was later captured,

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offered his perspective. We knew the Allies would attempt
to cross the Rhine, but the scale of the airborne assault
was beyond anything we had anticipated.
Suddenly the sky was full of aircraft and paratroopers.
Our anti aircraft guns were effective initially, but they
were quickly targeted by Allied fighters and artillery.

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Once the paratroopers were on the ground and organized, our
positions were out, flanked and overrun.
By mid afternoon it was clear that our defense had failed and
we were ordered to retreat eastward if possible.
Many of us found ourselves cut off and surrounded as the Allied
ground forces linked up with their airborne troops.

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The casualty rates were sobering.
The operation cost over 2300 Allied casualties, with glider
pilot units suffering particularly heavily.
More than 20% of glider pilots were killed or wounded.
Of the 416 gliders involved, only 88 landed undamaged.

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Dozens of transport aircraft were shot down or severely
damaged by Flack. Yet despite these losses, the
operation achieved all of its objectives within hours, a
remarkable testament to the courage and effectiveness of the
airborne troops. The various units involved in
Operation Varsity each face their own unique challenges and

(24:09):
performed remarkable feats of arms.
The British 6th Airborne Division, veterans of the D-Day
landings in Normandy, were assigned to capture the villages
of Schnappenburg and Hammingkorn, to clear part of
the Dyersforder Walled, and to seize Three Bridges over the
River Issel. Their commanding officer, Major
General Eric Bowles, had carefully prepared his troops

(24:32):
for the operation, emphasizing the need for aggressive action
immediately upon landing. The British 8th Parachute
Battalion captured the village of Schnappenburg within an hour
of landing, despite heavy opposition and numerous
casualties. During the drop, the Third
Parachute Brigade secured the bridges over the River Isle,

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vital to preventing German reinforcements from reaching the
battle area. The 6th Air Landing Brigade, who
arrived in gliders rather than by parachute, suffered heavy
losses during landing, but quickly reorganized to take
their objectives. On the American side, the 17th
Airborne Division, under the command of Major General William

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Miley, was tasked with seizing the eastern portion of the
Dyersforter walled, clearing enemy defenses from the area,
and linking up with the British to their N.
For many in the 17th, this wouldbe their first combat jump,
though the division had already fought with distinction during
the Battle of the Bulge. The 507th Parachute Infantry

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Regiment landed directly on their objective, the central
portion of the Dyersforder walled, and immediately engaged
in intense fighting to clear German positions from the
forest. The 513th Parachute Infantry
Regiment secured the southern portion of the forest and
advanced to link up with elements of the British 6th
Airborne. The 194th Glider Infantry

(25:59):
Regiment suffered heavy casualties during their landing,
but played a crucial role in expanding the American sector
and establishing A defensive perimeter.
One particularly notable action during the operation was the
capture of a German anti aircraft position by Private
George Peters of the 507th Parachute Infantry.

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Shortly after landing, Peters single handedly attacked a
German 88mm gun position that was firing on descending
paratroopers. Armed only with a rifle and
grenades, he charged the position and killed or wounded
several of the crew before beingfatally wounded himself.
For this action, Peters was posthumously awarded the Medal

(26:41):
of Honor. Another Medal of Honor was
awarded to Private First Class Stewart Stryker of the 513th
Parachute Infantry. When his company was pinned down
by intense German fire during anattack on a farmhouse, Stryker
LED a charge against the position.
Though killed in the assault, his actions inspired his

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comrades to continue the attack and capture the objective.
These individual acts of heroism, replicated hundreds of
times across the battlefield, were key to the operation
success. By the end of that first day,
the success of Operation Varsitywas clear.
The airborne troops had secured the high ground overlooking the

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Rhine, captured or destroyed keybridges and Rd. junctions, and
effectively cut off the battlefield from German
reinforcements. Most importantly, they had
linked up with the ground forcesof Operation Plunder, creating a
secure bridgehead that engineerscould now exploit to build
pontoon bridges for tanks and heavy equipment.

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The German defenses along the Rhine, their last natural
defensive line, had been decisively breached.
Within days, Allied armor and infantry were pouring across the
river and advancing rapidly eastward into the German
heartland. The Wehrmacht, already depleted
by years of grueling warfare, could no longer form a coherent

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defensive line. The end of the Third Reich was
now merely a matter of time. The strategic impact of
Operation Varsity was profound. By helping to secure a rapid
crossing of the Rhine, the operation accelerated the Allied
advance into Germany by weeks, if not months.
It's supported Eisenhower's Broad Front strategy, which

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aimed to prevent German forces from concentrating their
defenses or retreating in good order.
The massive breakthrough with the Rhine opened the North
German Plain, giving Allied forces unobstructed access
toward Berlin and other key cities.
The operation demonstrated the maturation of Allied airborne
doctrine. Earlier operations, such as

(28:51):
those in Sicily, Normandy, and especially Operation Market
Garden in Holland, had revealed both the potential and the
limitations of airborne warfare.Market Garden, in particular,
had shown the dangers of dropping troops too far from
their objectives and the vulnerability of isolated
airborne forces without timely ground support.

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Operation Varsity incorporated these lessons, dropping troops
directly on their objectives andensuring rapid link up with
ground forces. The close coordination between
air and ground components was a model of combined arms
operations. Field Marshall Bernard
Montgomery, commanding the 21st Army Group that included both

(29:33):
the airborne divisions and the ground forces crossing the
Rhine, later wrote in his memoirs.
The airborne operation was a complete success.
All objectives were taken. The airborne troops, British and
American, performed admirably, displaying courage and
initiative of the highest order.The landings, though costly,

(29:55):
achieved precisely what was intended.
They secured the eastern Bank ofthe Rhine and prevented the
enemy from interfering with the river crossing operations.
For the men on the ground, however, strategic
considerations were far less important than the immediate
reality of combat and survival. Private James Miller of the

(30:15):
194th Glider Infantry Regiment recalled the aftermath of the
initial assault. By evening we had secured our
objectives, but at a terrible cost.
My platoon had started with 36 men.
By nightfall we had 17 effectives.
The rest were dead, wounded or missing.

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We dug in, expecting a German counter attack that never came.
They had been hit too hard, too fast.
As darkness fell, we could see the Rhine to our W, lit up by
searchlights as engineers workedthrough the night to build
bridges. It was an incredible sight,
proof that we had succeeded despite everything.

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The human dimension of this victory cannot be overlooked.
Within six weeks of Operation Varsity, Allied forces liberated
the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, revealing to the world the
full horrors of the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler committed suicide
in his Berlin bunker. German forces in Italy

(31:19):
surrendered, and on May 8th, 1945, less than seven weeks
after the Rhine crossing, Nazi Germany surrendered
unconditionally. The war in Europe was over.
For the men who survived Operation Varsity, the memories
of that day would remain vivid for the rest of their lives.

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Many rarely spoke of their experiences, carrying the trauma
of what they had witnessed silently for decades.
When they did share their stories, they often focused not
on their own actions, but on thecourage of their comrades and
the bonds formed in combat. The operation holds several
distinctions in military history.

(31:59):
It was the last major Allied airborne operation of World War
2. It remains the largest single
day airborne operation ever conducted.
It was also an operation of manyfirsts, the first time airborne
forces had deliberately been dropped directly on their
objectives in daylight. The 1st combat deployment of the
new American C46 Commando transport plane alongside the

(32:22):
trusted C47, and the first and only combat jump for many units
involved. Despite its scale and
significance, Operation Varsity remains less well known than
earlier airborne operations likethose during D-Day or Operation
Market Garden. Perhaps this is because it came
late in the war, when Allied victory already seemed assured.

(32:45):
Perhaps it's because the operation worked largely as
planned, lacking the dramatic narrative of desperate last
stands or against all odds victories that capture popular
imagination. Yet for military historians and
the families of those who served, Operation Varsity stands
as a testament to the effectiveness of airborne
warfare when properly planned and executed, and to the courage

(33:08):
of the men who literally fell from the sky into combat on that
March day in 1945. The lessons learned from
previous airborne operations were clearly applied and
Planning Varsity. Unlike Market Garden, troops
were dropped closer to the frontlines and in a single
coordinated lift, ensuring rapidlink up with advancing ground

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forces and reducing the risk of isolation.
The planners also ensured that adequate air support and
artillery coverage were available to support the
airborne troops immediately uponlanding.
The terrain itself played a decisive role in shaping the
operation. The Rhine steep banks and swift
currents made direct crossings hazardous, necessitating the

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airborne component to secure thefar bank.
The dyersforder, walled with itscommanding view of the crossing
sites, was identified early as acritical objective that would
determine the success or failureof the entire operation.
The open farmland east of the Rhine, while allowing for large
scale airborne landings, also left troops dangerously exposed

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to enemy fire as they descended.As we look back at Operation
Varsity from our vantage point today, we can appreciate it as
both a remarkable military achievement in a human drama of
extraordinary proportions. Thousands of young men, knowing
the extreme danger they faced, nevertheless climbed aboard
aircraft and gliders, flew into intense anti aircraft fire, and

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jumped or crash landed directly into enemy territory.
Their courage helped bring an end to the most destructive
conflict in human history. One veteran of the operation,
reflecting decades later, summedit up simply.
We knew it would be bad. We knew many of us wouldn't make
it. But we also knew the war had to

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be ended and this was the way todo it.
So we jumped. The success of Operation Varsity
accelerated the end of the war in Europe by weeks, potentially
saving thousands of lives that would have been lost in
protracted fighting and, importantly, hastening the
liberation of concentration camps where prisoners were dying

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daily. The operation serves as a
reminder that even in the war's final months, Allied soldiers
continued to make extraordinary sacrifices to bring the conflict
to its conclusion. In military history, great
battles are often remembered fortheir decisive nature, moments
when the course of a war definitively changed.

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Operation Varsity deserves to becounted among these
consequential engagements. It was indeed the battle that
ended World War 2 in Europe, breaking the back of German
resistance and opening the path to final victory.
This has been Steve Matthews forWW2 stories.
Until next time, remember that history is shaped by both grand

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strategy and individual courage,by the plans of generals and the
bravery of ordinary men and women facing extraordinary
circumstances.