Right: Robert Bowen (left) with Walt Halsey while the 104th Infantry Regiment trained at fort Gordon in 1943. Both were selected to join 101st Airborne Division.

Left map: The 401st was to land north of Eindhoven, surround a dropzone and hold it for men and supplies, which would come in laterThe mission of the 101st was to capture and hold a 16-mile stretch of road behind German lines, from Eindhoven in the south and Uden in the north. This included the rail and highway bridges over the Aa river and the Zuid Willemsvaart canal near Veghel, highway bridges over the Dommel river at St.Oedenrode and Eindhoven and the Wilhelmina Canal at Son. The division was to hold these places while the british XXX Corps raced up from the south and to Arnhem.

The operation was novel and risky, a corps advancing up a single, paved road, with two German divisions poised to attack its left flank and an area that was as flat as a pancake and laced with canals andrivers that formed natural barriers

More than 2500 men, 140 jeeps, 100 trailers and two bulldozers were brought in on D+1. Of the 140 gliders that left England, 428 made it to LZ W. On D+2 385 gliders were scheuled to take off but due to dense fog and bad weather some did not do so. Only 209 made the LZ; 26 were missing in action, 16 crash-landed in friendly territory.

Over 1300 men got to the LZ but of the 136 jeeps expected only 79 made it. Of the 68 artillery pieces sent, only 40 came in. None of the 105 mm cannon of the 907th Glider Field Artillery got to the LZ on D+2.

(text and maps from the book: "Fighting with the screaming eagles" from Robert M.Bowen with permission from the writer and Chris Anderson, Editor of World War II Magazine)
After the fighting at Veghel they moved onto what was called "The Island". (right map) It was called so because it was a long narrow neck of land between the Lower Rhine and Wall Rivers, low and flat with no rise in the ground apart from towering dikes holding back the great rivers. From their possitions on the north side of the Rhine the germans had a perfect view of the lines. The 502d held the eastern sector from Driel to Randwijk. The 506th from Randwijk to Dodewaard. The British troops guarded the southern flank along the Waal.
The Lower Rhine River in 2002. Left the higher grounds were the Germans had their possitions. This was the spot were "Moose Heijliger" rescued the British Red Devils (See book Band of Brothers, page 161-162)

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