Action on the periphery

[BigDuke66]

There is a lot info out there about the forces directly involved in Market-Garden but what about the units of the VIII & XII Corps left and right of the XXX corps?
Has anyone info about what they did at the time of the operation?

[tukker]

AFAIK they attacked a few days after XXX Corps, both made slow progress though.

Pieter

[Conflux]

Hi
This is the info I have gleaned from various sources. There were quite a lot of cross-attachments which also confuses things.

VIII Corps (Lt Gen Richard O'Connor) right flank of XXX Corps
11th Armoured Division (Maj Gen G. P. B. Roberts), 3rd Division (Maj Gen L. G. Whistler), 4th Armoured Brigade (Brig R. M. P. Carver) and 1st Belgian Brigade (Col B Piron)

18 Sept - 50 (Northumbrian) Div transferred from XXX Corps to VIII Corps which started its delayed attack across the Meuse - Escaut Canal at Lille St Hubert.
18 - 20 Sept onwards - 4th Armoured Bde (less 44 Royal Tk Regt attached to 101st Airborne) defending the line of the Junction Canal (Belgium) from Lanklaer to Bree. 1st Belgian Bde defending northwards from Bree to Lille St Hubert (?)
19 Sept - 3rd Division almost reached Weert and 11th Armoured Division was moving towards Helmond. Pressure on 101st Airborne led to another armoured battalion being transferred to them from 4th Armoured Brigade.
20 Sept - 11 Armoured Division reached the line Heeze - Someren and by late afternoon had liberated Nuenen.
22 Sept - VIII Corps to change its direction of advance moving NE towards Venlo and Kleve. 101st Airborne would come under VIII Corps and together with 50 Div (reinforced by 131 Bde of 7th Armoured from XII Corps) and Princess Irene Bde would guard against attacks from the W and NW whilst 11 Armd and 3 Div would drive NE to the Rhine.
24 Sept - 11th Armoured Division captured Deurne, east of Helmond.
25 September - VIII Corps advanced against the retreating Kampfgruppe 'Walther' and 180th Infantry Division with 11th Armoured Division linking up with XXX Corps at Boxmeer on the Maas. With only two divisions advancing northeast, there was a danger of becoming dangerously over extended, but this was averted by the arrival of the US 7th Armoured Division returned to US XIX Corps, coming back into the line beside 3rd Division.

XII Corps (Lt Gen Neil Ritchie) left flank of XXX Corps
7th Armoured Division (Maj Gen G L Verney), 15th (Scottish) Division (Maj Gen C M Barber) and 53rd (Welsh) Division) (Maj Gen R K Ross)

17 Sept - XII Corps attacked north from the Aart bridgehead with the 15th (Scottish) Division and 53rd (Welsh) Division against Kampfgruppe 'Chill' but made slow progress.
19 Sept - XII Corps reached the Turnhout - Eindhoven Road but 53rd (Welsh) Division had exhausted itself doing so. 7th Armoured Division took over the Aart bridgehead and remained in Belgium for the rest of Market Garden while 15th (Scottish) Division passed through the 53rd next day.
22 Sept - 131 Infantry Bde of 7th Armoured transferred to 50 Div who with the Princess Irene Bde would guard against attacks from the W and NW.
25 Sept - 506th and 502nd Parachute Infantry, with help from 50th (Northumbrian) Division and 7th Armoured Division (131 Inf Bde ??), cleared Hoevering and reopened the road for good.

Regards
Martin