Game of the Week, Oct 27-Nov 2

This week’s featured title in the Panzer Campaigns series takes players into one of the most ambitious and controversial Allied operations of World War II — the daring airborne-ground offensive known as Operation Market Garden. Available at 25% off all week until 2 November, Panzer Campaigns: Market Garden ’44 challenges you to seize the bridges, hold the corridor, and cross the Rhine — or crush the bold Allied gamble in its tracks.

A Bridge Too Far

In September 1944, the Allies were on the move. After the breakout from Normandy and the rapid liberation of much of France and Belgium, the German army appeared in disarray. Supply lines were stretched, the enemy was retreating — and the Rhine River, the last major natural barrier to Germany’s industrial heartland, loomed tantalizingly close. British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery proposed a bold solution: Operation Market Garden, a combined airborne and ground assault to leap across the Netherlands and secure a Rhine crossing at Arnhem.

„Het was een prachtig gezicht. Eerst kwamen vliegtuigen, honderden vliegtuigen. Toen lieten ze zweefvliegtuigen los, die bijna geluidloos daalden, en toen de parachutisten, als reusachtige sneeuwvlokken tegen de blauwe lucht. Wij dachten: dit is de bevrijding”

“It was a magnificent sight. First came the planes, hundreds of planes. Then they released gliders, which descended almost silently, and then the paratroopers, like giant snowflakes against the blue sky. We thought: this is liberation.”

- Dutch eyewitness account, cited in L. de Jong Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog

“Market” was the airborne element: the largest airborne operation in history, involving three Allied divisions dropped deep behind German lines. The U.S. 101st Airborne was tasked with capturing bridges near Eindhoven; the 82nd Airborne aimed to secure the Maas and Waal rivers near Nijmegen; and the British 1st Airborne, reinforced by Polish paratroopers, was assigned the most distant and perilous objective — the bridge at Arnhem, over the Lower Rhine.

“Garden” was the ground offensive: XXX Corps, a British armored column, would drive north from the Belgian border, link up with each airborne division in turn, and push all the way to Arnhem — ideally within 48 hours. If successful, the Allies would outflank the Siegfried Line, cut off German forces in the west, and possibly even end the war by Christmas.

But things began to go wrong almost immediately.

"Die Briten landeten praktisch in unserem Schoß. Eine Division — direkt zwischen zwei unserer Panzerdivisionen! Für mich war es kaum zu glauben."

"The British practically landed in our lap. A whole division — right between our two Panzer divisions! I could hardly believe it."

- Ogruf. Wilhelm Bittrich, Commander II. SS-Panzerkorps

While the initial drops caught many German units off-guard, resistance quickly stiffened. The British 1st Airborne found itself cut off in Arnhem, its advance elements trapped in a shrinking perimeter near the bridge. Crucially, German armored units — including elements of the II SS Panzer Corps — were unexpectedly nearby, refitting after previous battles. These veteran troops responded rapidly, blunting the British paras’ advance and eventually surrounded them.

Meanwhile, XXX Corps encountered fierce opposition along the narrow, elevated two-lane road dubbed “Hell’s Highway.” Delays, demolished bridges, poor coordination, and tenacious German counterattacks slowed their progress. Though the U.S. 101st and 82nd divisions managed to hold their positions and link up with advancing armor, the relief of Arnhem came too late.

German Officer:
“I am here to discuss the surrender of the British forces at the bridge.”

Major Digby Tatham-Warter:
“I’m sorry, we haven’t the facilities to take you all prisoner.”

- attributed (likely apocryphic) exchange of words under a flag of truce, Arnhem, 20 September 1944

After nine days of bitter fighting, the British survivors at Arnhem were evacuated across the river. The operation had failed. The Allies had advanced nearly 100 kilometers into enemy territory — but the Rhine remained uncrossed. The cost was high: over 17,000 Allied casualties, including over 1,400 killed at Arnhem alone.

Though often remembered for its failure, Market Garden also demonstrated the skill, courage, and resilience of airborne and ground forces alike. It remains one of the most studied operations of the war — not only for its daring concept, but also for the hard lessons it offers in planning, coordination, and the unpredictable nature of war.

“There were just too many bridges, too far, and not enough time.”

— Brig. Gen. James Gavin, 82nd Airborne Division

About the Game

The game covers the entire campaign from September 17–27, 1944. The game map spans 520 x 320 hexes, roughly 60km x 40km, encompassing key terrain from the Dutch-Belgian border to Arnhem and the Lower Rhine. The game includes 69 scenarios, ranging from introductory actions to massive operational engagements.

Playable as either the Allies or Germans, players can attempt to replicate — or rewrite — history. Will you hold the vital bridges longer than history allowed? Can you push XXX Corps through to Arnhem before the Germans react? Or will you, as the German commander, sever the corridor and crush the Allied spearheads?

Included scenarios let you explore alternate outcomes: better Allied drop zones, faster linkups, or more effective German counterattacks. Smaller battles like the fights at Son, Nijmegen, and Oosterbeek offer intense tactical challenges within the broader campaign context.

The operation’s broader context in the Netherlands is also covered in Panzer Campaigns: Scheldt ’44, which includes a separate Market Garden scenario depicting the operation as part of a larger operational picture alongside the battles for Antwerp and the Scheldt Estuary. While Scheldt ’44 offers a sweeping high-level view of the campaign, Market Garden ’44 provides a far more granular experience, featuring a wide array of medium and small scenarios that focus on the individual engagements and tactical challenges of the operation. Taken together, the two titles offer complementary perspectives on the Allied advance into the Low Countries in the autumn of 1944.

With battalion-level units, historical OOBs, and detailed modeling of weather, fatigue, supply, and command delays, Market Garden ’44 captures both the drama and complexity of airborne operations and rapid mechanized advances.

Bibliography and Videos

Below you find some book recommendations for more background information on the 1813 fall campaign and the Battle of Leipzig.

Ryan, Cornelius. A Bridge Too Far. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1974. - The classic narrative history that popularized Market Garden for a global audience. Based on hundreds of interviews with Allied and German veterans and Dutch civilians. Dramatic, readable, and the basis for the 1977 film.

Kershaw, Robert. It Never Snows in September: The German View of Market-Garden and the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944. Staplehurst: Spellmount, 1990. - A detailed and highly regarded account from the German perspective, based on after-action reports, interviews, and war diaries. Includes operational details on the SS Panzer divisions, Model, Bittrich, and Kampfgruppe responses.

Middlebrook, Martin. Arnhem 1944: The Airborne Battle. London: Viking, 1994. - An operational history, focusing closely on the British 1st Airborne Division. Based on interviews with veterans, with a sober tone and critical analysis of planning and execution.

Beevor, Antony. Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944. London: Viking, 2018. - A modern and comprehensive reassessment of Market Garden, including the political and strategic context. Critical of Montgomery’s optimism and explores post-war mythmaking. 

Buckingham, William F. Arnhem: The Battle of the Bridges. Stroud: Amberley Publishing, 2019. - A scholarly yet accessible synthesis based on British, American, and German archives. Challenges some longstanding myths and explores logistics, planning, and inter-Allied friction.

We also looked up some historical documentaries on YouTube

Screenshots

Following are some in-game screen shots of what to expect. Each image can be clicked for a full-sized view.

We hope you enjoy this week’s Game of the Week: Panzer Campaigns: Market Garden '44. Like all WDS titles, it provides countless hours of rich historical gameplay at a very attractive price.